With the building and construction skills shortage becoming of increasing concern, everybody must play their part in attracting and training new talent. David Wigglesworth, managing director of SFS UK, explores how manufacturers can help
It’s no secret that a growing building and construction skills shortage is a threat to our whole industry – and the pressure is on to bridge the gap. Rewind six years, when the 2016 Farmer Review highlighted the scale of the issue, predicting that there would be up to a 25% decline in the available building and construction workforce within a decade.
Now fast forward to the present. During summer 2021, the Construction Skills Network provided more concrete numbers – we need 217,000 new workers by 2025 just to meet demand. While this includes infrastructure projects, a significant number will be involved in the construction of commercial or residential buildings.
Understanding the building and construction skills gap
Put simply, we have an ageing workforce, and there are dwindling numbers of young people entering the building trade. As the current workforce nears retirement, new blood is essential to replace those who leave. The current crisis has resulted because there hasn’t been that steady drip-feed of replacement over the past few decades. The last big boom in recruitment was during the 1980s – 40 years ago. These are the workers now approaching retirement.
Unfortunately, little has been done to make construction seem like an attractive career choice for Millennials and Generation Z, especially next to the proliferation of new opportunities fuelled by digital technology. There is the perception – not unfounded – that construction lags behind other industries in digital transformation, further discouraging the digital natives amongst potential new entrants.
It’s also worth noting the lack of diversity within the industry, where white males make up a massive majority. Women account for around 12% of construction employees, the same percentage as those from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds. There are thousands of potential new entrants who might be put off joining an industry that they feel doesn’t represent them.
Practical action to solve the building and construction skills shortage
It’s going to be a big challenge, but it’s vital that the building and construction industry, collectively, rises to it. The future depends on it – and, by extension, the future development of buildings, from homes to hospitals, offices to factories. Or, more bluntly, all of our futures.
Attracting new building and construction talent
The first thing is to build connections with the next generation. That’s why we have successful partnerships with both Leeds Beckett University and the University of Leeds.
For students, these partnerships allow them to make a clear link between their classroom teaching and the practical, commercial application of this learning – for example, in the development and manufacture of building products. For SFS, it means we can explore new ideas and product development, via a series of research placements and projects.
Professional development in building and construction
From the newly qualified to the older employees looking to upskill, CPDs present a sure-fire way of sharing knowledge and instilling best practices. Our range of RIBA-approved CPD modules, designed for architects and specifiers, covers a wide range of topics, including:
- Airtightness and thermal efficiency.
- Fixing warm and flat roofs.
- Roof safety systems.
- Rainscreen cladding.
- Hinge technology: design, function and compliance.
Each course can be taken at SFS, or delivered at an organisation’s premises, to help employees learn, grow and evolve.
Providing a learning environment to develop building and construction skills
Having the right environment for learning is essential to skills development. We have invested in two unique spaces in Leeds and Welwyn Garden City, supplemented by virtual learning, for this purpose.
Collectively known as the SFS Academy, this space is a hub designed to facilitate knowledge exchange between active industry practitioners, those in training and education, and national bodies and affiliations. This learning spans techniques, tools, products and wider industry concerns such as sustainability, performance and safety.
The experience of the pandemic has shown that face-to-face learning is not always practical. Having a space online where people can access knowledge is critical, which is why we launched the SFS Knowledge Hub, full of insight, case studies and other resources.
Aim to provide a variety of different learning styles
Everybody’s needs are different – and so are how we learn. In our experience, there’s no point in trying to force everyone down the same path when it comes to skills.
That’s why our initiatives provide a mix of different styles of learning, delivered how, when and where it will be most effective.
- In-depth training: Covering topics from sustainability and performance to fixing techniques and tools, we offer breadth as well as depth. Encompassing specification-led CPDs, through to technical seminars, there’s a course for every level and specialism.
- Practical demonstrations: Whether it’s a new innovation or helping you understand the potential benefits of a particular fixing or hinge technology, we’re here with hands-on, practical demonstrations to get your team up and running, learning by doing.
- Site support and toolbox talks: When you can’t get to the classroom, we bring it to you, with our team joining you onsite to deliver technical support, advice and guidance, and toolbox talks that quickly and effectively improve your people’s skills and capabilities.
What does the future hold for the building and construction skills shortage?
The task at hand is clear. To attract, nurture and retain skilled workers. To create a sustainable pipeline of capable, expert professionals committed to rewarding careers in construction.
The pay-off will be a collective rise in the level of proficiency and expertise within UK construction. It’s about securing skills for the future – which, in turn, will help secure futures.
For more about SFS, please visit https://uk.sfs.com
James Tomlinson
Wyatt International
Tel: +44 (0) 121 454 8181
Vincent Matthews
SFS
Tel: +44 (0)330 0555 888
*Please note: This is a commercial profile
