Wayne Douglas, Managing Director at City & Country, explains why the next generation are key to securing the future of housebuilding.
An ageing population and shortage of young adults coming into the business means the housebuilding industry is facing a skills gap which urgently needs to be plugged.
According to the Construction Industry Training Board, an extra 45,000 workers need to be recruited every year between now and 2027 to meet demand.
The impact felt from Brexit on the construction industry has been well documented. But what that did was highlight a more serious structural problem: we have an ageing workforce and not enough young people are choosing careers in construction.
According to the UK Trade Skills Index 2023, more than 35% of the industry’s workforce is aged over 50.
The average age of the UK population is rising, and this trend is reflected in the age profile of workers in the construction sector. We therefore need to fight harder to attract young people into the sector, but that is not happening.
Fewer young people are pursuing a career in construction. The UK Trades Skills Index report 2023 found that the number of completed construction apprenticeships has been falling by around 11% every year since 2017/18.
The Government needs to help industry to promote the benefits of a career in building and construction. University is so expensive that graduates start their careers saddled with debt equivalent to the deposit on a first home. There has never been a better time to ask people about pursuing an apprenticeship where you earn money while learning invaluable skills.
A wide choice of careers
Construction and its wider supply chain offer a huge range of career options. People who wish to learn practical skills can go down the traditional apprenticeship routes such as bricklayer, joiner, electrician, plasterer or plumber. There are also careers in professional services such as architects, designers, surveyors and engineers. Construction companies also have openings for project managers, construction managers, contracts managers and estimators.
Then there are more specialist jobs. These could be in traditional crafts such as heritage restoration or new skills such as heat-pump engineer, energy-efficiency assessor or even a drone pilot.
Attracting fresh talent
However, if we are to attract more young people, we need to face up to some harsh realities. The most obvious is the lack of diversity, which means that large sections of our population never consider a career in construction because they don’t see people like themselves represented there. Another issue is that, although certain types of job offer career progression, many others do not.
The industry is crying out for a new approach to attracting, recruiting and developing young talent. Improving diversity will help, but we also need to promote the long-term career rewards – and that needs government support.
Training for tomorrow’s skills
Digital skills are becoming increasingly important. Construction is a huge logistical exercise, and AI-enabled systems offer the potential to improve efficiency. Attracting and developing people with a wide range of technical skills is a great way to demonstrate career progression and improve productivity.
If we are to avoid an even wider skills gap, there needs to be meaningful discussion on education, training and lifelong career development – not only in planning departments, but across the entire sector.
To read Wayne’s piece in Show House, visit: https://www.showhouse.co.uk/thoughts-opinions/opinion-the-skills-shortage-must-be-addressed-if-we-are-to-build-more-homes/