Construction industry’s ready to face challenges
The UK construction industry is facing the most critical and widespread challenge in our lifetime – and it could not have come at a worse moment.
As major firms and contractors across the country work to survey the impact of the RAAC crisis, the sector is in the middle of an unprecedented skills and labour shortage.
And one of the ramifications of this issue could impede the national effort to investigate the extent of the RAAC crisis in public buildings.
There is huge pressure to get this issue right as it’s at the very front of the public’s consciousness. However, there are only a limited number of structural engineers and building surveyors qualified to roll that out. Furthermore, what makes the issue so acute is that legislation requires a surveyor to have completed one year of RAAC inspection experience to be appointed.
But if any industry knows how to rebound, it’s ours. It’s all about tackling the problem, thinking differently, and taking the action required to make a difference.
In terms of attracting new talent, there simply aren’t enough graduates coming through to fill these gaps so we as an industry need to take the lead.
One avenue open to us is recruiting school leavers.
The apprenticeship route allows us to bring school leavers in, with potential for government funding, across a number of disciplines.
If we are to combat the idea of people being uninterested in this space, we need more awareness at a grassroots level, which means going into schools and selling the industry to young people.
The industry may be facing uncertainty over several issues, but we are confident things can improve and there are great opportunities and advantages for the sector moving forwards.
If staffing gaps can be filled and the recruitment crisis mitigated, there is significant business in not just RAAC projects, but in cladding, healthcare and residential.
In terms of sustainability, decarbonisation is a major pipeline for our business, with £300bn needed to meet net zero targets in decarbonising social housing stock. Many projects are moving away from gas heating to electric sources, and it’s increasingly about whole-life carbon.
There is work. There are opportunities. The challenges are not unsubstantial. But we are looking forward to meeting them over the coming year, and as ever, remain optimistic for what lies ahead in our industry.