Skills shortageWe are hearing a lot about the construction sector skills shortage, especially when it comes to younger people entering the labour market, and this got me thinking. What is so unattractive about a career in an industry that designs and builds some of the most exciting places in which we live, work and play.
RIW’s talented team works collaboratively with specialist contractors, architects and engineers to deliver some of the UK’s most innovative waterproofing solutions. And, as I look around the office it dawns on me that, actually, more than 50% of our team is now under the age of 30. This fills me with optimism that RIW’s strategy to address the skills shortage is working. Later in this post I’ll be sharing some of the things we’ve been doing to minimise the impact but first...
What’s behind the construction sector skills shortage?
Investment in both public and private spending on construction is increasing and job opportunities are rising. But, the number of suitable candidates isn't.
The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) estimates that more than 36,000 new workers a year will be needed to cover current demand. However, the latest NSCC’s, (now part of BuildUK) ‘State of Trade Survey’ shows that 47% of specialist contractors have experienced more difficulty in recruiting skilled labour. Alarmingly, with the labour shortages driving up costs, 28% of respondents were unable to bid for work, which is higher than at any time since the recession.
Furthermore, there is a lack of apprentices and people wanting to come in to the construction profession generally, instead choosing competing sectors where work is more stable and pay more competitive.
So, it appears to be a combination of all these factors together with an ageing population - older construction professionals retiring and not enough new practitioners able to keep up with demand – that has brought about this serious shortage of skills.
How RIW as a business is addressing the skills shortage with positive results
Attracting new talent and fresh thinking
Over the past 18-months, RIW has successfully taken a proactive approach to invest in new and younger talent. As a business we are actively recruiting graduates and second jobbers, those who start internally then move to Technical Advisor roles, especially around the London area. This has naturally brought in fresh thinking, whilst introducing complementary and updated skills to the RIW team.
Looking after our current team
Apart from offering competitive salaries, RIW puts its successful staff retention down to the following:
Open culture
Two–way communication between management and the team is encouraged, with everyone contributing to ideas and the improvements we implement.
Create opportunities for growth
Wherever possible we look to promote from within. This ensures our employees have a clear path for career progression within RIW – it’s important for our team to see a future for themselves. Our low turnover of staff is testament to this, with people’s roles changing over time according to their personal development needs and aspirations.
Knowledge sharing and skills development
With retirement on the horizon for some of our long-standing employees who hold a huge bank of experience and knowledge, we’re ensuring it is passed on through coaching RIW’s younger employees. Also, we openly encourage skills development, providing external training where necessary.
New CPD programme to update client and partner knowledge
Planned for launch in 2016, RIW is relaunching its CPD programme. New topics that address the very latest issues in waterproofing will provide a relevant mix of technical detail, product information and relevant applications. In our experience helping to develop our client’s knowledge and skills further leads to better teamwork and faster solutions.
With exciting client projects such as Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Levenseat Waste Energy Centre (Lanark) and VISTA Chelsea Bridge Wharf (London) in progress at the moment, I for one am optimistic about the future of the construction sector and as a business RIW will continue to invest in the lifeblood of the construction sector – the people.
