How To Get a Job in Construction
Apprenticeships, Training & Alternative Qualification Routes for 2023
CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM CONCERNING CONSTRUCTION
The construction industry is facing several challenges including an ageing workforce, resistance to digital solutions, a growing skills gap and not enough young people, women or minority workers.
The lack of diversity in the construction industry is arguably the main reason UK construction has seen such a decline in the number of people entering this field and is increasingly responsible for affecting how young people perceive construction as a career. This problem is compounded by the fact that many young people don’t see construction as being an attractive career path. This is partially due to stereotypes about what kinds of jobs are available, as well as concerns about safety issues like workplace injuries or exposure to harmful chemicals or materials during projects — for example, cladding and asbestos.
To address this problem, we need to make our industry more attractive to young people. Here are some ways we can do that…
FANTASTIC WORKERS — AND WHERE TO FIND THEM
Many school-leavers may not feel academically inclined and with the cost of a formal university education now around £20,000 per year, increasingly unattainable for most, especially people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Although apprenticeships have been around forever recent generations have eschewed this kind of hands-on training largely due to misconceptions and poor publicity. For example, apprenticeships aren’t necessarily just an alternative to university qualification — you can still get a university degree by doing an apprenticeship. Apprenticeships just provide an alternative route depending on each apprentice’s ability and aspirations.
In addition, apprentices get paid, but university students do not. But kids taking their GCSEs don’t know this. There are university fetes and open days, but not enough is being done for apprenticeships and the myriad routes and qualifications they offer.
There are many obstacles facing women, ethnic minorities and the LGBTQ+ community seeking careers in construction — from glass ceilings from entry-level positions right up through to top management roles. Young people are more sensitive to these imbalances and don’t want to contribute to them, so workers must work together with industry leaders and employers to change perceptions. Increasing awareness of apprenticeships in schools and colleges and encouraging more young people from these demographics to apply for these opportunities by targeting specific areas and locations would provide much-needed, and currently lacking, visible support.
Women make up less than 10% of the construction workforce in England and Wales. With half of all school leavers being female, this means there’s plenty of room for growth. International showcases like Women In Construction Week and local grassroots events do promote training opportunities, but they need help. Encouraging more women into construction will not only help diversify the workforce but also improve job satisfaction for existing female employees.
To make apprenticeships more accessible for people from disadvantaged backgrounds, employers and educators need support from local authorities and government bodies to ensure that young people are aware of the benefits of vocational education and encourage them to consider taking up an apprenticeship.
THE WHO, HOW & WHERE, NOW?
A shortage of construction workers now spans the entire spectrum of the industry — from bricklayers to BIM — and it’s a huge issue. So big, that the UK government introduced the Construction Sector Deal in 2018. The deal focuses on increasing productivity by improving access to finance and infrastructure, while also supporting UK businesses and workers through multiple initiatives, including apprenticeships.
The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and NOCN in particular have been working with industry partners to help address this issue but currently, it is only really big companies like Laing O’Rourke, GalliardTry and MACE capable of the PR drives needed to attract a more diverse workforce (and only really Laing O’Rourke doing so consistently and visibly). Finding ways to attract and promote smaller companies who make up the vast majority of employers in the UK construction industry would help increase visibility and improve perception at a community level.
By engaging with key stakeholders, including trade associations and training providers, the industry can collectively ensure that everyone who can promote apprenticeships in construction across all sectors of the industry does so.
A recent report by Construction Skills Network (CSN) showed that there are currently around 250,000 unfilled vacancies in the UK construction industry. To fill these “skills gaps”, we need to make vocational education more accessible for young people. The introduction of more ‘T-Level’ qualifications, which can be taken alongside GCSEs and A-Levels, would allow young people to learn more hands-on skills needed to get into an apprenticeship or employment in an industry teeming with unfilled vacancies. If apprenticeships are properly funded and provide value for money more employers can offer apprenticeships because it is easier for them to access funding in the form of grants, loans and free training.
“Throughout my career, some of my best hires have been people who have bypassed the traditional route of university and learned their skills through apprenticeship schemes or alternative education courses.” — Peter Jones
The CITB provides apprenticeships for all levels of expertise, from trainee bricklayers to senior managers. These programs are designed to help young people enter the workforce while learning new skills, earning money towards their education and gaining valuable experience in their chosen field. The CITB has trained over 60,000 apprentices since 2007, but we need to train about three times that number just to keep up with industry demand.
There are many different types of certifications that can be earned in construction. These include qualifications for specific trades (e.g. NICEIC), wide-ranging vocational certifications such as those offered by City & Guilds (C&G) or training, apprenticeship and certification with NOCN. NOCN, for example, work with training providers, employers and Trailblazer groups to help develop and deliver programmes designed to create a diverse and skilled workforce. They offer a range of Ofqual regulated qualifications and units developed by industry experts.
All these routes work very closely in partnership with employers and training providers to ensure an End Point Assessment (EPA) is always completed, meaning apprentices meet the required standards and have achieved the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed to do the job from day one. This is in stark contrast to university graduates who experience differing curriculums depending on the prestige and wealth of the establishment and take significantly longer to integrate onsite.
BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY…
The UK’s construction workforce is now on average 47 years old. And as the number of people aged 16–24 in the industry has dropped by more than half since 2004 — it’s only getting older.
How can we make construction more attractive to young people? Collective adoption, financial investment and Government incentives would all help to promote apprenticeships, training programs and other alternative qualification routes that will help get young people excited about joining the industry.
Luckily, young people are increasingly open to alternative routes, all we need to do is show them how and support them in their choices.
Tom@TradeGraft
Question: Did you hear from the contractor who needed plant and labour, quickly?
Answer: No, because he went to TradeGraft.
p.s. you should probably go to TradeGraft now, too.
