Building a career in construction has never been easier for youngsters

Lauren Brown reports on how the industry is trying to attract new recruits

Careers in the construction industry still hold great interest for young people who are on the cusp of finishing school and weighing up their career choices.

However, like most industry sectors, construction is fighting for its share of the talent pool and it relies heavily on bodies such as the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) to make the compelling case to young people that the industry really does offer an exciting and challenging career.

Get into the industry early enough and there is a myriad of opportunities to be grasped.

When West Lothian College recently held a construction industry ‘taster’ event delivered in partner- ship with the CITB and Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) West Lothian Regional Group, the aims were to both raise awareness of the roles available, and to give pupils the chance to take part in ‘hands-on’, practical tasks.

If the perception of the construction industry by pupils drawn from several West Lothian Schools was originally of ‘mud, grit, grime, diggers and cranes’, their beliefs were soon changed.

They left the event with a reinvigorated and enthusiastic, positive mindset that the construction industry offers a multitude of interesting opportunities that they can take advantage of when they make the transition from the classroom to the workplace – and the reason for that was very simple.

The taster event was more than a ‘talking shop’. There were several interactive sessions, where the pupils took part in sessions learning about monoblock skills, plumbing, virtual reality, joinery and engineering. The idea was to give the pupils a chance to try their hand at the various trades to see what sparked their interest.

West Lothian College – where the event was hosted – offers the courses which will provide the pupils with a gateway to a fulfilling career in the construction industry. Successfully applying for a place on these courses could be the next step for these pupils.

Furthermore, there is a quest for construction companies across the country to promote modern appren- ticeships too, which allow young people to develop their trade skills and attend college to consolidate their learning journey.

This event was therefore a great chance for these pupils to interact with current construction apprentices within West Lothian College, and to experience the college environment for themselves.

Sarah Forbes, advisor at CITB, said: “Construction taster events are an excellent way of highlighting the varied career options available to young people considering a career in construction.

“Recent CITB research shows that more than 10,000 new workers are needed in the Scottish construction industry over the next five years.

“The industry needs to continue

to work hard to inspire people to join it. I hope that by seeing a small snippet of the industry in action, young people from West Lothian and across the rest of the country will be inspired to consider a modern apprenticeship in construction, to help build the homes and infrastructure of the future.’

The construction industry – like so many others – is taking a long hard look at its future workforce and working out ways in which it can bridge the talent gap.

Whilst traditional trades are still the backbone of the industry, there has to be more time looking at how rapid changes in technology will impact on its future.

Schools will continue to adjust their curriculum to look at areas such as 3D modelling, robotics and artificial intelligence.

Moreover, terms like Industrie 4.0 and Factories of the Future are regularly associated with construction and engineering which might lead to a rethink in how the construction industry plays out over the next few years.

Is it fair to say that young people might be better placed to adapt to these technologies more easily than the more experienced workforce?

Today’s school leavers can spearhead the industry’s future. The construction industry will evolve to harness new innovation strategies, and events like this are a great way for employers to look at the future landscape of their business, to attract their next generation workforce and to spot the potential of prospective employees which will take it well into the future. Lauren Brown is project manager at Developing the Young Workforce West Lothian Regional Group. More information can be found at www.dyw-wl.com.