Clearview National February 2018 - Issue 195 | Page 17

PROUD SPONSOR OF
INDUSTRY NEWS
INDUSTRYNEWS
Tradespeople struggle to recruit
Trade Pulse Press
‘The voice of the trade’
UK tradespeople struggle to recruit
the next generation of trade
31
believe it is because
apprenticeships are not
given the same level of
respect as university education
struggle to find
skilled &
qualified labour
say poor public perception of a career
in the trade is deterring school leavers
better
vocation
educatio al
in schools n
Greater
focus
What can we do?
87
57 %
%
30 %
on the opportunities
of a career in the
trade are needed
to attract more
apprentices.
%
of tradespeople think more
could be done to attract people to
retrain for a new career in the trade
61
%
Nearly one fifth
believe greater knowledge
on the support available to
retrain in the trade is crucial
say red tape needs to be reduced to encourage
more employers to hire an apprentice
There is so much opportunity
» » UK TRADESPEOPLE ARE
optimistic about the future, with
82% expecting business activity
to remain at the same level or
grow over the next 12 months.
Additionally, nearly half (45%)
report being busier than last year.
However, research conducted
by trade retailer, Screwfix, has
revealed the majority (57%) are
reporting difficulties in recruiting
staff to support them. This is
primarily due to:
• a lack of focus on
encouraging new people to
train in the trades
• not enough local skilled
tradespeople
• too much red tape.
For those who struggle to
recruit skilled employees, more
than one third (37%) believe
it is because apprenticeships
are not given the same level of
respect as a university education.
Furthermore, 31% say poor
public perception of a career in
the trade means school leavers are
not interested in pursuing a future
in construction.
The research, conducted as part
of Screwfix Trade Pulse*, a monthly
index of more than 500 UK
tradespeople, also revealed strong
work levels across the trade at the
moment, as nearly one fifth (18%)
of tradespeople has more work
than they can handle and 40%
are quoting for more jobs than 12
months ago.
Nearly all (94%) tradespeople
said they would recommend a
career in the trade and of the
reasons why, 85% say they have a
strong sense of achievement when a
job is done and, 80% enjoy seeing
the results of their hard work.
More than half (57%) of those
surveyed said they started as
apprentices and, when it comes to
increasing the numbers undertaking
trade apprenticeships, more than
one third (35%) believe greater
focus is needed on vocational
of tradespeople
believe business
will stay the
same or improve
in next 12 months
40 %
1 in 4
have more work than
they can handle
are quoting for
more work than
12 months ago
45 %
are busier than last year
education in schools. More
than one quarter (26%) believe
impro ved awareness about the
opportunities offered by a career
in the trade would drive greater
uptake of apprenticeships, with
19% saying that reducing red tape
for employers looking to hire an
apprentice should be considered.
The research also looked at views
around those entering construction
at a later stage in their careers.
The significant majority (82%)
of tradespeople think more could
be done to attract people to the
trade further into their working
lives. More than two thirds (69%)
think increasing awareness of the
opportunities available would help
attract people into the trade and
61% believe greater knowledge of
the support available to retrain is
also crucial.
Graham Bell, CEO of Screwfix,
comments: “When we speak to
tradespeople across our 546 stores,
they reflect what these findings
show us. Tradespeople tell us they
have full work diaries but, many
struggle to recruit skilled employees
when looking to support their
growing business so, it is clear that
focused efforts are needed to drive
recruitment and training into the
trades.
“There is much focus on a
reported construction skills
challenge with various reasons
given including loss of talent during
the downturn and a lack of new
entrants joining the trade. That’s
why, now more than ever, all parties
including government, suppliers
and education providers should
work together. It was encouraging
to see the investment pledged into
improving construction skills by the
government in the recent budget
but, collectively, we also need to
demonstrate why construction is
such a great sector to work in and,
help those who may be interested
in embarking on a career in the
trade to overcome barriers they
may face. We also need to support
tradespeople who want to take on
apprentices or hire skilled labour to
support their business at a time of
much opportunity.”
Screwfix supports the trade
however it can, so alongside
practical support such as opening
a store at the rate of one per week,
to bring Screwfix even closer,
it offers ‘Your Guide to Hiring
an Apprentice’, a free, bitesize
guide available in stores for those
tradespeople who may be looking
to take on an apprentice. To further
shine a light on those hardworking
new entrants to the trade, it also
holds an annual Trade Apprentice
competition where a £10,000
business start-up kit is up for grabs.
Both this award and its Britain’s Top
Tradesperson nationwide search
showcase what a great career option
the trade offers, whether you start
out as an apprentice or retrain later
in your working life.
In addition, to support skills
growth in the construction trade,
Screwfix has recently started
to work with colleges directly,
partnering locally first with
Yeovil College. It has invested
in the Screwfix Trade Skills
Centre, a new purpose-built
site for students studying the
pilot Screwfix Trade Academy
course, which covers bricklaying,
plumbing, carpentry and electrical
contracting. The first recruits
started in September 2017.
Screwfix is also looking at other
ways it can support the trade
and will be launching further
initiatives in the future.
www.screwfixmedia.co.uk
C L E A RV I E W-U K . C O M » FE B 2018 » 17