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PRO INSTALLER OCTOBER 2015
PRO RECRUITMENT
@proinstaller1
Construction industry
is #notjustforboys
Leading construction charity, Construction Youth Trust, has launched a new campaign this
week aimed at encouraging young people to look at careers in the built environment.
Particularly focusing on
changing the misconception
that construction careers
are aimed only at men, the
campaign aims to get young
people talking about which
careers are best for them.
The charity is hoping more
young women will start to
look at the hundreds of
careers options the industry
has to offer too.
Working with young people
between the ages of 14-30, Construction Youth Trust provides
access to training and employment
to those who lack adequate entry
level training, where there is a local
skills need, in deprived communities and with specific social groups.
The charity has been involved in
encouraging more women into
construction for many years.
Last year, they released a report,
Building the Future: Celebrating
Women in Construction, in partnership with the Smith institute
and supported by CITB and Wates
Giving. The report showed only
11% of construction workers are
female and only 1% of those onsite. The #notjustforboys campaign
will play a vital role in their fight
to get more young women into the
industry.
Construction Youth Trust Executive Director, Christine Townley
said about the campaign: “The
industry has a great opportunity to
inspire and recruit the next generation of tradesmen, tradeswomen
and professionals and we need to
‘useful and practical
resources’
show them that women can succeed in the industry.”
A trained civil engineer, who
practised in the industry for many
years, she added:
“We are asking everyone to share
their stories and join in the con-
versation at #notjustforboys. We
hope that this will bring about a
change and inspire more organisations to join our mission to
inspire, train and support the next
generation of young women into
the industry.”
Construction Industry Experiencing the
Effects of the On-demand Economy
Employer demand is outpacing jobseeker interest in the construction
and transport sectors, jobsite Indeed can reveal. While job growth in the
construction industry has increased 10% in the last quarter, jobseeker interest
in these positions has remained stable since the beginning of 2015.
Similarly, Transport has seen a 13%
increase in job availability compared
to last quarter, while jobseeker interest in these roles has fallen 2% in
August from its peak in March.
The figures suggest these industries are
amongst the first to feel the impact of an
economy that is increasingly reliant on
contractors and temporary hires, with an
increasing number of tradesmen branching
out to start their own businesses or work on
a contract or freelance basis. This trend is
more evident for electricians – job searches
for electrician including the term self-employed has grown 61% since Q4 2014.
Gerard Murnaghan, VP EMEA, Indeed said:
“The tightening labour market in the UK
coupled with the prevalence of self-employment is likely to accelerate this trend in the
run up to and following the introduction of
the new minimum wage, which will come
into force in April 2016. SMEs and micro
‘increasingly reliant
on contractors and
temporary hires’
firms are major contributors to growth in
both of these sectors and the backbone of
the UK economy. The wage increase may
discourage them from taking on additional,
junior staff.
This is a particular concern in the construction sector, which is grappling to
attract young talent in an industry which
does not generally appeal to the new labour
force. For an industry that is reliant on
boosting its ranks with new trainees, it is
also noteworthy that two thirds of construction apprentices are currently trained by
micro firms – a talent stream the industry
cannot afford to lose.”
Construction Youth Trust have
joined forces with CITB and their
Go Construct campaign to ensure
young people have all the resources they need to get their career
started. The Go Construct website
gives people access to a range
of useful and practical resources about careers in construction
including information about
apprenticeships, work experience
opportunities and the different
career options.
Join the conversation
#notjustforboys
U.K. Industry
Employment
Trend Highlights
– August, 2015
Top Growth in Job
Openings (compared
to previous quarter)
Transportation +13%
Media
+11%
Construction +10%