he construction sector as a whole must get more young people interested in working in the industry and bring on more apprentices or it will face on-going skills shortages – with a major knock-on effect to our cities, our housing provision and the wider economy. One of the most glaring gaps is a lack of millennials coming into the industry. The UK has one of the worst levels for youth unemployment in the developed world with close to one million young people not in education, employment or training. And yet we are still struggling to fill the skills gap in the construction industry.
One of the reasons for this is perception; government research shows that the construction sector has an image problem that deters people from entering the industry. This is especially true amongst millennials who tend to view the industry as old fashioned and not very dynamic.
A government survey shows that the overall appeal for a career in the construction industry for young people is low (scoring an average of 4.2 out of 10 among 14 to 19 years old) and only slightly higher among career advisers (5.6 out of 10). We need to change, challenge and tackle these perceptions.
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As we know construction is one of the sector with serious skills shortages, but how we can solve the problem?
The Government has set a commitment to 3 million apprenticeship starts by 2020. Long term investment in skills is a core component of productivity growth, with apprenticeships delivering a high return on investment, particularly at the higher levels.
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