As we have previously discussed in April’s article, there are various factors causing problems within the construction industry that have affected a number of things, such as: productivity and performance, profitability, labour shortages, sustainability and complexity. So, this month, Drilltec Diamond Drilling are here to take a look at some of the causes to see if there are any potential fixes for the skills shortages that the industry is currently facing.

Amount of jobs created by construction

Within the UK, 10% of jobs are made inside of the construction industry, which is an extremely impressive percentage. This begs the question – why are we facing skill shortages and several other problems down the line? With a figure such as 10%, the construction industry should be nurtured in order to keep this sector a large part of UK’s expanding economy.

What can be done?

Retirement

With the majority of workers in their 50s or 60s, many construction workers are reaching retirement age, which of course means losing knowledgeable and valuable members of the workforce. The potential fix for this is to find young workers that are willing to learn from the best, to be educated on site by dedicated members of the team that are willing to pass on their knowledge – this will help young people to hone their skills at an early age.

Interest in construction

Although there’s a large depression amongst young people, due to the competitive fight for jobs after education, there’s a surprising lack of interest coming from them when it comes to taking advantage of openings within the construction industry.

What has come to light is that young people do not wish to get involved with manual work, especially since there’s been such an increase of students attending universities. Many parents are trying to guide their children into careers in law, finance or medicine. Due to the sheer amount of people that have the same view, this means that the image of construction couldn’t be further away from this popular desire.

Apprenticeships and guaranteed jobs

A job within the construction industry isn’t any less important than any other job. So what about project management, town planning, quantity surveying? These types of jobs are ready to take on young apprentices.

Although some apprenticeships do not guarantee a job at the end, a way to fix this is to have firms take on an ‘X’ amount of workers per year, so they’re guaranteed the security of a job. This being said, these young apprentices should have to undergo specific training to ensure that firms have new workers that are ready for a career in construction. This gives security to both young workers and construction firms, as they’re guaranteed jobs and new staff, respectively.

Schools and colleges

Not only is there less competition, due to the influx of people striving for the same academic careers, but there are openings where the younger generation will receive thorough, individual training. So the answer that could solve this issue is to change the way we view the construction industry. Schools need to show children how interesting a career in this sector is, with bold and bright ideas and exploration into the types of jobs that are available within the sector. With interesting projects and innovative curriculums, this could peak the interest of the up and coming generation of skilled workers.


Drilltec Diamond Drilling have a wealth of experience providing a variety of services including: diamond drilling, concrete cutting, hydraulic bursting & crunching and brokk robotic demolition. We pride ourselves in our experience and growing team that thrive off providing fire-rate services to each and every customer. We extend our services throughout: Birmingham, Cambridge, Coventry, Leicester, London, Milton Keynes, Northampton, Oxford and Slough – so if you’re looking for any of the services we provide, please feel free to get in touch today.