It’s a reality faced by all of us who work within the construction industry: we are in the middle of a major skills shortage.
For an industry that has a turnover of £370 billion, around 7% of GDP and who employs over three million people, about 10% of total UK employment, it’s certainly a big problem.
The implications are widespread and felt in all areas of the economy and the simple truth is that unless we address the issue and attract new entrants into the sector we face being unable as a nation to deliver the homes, hospitals, schools or infrastructure that is needed.
The challenge is also ever growing as the UK construction workforce is an aging one.
Figures from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) suggest that 19% of construction workers aged 55+ are set to retire in the next 5 – 10 years: the equivalent to 400,000 people.
And then of course there is Brexit and the chaos, added pressure and impacts that has, is and will bring.
The simple truth is as an industry we need to attract and engage young millennial talent, so how do we do that?
- We need to think and see like they do: this group have grown up with technology and they consume and respond to media differently than previous generations.
They are not brand loyal and always think that if you can’t deliver what they want they can find someone who can.
They are very socially aware and possess a willingness to shout about what they think on social media. A company’s Corporate Social Responsibility policy and their brand reputation are important to them.
It is essential to tailor information in a way that can be easily found and responded to quickly or you lose their attention and they interact best with creative mediums that are easily digestible, such as video, as they have a limited attention span. - Target the image problem: the construction industry has always had an image problem, often unreasonably, and most attempts to change it have failed.
A career in construction is still often perceived as a male dominated and frankly dirty and low tech one: obviously this is incorrect.
Emphasis needs to be place on the wealth of opportunities the industry offers, the technological advances within the industry and diversity of job roles. - Promote career advancement: a career in construction has always been about ongoing learning and development and this fact is very important to millennials.
The career opportunities and salaries that a career in construction can provide for entry-level students’ needs to communicated to attract millennial talent. - Promote your company culture: according to the latest research nearly 50% of millennials believe having a job you love is extremely important and they stated that the thing they love most about their job is their colleagues. Promoting your company culture and how team-building and bonding activities are important is key.