Electrical Contracting News (ECN) April 2017 | Page 22

KEY ISSUE

KEY ISSUE

ON ROUTE TO 2021

The ECA ’ s director of business , Paul Reeve , and Certsure ’ s technical and standards director , Alan Wells , discuss the future of electrical contracting .

With the UK ’ s decision to leave the European Union , it ’ s arguable that the future policy , legislative and business environment has never looked so uncertain . Against this backdrop , the ECA and Certsure have just updated our ‘ 2021 Vision ’ report , originally produced in 2011 , when the industry was still reeling from one of the worst economic recessions ever .

As such , one of the key aims of the 2021 Vision was to ‘ help the electrical contractor to see past short term survival , and prepare for the next stage of their business development ’. The report also aimed to give an insight into what would be required in electrical contracting over the next 10 years , and to help ‘ develop the skills and services that will be required for electrical contractors ’.
A key output of the original ‘ 2021 Vision ’ report was a series of ‘ Future Views ’ and a comprehensive review of related issues , opportunities and threats . This interim report highlights over 30 industry predictions that were made in the original report . The review uses a ‘ red , amber , green ’ system , with supporting narrative . Many predictions have in fact already been achieved or are well on course , while for some others , it is too early to tell . The one area where predictions did not hold relate to the previous government ’ s now defunct household energy efficiency programme , the ‘ Green Deal ’.
State of play
In addition to assessing the predictions from 2011 , the updated report also provides a commentary on the current state of play and considers upcoming developments in seven key areas , namely :
• Skills – concerns about the shortage of skilled managers and operatives are now even more pressing , and that the industry must raise its game to compete for talent .
• Social – the construction market is likely to encounter only modest growth , with higher profitability likely in diversified specialist and service activity .
• Political – the decision to leave the EU could reopen a series of debates around energy , health and safety , and employment policy , among other issues .
• Customer needs – many customers are increasingly turning to social media and Apps to find out more about contractors , arrange work and indeed seek out customer service .
‘ Concerns about the shortage of skilled managers and operatives are now even more pressing .’
• Sustainability – renewable electricity has already ousted coal as the UK ’ s energy source of choice , with more developments expected to shift the country ’ s energy mix .
• Building design – there are growing trends towards using ‘ plug in and function ’ technology , wireless systems and BIM – which are being utilised on major public and private projects .
• Product developments – the Internet of Things and very Big Data are dramatically changing the landscape , with smart buildings set to become increasingly common .
Significantly , the original ECA / NICEIC ‘ 2021 Vision ’ report preceded the formation of Certsure in 2013 , which saw NICEIC and ELECSA brought into the joint ownership of the ECA and Electrical Safety First ; a landmark example of effective collaboration in the electrical contracting industry .
Despite all the other uncertainties , our industry is technology driven , and we can be certain that the technology will continue to move ahead , on the road to 2021 and beyond . Yet if our sector is to succeed , collaboration between the leading industry players is vital . Building strong industry partnerships and presenting a vision of the future , and the way forward , will ultimately help ensure the electrical contracting industry benefits from the technological advances and other commercial opportunities .
There is an increasing array of commercial opportunities for electrical and diversified specialist contractors , and over the next five years and beyond , the ECA , NICEIC and ELECSA will be working hard to ensure the best possible commercial environment for the entire industry .
To view the 2021 Vision report update , please visit www . eca . co . uk or www . niceic . com
Paul Reeve
Alan Wells
22 | April 2017