CIOB NEWS
“Despite the promising shifts in perceptions of the construction sector, the enthusiasm young people have for construction careers is not being connected with clear pathways into the industry.”
A new survey from the CIOB Northern Ireland found almost 80% of 16-24-year- olds hold a positive view of construction careers.
wider societal perceptions of construction work. Worryingly, the data suggests that career guidance is not challenging this perception - over half of those surveyed (63%) said information about the sector was not included in the careers advice they received whilst in education. Despite the promising shifts in perceptions of the construction sector, and indeed the changing nature of construction work itself, the enthusiasm young people have for construction careers is not being connected with clear pathways into the industry. To that end, we have made three recommendations based on our survey findings: SKILLS STOCK CHECK The CIOB would like to see the Northern Ireland Assembly take a comprehensive stock check of the current skills systems. This would involve finding out how much
the current skills systems contribute in terms of new entrants, and the current landscape of expected new entrants as compared to the number needed to deliver expected national housing and infrastructure targets. Given the Northern Ireland Audit Office’s recent finding that there is a lack of clarity around the governance of skills between various government departments, the Department for the Economy – as the owner of the current NI Skills Strategy – should be tasked with carrying out this stock check. INCREASED RESOURCES FOR APPRENTICESHIPS With Northern Ireland’s economy struggling to bridge skills gaps, one of the main problems is the overly complex and disjointed apprenticeship system. The apprenticeship process could be
made easier to navigate, with better communication around the considerable benefits for employers, and support tailored to their needs, particularly SMEs. IMPROVING CAREERS ADVICE There is an opportunity to reach a wider talent pool of young people through more consistent coverage of construction in careers advice in schools, given almost half of young people reporting that this was absent. The Department for Education should therefore work with the Department for the Economy in looking at opportunities to strengthen the accuracy and quality of careers advice to ensure that key sectors of the economy, such as construction, are covered appropriately. This would simultaneously tackle Northern Ireland’s almost 10% rate of 18–24-year-olds not in education, employment or training.
Julie Fitzsimmons, Member Services and Events Coordinator ‑ Northern Ireland T: +44 (0)1344 630 729 - M: +44 (0)7760 164 101 - E: jfitzsimmons@ciob.org.uk www.ciob.org
www.nibuilder.co.uk
FOLLOW US ON:
NI BUILDER | 13
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online