Clearview National March 2020 - Issue 220 | Page 23

INDUSTRYNEWS
By setting up a formal work
experience programme, you can
attract future workers with real,
hands-on experience to give
students the chance to experience
the industry for themselves.
2. DON’T NEGLECT
TRAINING
By offering proper training
programmes, construction
companies have the opportunity
to help close the skills gap with
new talent. It’s not just labour-
intensive roles that are suffering
from the skills shortage — there
is also a demand for tech and
digital skills.
But rather than looking
externally for these roles, use it
as an opportunity to upskill your
current staff. Nurturing talent
within your business is great
for morale; plus, you’ll help to
develop your team’s careers, skill
sets and better utilise ambitious
and forward-thinking workers.
The training involved with
upskilling current workers can
be as simple as one-on-one
mentoring, or you can make use
of the wide range of online and
practical courses available for skill
development.
There are also government-
funded schemes available to
help train future construction
workers. For instance, we are
currently in the middle of an
18-month fund set up by the
government, launched with
a budget of £22 million. This
scheme launched 20 on-site hubs,
of which people looking to join
the industry, as well as people
switching careers, can apply
their knowledge in a real-world
environment.
3. LOOK FOR SKILLED
WORKERS IN THE
RIGHT PLACES
Ensuring that next-generation
workers are knowledgeable about
the industry is vital, but there
are other skilled groups that are
waiting to be snapped up by the
industry.
For example, over 14,000 leave
the military every year, meaning
the construction industry has a
pool of highly trained individuals
with transferable skills at their
disposal. There are a number
of companies that have already
reaped the benefits of military
leavers, and even provide specialist
training and learning credits to
get them fully trained as soon as
possible.
Military leavers offer the unique
opportunity for construction
firms to hire workers that can
effectively follow instructions,
work well as a team and can keep
calm under pressure. It’s a unique
opportunity that is too good to
pass up.
4. ADDRESS THE
GENDER IMBALANCE
Part of the problem is that
construction is a historically
male-dominated industry. Between
2007 and 2016, reports found that
the number of women workers
in construction only rose by
0.7%, resulting in an incredibly
low 12.8% total. But it’s not just
workers in the industry, nearly half
of construction workers claimed
that they have never had a female
manager.
Whatever the role, women
in construction are being
overlooked. As women make up
half of the population, it seems
crazy that the industry is ignoring
so much potential talent that it
sorely needs to help fill the skills
gap.
Educating female students is
a crucial step that companies
need to take, as only 22%
currently work with schools
to help break the stigma of
construction. But it’s not just
about attracting more women
to the industry — companies
need to make sure they’re not
ignoring their current talent due
to their gender. For example, the
international infrastructure group
Balfour Beatty has taken strides
to address gender inequality
by introducing an initiative to
support women through career
breaks for childcare.
5. EMBRACE MODERN
METHODS OF
CONSTRUCTION
The government has already
been warned by the Housing,
Communities and Local
Government Committee that an
over-reliance on traditional building
methods will see the UK fall short
of its home-building targets.
To keep the industry on target,
construction companies need to
look outside the norm and embrace
more modern techniques. From off-
site construction, manufacturing and
assembly to modular constructions,
there are a number of avenues
companies can take to improve
efficiency while maintaining quality.
“The construction industry is
always changing,” says Daniel Ure
from online PPE retailer Vizwear.
“We’re constantly seeing exciting
new innovations that allow us
to work smarter and more
efficiently.”
“In order to make the most of
new industry methods, it’s vital
that new talent is found to close
the skills gap. Construction is still
trying to shake off its past image,
but by pooling its resources into
educating and training future
generations and current talent, the
industry can ensure it’s recruiting
the right workers to hit its
targets.”
www.vizwear.com
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