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Nearly 60% of construction bosses start their careers as an apprentice, reveals FMB

With National Apprenticeship Week kicking off today, FMB have made an interesting announcement. Nearly 60% of SME construction owners started their career as an apprentice, according to new research from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) ahead of National Apprenticeship Week.

The research also shows that more than half of those bosses were running their own company within just seven years of completing their apprenticeship training, and that 98% of construction SME owners value an apprenticeship over a degree when looking for new staff.

Chief Executive of the FMB, Brian Berry said “The construction industry is ideally suited to a young person with heaps of ambition and an entrepreneurial spirit. Our research demonstrates that a construction apprenticeship is the perfect springboard for a successful and rewarding career, with more than half of construction SMEs being run by people who started out as an apprentice. Of those who went on to start their own businesses, more than one in two reached that goal within a mere seven years of completing their apprenticeship training, showing that you can go from being a brickie to a business owner in no time at all.”

“Even if running your own firm isn’t what you aspire to do, a construction apprenticeship can nevertheless provide the foundation for a highly rewarding career. Almost 80% of our SME construction bosses said that employment in the sector offers high levels of job satisfaction with tangible results and 87% believe an apprenticeship teaches useful and practical skills. What’s more, by the age of 23, a bricklayer with five years’ experience can earn up to £31,000 and rising in some cases to £52,000 in London. Given the high levels of university tuition fees, young people have every reason to properly consider a more vocational education and pursuing a career in construction looks an increasingly shrewd move.”

Tony Passmore, Managing Director of the Passmore Group – an FMB member firm – added “I’ve been working in the construction industry for a long time now and I’ve lost count of the number of young people who I’ve seen start out at the bottom, put in the hard work during their apprenticeship, and then rise up through the ranks to set up their own firm. Many of them wouldn’t have guessed they’d soon be running their own business when they first entered the construction industry and started their apprenticeship. And for those who aren’t keen on running their own firm, most jobs in the construction industry give you the freedom to work anywhere in the country – or better still, anywhere in the world.”

Did you start your career as an apprentice? Tell us about it in the comments below!

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“Government will drive renewables sector off cliff” warns CECA

A stark warning has been issued by the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) that unless the Government amends its current approach towards the renewables sector, the industry will “fall off a cliff”, resulting in job loss and lack of growth.

The warning came as a response to the Scottish Affairs Committee inquiry into renewable energy.

CECA say that renewables play a vital role in industry growth, and that there is currently over £300m of civil engineering activity per annum in the Scottish renewable energy sector alone, which is responsible for directly employing 3,000+ workers and supporting over 11,000 jobs. Backing up this statement, recent research published by the Scottish Government indicated that renewable energy generation alone in Scotland produces enough power to supply the equivalent of every household in the country.

CECA Chief Executive, Alasdair Reisner said “CECA has long argued that the UK Government must commit to a long-term energy strategy based on a diverse energy mix that does not deter badly-needed investment to enable a safe and secure energy supply.”

“The UK Government’s policy of removing support for the renewables sector is extremely disappointing, as the sector had been making substantial progress towards cost efficiency during the lifetime of this Parliament.”

“Policy changes to date will lead to substantial job losses within the industry and its supply chains. If those skills are lost, the challenge of rapidly reskilling the sector will be extremely costly.”

“We call on the UK Government to reassess its approach to the renewables sector, adopt an evidence-based approach to renewables policy, and recognise the role it must play in providing the diverse energy portfolio the country needs.”

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Ecobuild joins forces with the Job Show to help meet construction industry skills gap

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In response to an industry-wide skills shortage, Ecobuild, the UK’s largest show dedicated to construction and energy, has launched a partnership with The Job Show™, the nationwide quality recruitment and careers event, to create a construction-focused job show which will run alongside Ecobuild on the last day of the show, 10th March at ExCeL London.

The Construction Job Show™ in partnership with Ecobuild has been designed to bring together employers of all sizes and disciplines with the very best would-be employees, and is built on The Job Show’s proven track record of uniting talented individuals with fantastic career opportunities, creating connections that benefit both parties.

For construction industry companies, the show gives them the opportunity to recruit their next generation of workers, ensuring they have the manpower – in terms of both capacity and competency – to meet growing, post-recession workloads and address any emerging skills shortages.

Jobseekers will be able to take in a wide variety of potential employment options and take their first steps to a career in fields as diverse as engineering and architecture, surveying to project management.

Martin Hurn, Ecobuild Event Director, said “With The Construction Job Show™ we have responded to industry demand to provide a dedicated space that will go some way to addressing the current skills shortage affecting the construction industry. With the recent news from Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) predicting an additional 232,000 job roles being created over the next five years, we believe this skills gap will be a core topic being discussed on day three of Ecobuild, which has a conference programme dedicated to Next Generation.

