Clearview National April 2016 - Issue 173 | Page 18

INDUSTRYNEWS

Construction needs
vital skills investment
According to a study, tradespeople were even busier
in 2015 than the year before. But as workloads
increased, businesses were struggling to recruit
more staff due to the current skills shortage.
»»WAYNE LYSAGHT-MASON,
managing director at IronmongeryDirect,
discusses the importance of attracting talent to
the sector in order to bridge the gap and keep
up with rising demand.
IronmongeryDirect’s Annual Industry
Review found that overall the construction
sector occupied a positive position throughout
2015 as tradespeople declared how busy
they were, and that revenues were up. But
as a result, many businesses were feeling the
pressure as staffing levels and resources were
pushed to their limit. While 17% took on
more staff and apprentices in 2015, a quarter
of respondents said they struggled to take on
more staff because of the skills shortage.
These figures are further supported by the
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
(RICS) which revealed that at the end of
2015 the UK construction sector was facing
its biggest ever skills shortage since 1998,
with bricklayers and quantity surveyors
the hardest to source. As a result, building
projects are likely to come under threat and
the construction of vital infrastructure projects
severely delayed.
The reason for the labour shortage is not
easy to pinpoint. One of the main causes
stems from the global financial crisis. During
a recession, job losses are inevitable and the
economic downturn of 2008 to 2010 saw
300,000 tradespeople leave the construction
sector. But as the building industry begins to
stabilise and improve, these workers have not
returned or been replaced.
Those who left the industry may have now
retired or found new job roles in other sectors.
When jobs are lost, this also affects confidence
within that sector. Employers may be reluctant
to take on new workers, especially apprentices
and graduates, even when the economy gets
back on track. And people may be hesitant to
enter into a profession that previously lost so
many workers.

18 » A PR 2016 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M

However, investment in
the sector is growing. The
number of new housing
projects has risen, particularly
as the government seeks to
tackle the current housing
shortage. It has promised the
construction of 200,000 new
starter homes by 2020 and has
invested £1.2billion to help
deliver this commitment. And
those working within the construction
industry have also seen their workloads
increase, with nearly three quarters of
tradespeople reporting an increase in
revenue in 2015. 45% said they had so
much work on they actually had to turn
jobs away.
For those within the sector, this
growth is positive news but growth
will only be sustainable if there are
enough skilled workers to deal with the rise in
new projects. If the growing skills crisis is not
addressed, more businesses could be forced
to turn away work as they do not have the
manpower to take it on. It could also be the
case that the costs of completing projects are
pushed up as developers try to outbid each
other to secure the necessary workforce.
So how do we attract talent back into the
building trade?
According to the Local Government
Association, in the past two years the number
of construction qualifications awarded through
apprenticeships, colleges and universities has
dropped by 10,000. Attracting more young
people into the sector is vital, by expanding
apprenticeship and training opportunities.
Construction firms need to be doing more
to show young people the opportunities
available within the building trade. To attract
young talent, these companies need to be
taking on apprentices and offering better
training to new staff members.

Wayne Lysaght-Mason,
IronmongeryDirect

Investment into skills is crucial to ensure
that the construction sector remains stable.
This is particularly important given that the
profession is feeling the consequences of
an ageing workforce and as a result, talent
will be lost when older employees move on
to retirement. The Construction Industry
Training Board estimates that around 400,000
people are set to retire from the profession in
the next 5-10 years.
Alongside attracting new recruits, employers
need to be taking care of their current
workforce; ensuring staff members remain
within the sector for the foreseeable future.
To keep skills within the construction trade
for longer, firms could offer incentives such as
regular training or flexible working hours.
Investment in skills needs to take place now
before the workload becomes too heavy to
deal with. And with 622,000 young people
unemployed, now is the ideal time.
www.IronmongeryDirect.co.uk