SPOTLIGHT MEMBER VOICES
E very new government announces bold plans construction industry be about Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s party plugging the skills gap? Annie Summun, Director of Public Affairs at Kisiel Group in London and Surrey, says not very when they take control, but how optimistic can the UK optimistic at all. Citing figures from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), she notes that 225,000 new workers are needed by 2027 to meet projected building targets. “We are already more than halfway through 2024,” she points out. “So, I am not optimistic we will achieve the skills we need, but we may begin the journey.” Skills England, the new body proposed by the government to meet the skills needs for the next decade, will take anything from nine to 12 months to set up. Summun asks: “Will the body be supporting the construction skills needed in the rest of the UK?”
● promoting construction careers to young people and their parents so construction is not a last choice ● encouraging women and people of colour, who are under- represented on building sites, to consider a career in construction ● favouring practical over theoretical teaching in the early phases of construction courses at colleges to keep students engaged ● reconsidering apprenticeship requirements of maths and English to enable more students to progress above a Level 2 qualification ● creating a pathway for those leaving the armed forces to enter the construction industry. Shifting perspective Sustainable change takes time to achieve, but there are steps the government can take immediately to improve the skills shortage. “Allow tradespeople from overseas as an interim measure while we train more apprentices, which will not happen overnight,” Summun advises. “It is like learning to drive – you learn the basics to pass your test and then the more you drive the better experienced you become. “A two-year apprenticeship teaches the basics and experience is built up through working on a site. It can take five years before you have a fully skilled tradesperson.” Additionally, Summun wants the government to consult with construction SMEs before setting up training systems to meet skill needs and to think outside the box by embracing new initiatives. An example, Summun says, is what FMB London is doing with a local college to develop a course to provide skills specific to construction SMEs. The government would need to find ways to fund such a scheme at colleges around the country.
SMART ABOUT SKILLS
FMB members share their perspective on what the new government needs to do to solve the skills conundrum
Not radical enough Anthony Ellard, Managing
Director of A&E Construction Limited in Warwickshire, is also lacking optimism. He says: “Yes, the government is focusing on upskilling the workforce but they’re not introducing a more radical forward-thinking plan to get youngsters into construction.” What concerns Ellard is the “bureaucracy and red tape” builders have to navigate, regardless of which political party is in power. “Put people in charge who understand the industry inside out,” he advises. Having read the government’s manifesto, Ellard is not impressed. “It’s incredibly weak – it has no structure to help the construction
industry.” He struggles to understand how the new government will achieve its target to build one and a half million new homes in five years. “This is impossible; it would be double the amount that was produced last year in 2022-23.” How to attract new recruits Nevertheless, both Ellard and Summun have ideas on how the government should attract workers to the construction industry, such as: ● educating school teachers about construction to signpost students to the many career opportunities
Annie Summun
Anthony Ellard
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Master Builder
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