“The industry is changing at a pace never experienced before and as such there’s never been a wider range of opportunities available for those looking to embark on a career in construction across a wide range of disciplines.”

Victoria Clarke, Co-founder and Director of The Job Show™ said “We are delighted to launch The Construction Job Show™. As a dedicated ‘sector’ driven recruitment event we believe we can offer an excellent forum to showcase industry job roles as well as Apprenticeship and training opportunities for our generation of the future.

“With the increasing demand for new recruits across the construction industry, the timing of The Construction Job Show™ is excellent, being staged on the last day of Ecobuild, an event that already gathers the leading construction companies together.”

The Construction Job Show™ will be held in the South Gallery Rooms on the last day of Ecobuild 2016 on Thursday 10th March. For more information about the event or to book a stand space please click here or telephone Victoria on (01733) 555717 or mobile 07804 735856.

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UK construction set for growth – with 230,000 jobs to be created

The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) is calling for more apprentices as it releases new figures today which forecast annual average growth of 2.5% for the next five years – and a massive 232,000 jobs to be created.

CITB’s Construction Skills Network (CSN) report – the industry’s most comprehensive and up-to-date – predicts sustained growth from 2016-2020, driven by infrastructure and private housing.

Steve Radley, Policy Director at the CITB, says,“All types of training, and especially apprenticeships, will be vital to delivering this pipeline of work. This positive forecast should inspire more people to start apprenticeships, and more firms to take them on.”

New nuclear power stations at Hinkley Point, Somerset, and Wylfa, Anglesey, alongside rail projects such as Crossrail and HS2, will drive year-on-year infrastructure growth of 6.1%. The commercial construction sector will experience growth of 3.4% per annum, while private housebuilding will also experience sustained growth across the forecast period. Output in the housebuilding is expected return to pre-recession levels by the end of the forecast period, reaching £26bn by 2020.

UK construction growth is set to be fourth in Europe up to 2017, with British builders outstripping those in Germany, France and Spain.

Annual growth is predicted in all the UK’s regions and nations up to 2020, with Wales faring best with year-on-year growth of 7.1%, followed by the South West (4.4%), London (3.5%), and the North West (2.6%).

In response to the ongoing skills challenge, the CITB is in 2016 launching a series of new partnerships with local and regional training providers to make sure the right training takes place where it is needed most.

It is also continuing to work closely with the construction industry to further develop Go Construct, an industry-led web portal, to showcase the opportunities in the industry and encourage more people to join the sector. This should help construction firms recruit the talent they need to grow, and help workers learn about all of the great career opportunities available.

Steve Radley, Director of Policy at the Construction Industry Training Board, said “We can’t build the Britain we want without growing apprenticeships – and the careers they lead onto. That’s why it is vital that these new statistics, showing solid, sustained growth, inspire more people join the construction industry.

“We also want to attract workers who have left the industry to return, and upskill those currently in the sector, so we can deliver major projects and new housing faster and better.”

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Older workers crucial to curbing construction industry skills gap

The world’s population is ageing rapidly and with profound results. In response to these changes, the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) has launched a report exploring the effects of the ageing population on the construction industry and outlined how the sector can adapt to meet some of the challenges.

‘Exploring the impact of the ageing population on the workforce and built environment’ is the second report from the CIOB to study the effects of the ageing population. Six years on from the first study, the research highlights the crucial role the built environment has to play in terms of improving the lives of older people.

In a survey of nearly 1,000 CIOB members, responses indicate that despite legislative changes to improve recognition of the ageing population and combat workplace discrimination, awareness of the ageing population and its influence on the built environment has slumped – when compared with the findings from the CIOB’s first report.

The research finds that the built environment has a crucial role to play in terms of improving the lives of older people through measures designed to enhance the accessibility and liveability of buildings. Retaining ageing workers’ knowledge and skills is also crucial, and the report sends a clear message to policymakers and industry leaders: to be successful, construction needs to see far greater investment and recognition of ageing workers.

With 19% of the construction workforce set to retire in the next five to ten years, the report finds that employers need to overcome stereotypes and repurpose, where necessary, job descriptions to attract and, most importantly, retain older workers. However, the CIOB is clear that this not be considered a substitute for investing in training, and should work hand-in-hand to help alleviate the ongoing skills crisis.

Whilst 57% of respondents acknowledged that it was ‘very important’ to retain ageing workers, this was not reflected in the number of respondents who stated that their workplace had measures such as flexible working, succession planning, mid-life career reviews or retirement planning designed to encourage an extension to longer working lives.

