Clearview National March 2015 - Issue 160 | Page 85
businessnews
Industry Leaders
warn of looming
skills shortage
A number of construction industry leaders
have issued a warning about labour shortages
in their sector, including the Managing
Director of an aluminium manufacturer.
»»Jerry Webb, Managing
Director of CDW Systems, Tim Stringer
of Integral Build and Gemma Day of
Dowlas have come on record following
the uplift in the construction sector and
the news that many more jobs in the
industry are expected to be created.
CDW Systems has been in business
for over 21 years as specialist aluminium
manufacturers and the business has
experienced particularly strong growth
in the last few years.
But Jerry says that recruiting for new
staff was more difficult than it should
be, after he added a second shift at
the company following record sales in
2014. He noticed that many young
people don’t attach prestige to forging a
long-term career in the construction and
glazing industry; and that with many
more jobs being created, a skills crisis
could be looming.
Jerry advised: “You can’t generalise as
many young people do want to work
in glazing and construction but not
enough in my opinion; and it was more
difficult than it should have been for us
to recruit staff.
“We’re growing year on year and there
are always positions, both skilled and
unskilled, but there is a question mark
around how much prestige is attached
to our industry and whether enough
is done to communicate the positives
of working in construction to young
people.”
Tim Stringer, Director of Integral
Build, a national construction and
maintenance firm - has also come on
record about skills shortages in the
industry.
He comments: “Integral Build has
certainly found sourcing key trades,
specifically traditional ones such as
plastering and bricklaying, more
difficult over the last year or so.
“This is still proving to be an issue
going into 2015 and we can’t see it
getting any better, especially as the
industry gets busier. It does seem
to me that the average age of the
tradesmen is gradually getting older
and this is a major concern for the
future. Is it that young people are not
excited about these trades?
‘this is a great industry
to be a part of ’
“I would guess this is the case and
the industry as a whole needs to look
at itself very carefully to work out the
best way to encourage school children
and young adults, both male and
female, that this is a great industry to
be a part of.”
Gemma Day, Director, Dowlas, an
enabling developer for the Junction
21 Enterprise Area, one of the biggest
developments outside of London,
comments: “We are experiencing lots
of enquiries at our site and together
with our partners have already
finished some projects. As things
continue to pick up I am starting
to see a strain on skills which is a
concern.
“What can we do? There is no
magic bullet but engaging students at
a younger age is one way.”
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