Ministers have called upon the construction industry to remove barriers to get more young people to consider careers in construction and develop an ambitious action plan to address the skills pressures and other constraints that are limiting housebuilding and infrastructure development.
Housing Minister Brandon Lewis and Skills Minister Nick Boles want the construction industry to look at whether current business models are holding back the industry from developing the skills it needs – and to consider new models of construction such as offsite manufacturing.
The Construction Leadership Council has been called upon to review what skills the construction industry need to deliver the homes the nation needs.
The Council has asked Mark Farmer, of real estate and construction consultancy Cast, to identify actions that will help bring more workers to the industry. Views are being sought on how to best train a workforce which has a high level of self-employment and bring about greater use of off-site construction. The review will also look at how the industry can introduce measures that encourage more investment and new ways of working.
Housing Minister Brandon Lewis said: “Construction offers an exciting and rewarding career and we need to build a new generation of home grown talented, ambitious and highly skilled construction workers.”
Skills Minister Nick Boles said: “The government is committed to getting Britain building. We are investing in measures to cut red tape and increase the number of young people doing apprenticeships and traineeships to ensure we have a pipeline of skilled workers.
“As leaders in the industry, the Council is best placed to advise on how to boost productivity in the sector and build the houses and infrastructure our nation needs.”
Mark Farmer, chief executive at Cast, said: ” The construction industry’s skills shortfall has been growing progressively and its ageing workforce now means affirmative action needs to be taken to avoid more acute issues in the future.”
The construction industry lost a quarter of a million construction jobs. Last week the CITB predicted that during the next five years 232,000 jobs are going to be created. The review will look at how the industry can go further to ensure young people leaving school or those looking for a career change will see construction as a viable and exciting career.