Where are the skills gaps and shortages in the construction industry?
The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) announced a couple of years ago that we are short of about a quarter of a million construction workers in the industry.
Figures from YouGov from about the same time said that a mere 3% of youngsters between the ages of 18 and 24 are looking to the construction industry as a profession.
And at the Office of National Statistics (ONS) they say that 20% of the construction workforce are over the age of 50, and that figure rises to 58% when you add in the 29-45 age group.
These are terrifying numbers for any profession, and if we are to meet the demands for increased housebuilding, upgrading our road and rail infrastructure, and the move to a carbon free economy with all that it entails, we need to address this particular issue urgently.
Okay, so the figures might be exacerbated by the fluidity of the 165,000 workers from the EU and other migrants - whose 10% of the total workforce have been the backbone of the industry during the current skills shortage - but Brexit regulations have seen this number reduce considerably, and they also constituted a large proportion of the younger workforce.
The end result is that 20% of the jobs available within in the construction industry can't be filled because of a lack of people with the skills to do the job.
How to tackle construction skills shortage
It's important to consider why young people so disinclined to enter the profession, and how can we change this.
The most widely held belief is that the industry is slow to adapt to modern ideas, such as employing sustainable technologies, or engaging with digitisation, and is still heavily dependent on paper-based systems, and that the work is viewed as a physically demanding 'outside' job. We need to change this urgently and educate and inform both industry leaders and potential recruits to the industry of their responsibilities and opportunities.
The crunch falls on the leaders, though, and if they are not up to the job they should look outside the industry and bring in experts and motivators from other industries that have successfully addressed similar problems.
4 areas to target the construction skills shortage crisis
The Access Group has identified four targets that should be in everybody's sights if we are to reverse this workforce shortage:
- Education and recruitment
- Construction software
- Health and safety in construction and essential training
- Offsite construction
1. Education is key
The construction industry is going through the most exciting phases of its existence. The skills that we need to cope with an evolving planet and its declining resources, a changing workforce, a move towards a zero-carbon technology and a switch to an electrified infrastructure demand the latest technologies.
At the same time, we have developed the ability to design and simulate projects in 4D, 5D and beyond, create stunning visualisations of buildings, and carry the accumulated information through to monitor and manage a buildings performance throughout its whole lifespan.
The construction industry is designing and building the future for every generation and every country - who would not want to be a part of that?
The emphasis has to be on getting that message across in schools, colleges and universities. But you can probably spot the flaw in this proposal. In an industry heavily dominated by older workers, and with a shortfall in boots on the ground, the people entrusted in getting the message across are the ones stepping back from the building site and passing on their outgrown experience to the next generation.
Diversify your workforce and don't always hire 'your own' - opportunities should also be made available to women, who constitute just 14% of the workforce and less than 6% of the entire construction workforce are BAME. Consider hiring project managers and finance directors from different industry sectors to bring new ideas to your company.
Read more: Why is there a lack of women in construction?
2. Change construction tech
Implementing a digital software platform will streamline your processes so you and your teams can eliminate time consuming admin task and avoid duplication in work - potentially minimising the workforce you need to hire in the first place.
It'll reduce human errors and version control. Everyone working in one cloud-based platform has a single source of truth which will support decision making in real-time - saving time and money.
Buying construction software and introducing this tech into your business will also boost interest from new entrants into the construction industry, as well as experienced professionals like IT directors and Change Project Manager from different sectors. They may consider joining your business to help grow your company.
Our construction software solutions cover everything from estimating software and job costing, to accounting software, HR and plant and asset management. We have mobile apps that captured data in real-time, and dashboards that analysis and report back to your business in one place.
Get in touch with our expert construction team to find out more about our solutions.
3. Facilitate management
Looking after your team is crucial retaining and recruiting new staff in the construction industry.
As an enterprise resource planning (ERP) practitioner, the evolving nature of the construction industry drives our strategies and prompts us to configure solutions that fit your requirements, from pricing in the move to alternative construction technologies, to balancing the evolving skill levels of human resources available for a project.
That also means dealing with all of the paraphernalia of recruitment and training within the industry. The increased role of Health and Safety within the construction industry is long overdue, with its reputation for the greatest number of industrial injuries.
Training schemes are also available for the operation of plant and machinery, lorry driving, warehousing, and scaffolding, all backed by CITB Approved Training Organisations.
Keeping track of all of these and updating them with changes and inclusions to the regulations are part and parcel of their resource management tools, and we advise customers of changes that might affect them.
This is in addition to the many trades and professions that are involved in the construction industry. Just take a look at Able Skills Training Courses which includes a wide range of City & Guilds and NVQ qualification courses - completion of which needs to be recorded in appropriate files and used to assess job suitability and, of course, payment levels.
4. Consider offsite construction
Modular construction and offsite fabrication enable contractors to concentrate on the construction of building components in a structured and controlled environment, where methods of construction and quality levels can be fully monitored and corrected, if necessary.
Such factories are perfect environments for the development of construction skills in those entering the profession, and are perhaps a gentler introduction to the processes than a windswept building site on a bit of sloping Lancashire moorland. It also allows builders to experiment with new techniques and technologies and to siphon out imperfections in building methods.
Offsite fabrication is also entering the mainstream with some large-scale builders creating their own facilities to handle their modular building methods. These are perfect introductions to the industry where apprentices can gain their spurs before widening their experiences on the building site.
As part of its ERP solution, we can incorporate the demands of offsite fabrication within our construction accounting software - allowing factory production to be assigned to separate projects, as appropriate. Employees on such sites will also be accommodated within the full legal requirements of a normal building site.
Read more: The Rise of Modular Construction
Time to get started
Motivating potential recruits into the construction profession doesn't just rely on showing them what a great future there could be within a critically important and forward-looking industry, but that the training, development, technology, job security and personal safety is second to none - and the inclusive work environment allow anyone to be involved.
In 15 years' time the majority of the current Construction workforce will be retiring. This won't just affect your company, but the entire profession. There will be few replacements unless you make it happen.
Make a start with implement the right construction software for your business.