Both the CEC and CITB have reported an uptick in interest in construction careers amongst young people in the UK, which bodes well in the face of a skills shortage
A survey of 100,000 young people by the Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) found that construction is one of the preferred career paths for students by the time they reach 11 years old, along with creative and media, healthcare, business and finance, and engineering.
The news correlates with increased presence in the education sector from construction companies such as Mace, Wilmott Dixon, Morgan Sindall, and Wates, via visiting schools, raising awareness and developing skills pathways and apprenticeship programs.
Companies report a number of benefits from engaging young people in construction careers earlier
The CEC also found that 97% of construction companies reported that working directly with schools and colleges was helping encourage young people to take up careers in construction.
87% of respondents said this was helping closing skills gaps and 84% said it was helping improve the diversity of their workforces. 94% thought it was boosting recruitment for jobs and apprenticeship roles.
Nearly one million visits to the CITB careers website in 2024 so far
The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has seen almost one million visits to its Go Construct website so far this year.
Site surveys indicate that the audience is skewing younger and more female, with a third of users under 18 and 33% identifying as female.
CITB chief executive Tim Balcon said: “With a 45% increase in annual traffic – far above our target – we are reaching a wider, more diverse audience about the many opportunities available in construction.
“Encouragingly, the number of people progressing from Go Construct to Talentview to find a job or apprenticeship has continually grown month-on-month.
“We hope to harness this interest to encourage more people into construction-related jobs, directing them to suitable training and apprenticeships, and putting them in touch with employers who are looking to plug their skills gap.”
