Pro Installer July 2015 - Issue 28 | Page 53

53 PRO INSTALLER JULY 2015 PRO RECRUITMENT @proinstaller1 2015 Marks a Change in Construction Martyn Makinson, Managing Director of Ionic Recruitment, the leading recruitment consultancy within the construction industry, reflects on the Conservative government’s investment in the housing market and the affect on apprentices: “George Osborne announced a new ‘Help To Buy’ ISA as part of the budget back in March; for every £200 a first-time buyer saves towards a home, the Government will give them a £50 top-up. Furthermore, the Government has set a substantial target of building 200,000 new starter homes by 2020 and plans to release public land for the construction of up to 150,000 new homes. “While this is a positive step for ‘generation rent’ (only 1.4 million homeowners in the UK are aged between 25 and 34, according to The Telegraphy), the issue for the construction industry will become one of supply and demand. The industry will be expected to demonstrate that it has the capacity to deliver more new homes. “At Ionic Recruitment, we believe that the Conservative government must now support the construction sector by developing the skills of young apprentices, if they are to deliver on promises and build more homes to sell at affordable prices. “Construction, which represents around 6% of the UK economy, was badly hit by the most recent recession and is still trying to recover from 400,000 job losses, while replacing increasing numbers of people in an ageing workforce. “Encouraging higher qualifications could be a positive step for the industry, and this is something which the Conservative government has already promised. The Party has outlined its plans for a ‘Degree Apprenticeships’ initiative. Degree Apprenticeships are designed by businesses, universities and colleges to combine the academic study of a degree with the practical experience of a skilled job. “By providing better training for apprentices, we may see the emergence of a better qualified young workforce and also a more motivated workforce, thanks to the extra investment. It is also worth considering that by introducing a more challenging qualification process for apprentices, we are likely to see a change in attitude toward construction and what it has to offer. “With current employment gaps and shortage of construc- tion tradespeople, as well as the government’s investment in the housing market, now is an opportune time to consider a career as a tradesperson within the construction sector. At Ionic, we are keen to communicate this widely to encourage more young people to enter into the industry and progress in their chosen profession.” More work and less play for constructions stretched workforce A shortage of skilled labour is among the chief concerns for construction businesses; something Glenigan have covered in their post-recession challenges briefing. However, the industry as a whole has so far managed to meet expanding demand, even if the rate of growth has eased during the last six months. Employment data shows that the pressure on industry capacity has so far been largely absorbed by existing staff working longer hours. However, industry recruitment will need to strengthen over the coming year if construction is to accommodate rising workloads. According to official ONS statistics during the first quarter of 2015 there were 2,124,000 jobs in construction. This was a rise of 0.3% compared to the previous quarter, with construction’s workforce growing by an estimated 1.3% over the preceding 12 months and continuing the slow pace of employment growth seen over the last two years. Indeed 2014 saw construction employment rise by just 2% in contrast to the 9.5% surge in construction output during the year. ‘demand for construction workers grew more slowly than any other employment sector during May, across both permanent and temporary roles’ This is in contrast to the experience during the downturn, when con