Pledge to tackle skills shortage

Like most companies within the construction industry, we are only as good as the people we employ. Attracting and retaining the best in the industry is one of our core business goals. But yet again as we came through the financial crisis, it quickly became harder to recruit as our industry moved from high levels of graduate unemployment into another skills shortage.

What was even more frustrating, was that this skills shortage was foreseen and certainly not a surprise to most of us within the industry. Even though we all knew it would take place once demand returned, we were seemingly still unable to alter its course.

With recruitment and retention, a critical business issue for John Rowan and Partners, we wanted to investigate how and why (with all the rhetoric around the skills shortage) the industry is not managing to attract enough people to meet its demand. Over the past eight months we explored the issues using research to try to better understand attitudes of undergraduates towards the construction sector. We asked the sector’s youngest recruits about their perception of the industry, what attracted them to it and where they think the source of the problem lies.

What became clear is that while there are many great organisations undertaking work to provide resources and information to schools, our education system still lacks an awareness and understanding of the opportunities that the UK construction industry has to offer. A lot of undergraduates first became attracted to the industry through friends and family connections or work experience. More noticeably, very few were guided by their schools on the opportunities within our industry.

The findings show us that there appears to be a lack of career guidance for schoolchildren interested in the construction professions and little awareness among teachers and career advisers of the opportunities within the industry. For this reason, there is little driving schools to promote the sector on our behalf.

The problem is not that schoolchildren don’t have access to information about careers in the construction industry, it’s that they’re not even looking. The issue is how to get children asking the questions in the first place

The problem, therefore, is not that schoolchildren don’t have access to information about careers in the construction industry, it’s that they’re not even looking. The issue the sector has to solve is how to get children asking the questions in the first place.

Decisions about entering our industry really need to be made at school, when career choices are being formed and defined by the academic decisions that go on to shape our careers. My own career path pays testament to this. Having undertaken a short spell of work experience in Wimbledon with a local QS firm, the subsequent conversation with my careers adviser was focused - without hesitation I wanted to be a QS. The careers adviser pointed out what A level subjects I needed and which university courses I should target. 

The task for the sector is huge. According to the Office for National Statistics, in England alone there are 8.4 million pupils enrolled in state-funded and independent schools and 2.7 million pupils enrolled in academies. The only possible way to deliver a message to these pupils is through the support of companies from across the length and breadth of the UK.

We need to act as an industry to show children and teachers who do not have access to the sector through friends and family, just what they are missing out on.

Evidence from the Education and Employers’ Taskforce shows that access to a network of employers is associated with better outcomes for young people. In addition to this, the Department for Education acknowledges that at present there is a need for schools to build stronger connections with employees due to the current mismatch between the careers that young people want to pursue and the opportunities available to them.

The Experience Construction initiative, organised by the Construction Youth Trust (CYT) in partnership with Building is the perfect way to build these strong connections with local schools. Working with the CYT will help facilitate direct interaction between your company and local schools - helping you to create long lasting and positive relationships. CYT provides the guidance and support to show you how you can set up workshops with schools so that they have a real impact.

Now is the time to sign up to register and pledge to offer work experience to local schools.  Getting involved with Experience Construction will highlight the opportunities and rewards that our great industry has to offer. Ultimately, it will help you to showcase your company and develop relationships with the future talent of our sector.  A win-win situation.

Stephen Gee is managing partner of construction consultancy John Rowan and Partners. The company is a launch partner of the Experience Construction initiative