The benefits of mentoring are well documented. However, despite the overwhelming majority of respondents acknowledging this, only 63% confirmed that this measure was a regular feature in the workplace. Respondents pointed towards the difficulties obtaining high-calibre staff to deliver and participate in such schemes. Crucially, the report suggests that more needs to be done to make better use of ageing workers’ expertise and skills, and use this to help upskill younger counterparts.

Bridget Bartlett, Deputy Chief Executive of the CIOB said “The findings from this report indicate that the impact of the ageing population and the role of the ageing workforce have slipped down the agenda.

“However, if construction is to meet the skills crisis it faces and fill the 224,000 vacancies needed by 2019, employers should look to take additional steps to overcome the skills shortages they incur by reaching out to older workers. There is a huge opportunity to showcase to both young and old members of the workforce that construction isn’t all hard hats and hi-vis and that off-site opportunities are aplenty. We demand technical skills as much as manual skills.

“Employers must also recognise the skills of their existing workers and put in measures such as flexible working, career reviews or even retirement planning to encourage longer working lives. As our own research tells us, skills shortages in construction are compounded by those entering the industry not being suitably qualified for the position. We should take this opportunity to use older workers to tap into their skills and knowledge and ensure they are passed onto the next generation.”

A full copy of the research can be accessed from www.ciob.org/population.

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A third of construction firms are turned off by taking on apprentices

Recent studies by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) have suggested that a third of small construction firms are actually being put off from offering apprenticeships due to the bureaucracy involved. The report, entitled “Defusing the skills time bomb”, explains further.

Chief Executive of the FMB, Brian Berry commented “The construction industry is in the midst of a skills crisis which can only be solved if more employers take on apprentices. The Government wants to deliver three million apprentices over the next five years and this new report sheds some light on how this can be achieved. Our research shows that 94% of small construction firms want to train apprentices but a third are being turned off by a number of serious “fear factors”. These include the cost of employing and training an apprentice and major concerns regarding the complexity of the process.”

“There is strong evidence to show that small construction firms need better information and that if they were more aware of the support that’s available, a great number would train apprentices. Just under 80% of non-recruiters are not aware of one of the most important apprenticeship grants available to them and just over 75% say knowledge of financial support would make them more likely to take on apprentices.”

“Given that two-thirds of all construction apprentices are trained by SMEs, it is critical that the Government does everything in its power to remove any barriers that might be stopping these companies from training. Looking ahead, the Government’s new apprenticeship voucher could be a disaster for small firms unless it is properly road tested and made as simple and easy-to-use as possible. We’re also calling on the Government to protect our industry training board which is at risk from the new Apprenticeship Levy. The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) needs reform admittedly but without it the very smallest firms would be left with less financial and practical support for apprenticeship training – remove this lifeline and you risk worsening the skills crisis.”

The FMB isn’t the only body voicing concerns over announcements made in the Autumn Statement. The British Chamber of Commerce have also called for greater clarity on the apprenticeship levy.

Executive Director of Policy at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), Dr Adam Marshall said “Businesses want to tackle skills shortages and drive up productivity, but the apprenticeship levy risks having the reverse effect.”

“A lack of clarity around the scope, rate and scale is having a huge impact on business confidence. Many firms have decided to put training and investment on hold, and are concerned about the knock on effects of the levy on their cash flow, existing training schemes, and the bottom line. It’s important that this levy doesn’t undermine other types of vocational training, which could be better suited to some businesses.”

“While businesses back the government’s drive to boost apprenticeships, they have real concerns about the current approach. The government must focus on improving the quality of apprenticeships to make them more attractive to employers, and provide clarity on how they will be paid for as soon as possible.”

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Construction of HS2 “will create 25,000 jobs,” says the Tories

The £43bn High Speed 2 project is expected to create employment opportunities to the tune of 25,000 jobs within construction, according to Transport Minister Robert Goodwill.
The minister predicted that 60% of the construction work involved in delivering a high-speed rail link between London and the North were expected to be awarded to small and mid-sized businesses.

Robert Goodwill said “We need everything from architects to aggregates, steel and surveyors, to engineers and environmental consultants.”

“We estimate that HS2 will create 25,000 jobs during construction and 3,000 jobs when in operation. Not just on site, but right across the UK.”

“The jobs that HS2 will create are an incredible opportunity for the UK, but also a major challenge. Because while we need 25,000 skilled professionals for HS2, our investment in the existing rail and road networks is creating another 20,000 jobs.”

“And that’s at the same time as we need skilled people for all our other great infrastructure projects such as flood defences, nuclear power stations and perhaps even Crossrail 2.”
“We need many more engineers, surveyors, construction workers, planners, drainage experts and even arboriculturists. So we are getting ready now. We will write into the statute book our commitment to create 3M apprenticeships by 2020, many of which will serve infrastructure.”

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