Ambition alone is not enough - tackling the skills shortage

But is it enough?

The challenge the industry faces is simple. If we don't create a genuine growth market, the problems will persist, and we will continue to struggle with attracting and retaining talent. The solution may be much more complex.

The story so far

£600 million is a decent chunk of change. What it is not, is a magic bullet. No real, worthwhile change has ever happened without funds behind it, but if we are to truly move the dial, we must also tackle the underlying problems.

What the construction market does not need right now is simply more workers. A great influx of new heads has the potential to create just as many problems as it could solve. No, what we need is competent, skilled workers - who are fully prepared for the challenges of modern construction.

In recent history, construction has not done a terribly good job of attracting or retaining bodies. The perception of a construction role is that it is a tough job – tough enough that it may not be worth it long term. Ambition and career satisfaction are high on everyone’s agenda. Construction wears the coat of a stopgap job.

This is categorically untrue. We all, within the industry, know the way it gets under your skin. But if the perception remains, more funding won’t solve the problem. We need to ensure construction careers are those with a clear trajectory, that the tools are there for growth, specialisation, and progression.

A crisis of competency 

Setting skill aside for a minute, construction is also battling a second, separate, workforce crisis – the question of competency. Even before a new wave of boots hit the ground, our current workforce is fighting a backlog to prove that it can meet the demands and requirements of modern construction.

To put it bluntly, we have a huge experience gap. A professional chasm.  Too many workers are entering the sector with minimal skills or outdated training, and too many experienced professionals are retiring without enough new talent to fill their boots. Gaps in competence lead to delays, and a not-insignificant cost.

Resolving the competency issue does not stop with the installers, though. We need to tackle the problem from all angles. Take drylining for an example. We – Siniat – should not stop at providing board, but ensure that the people installing it do so with the expertise to get it right – the first time.

That’s a challenge in itself. There should be more education opportunities in construction, we know that. More apprenticeships, more training. But who will actually do the training? Will this investment in skills look at turning industry professionals into educators?  

Without doing so, we may condemn new generations to the fate of ‘learning on the job’. Many of us may ourselves have learned this way. But it’s no way to ensure precision and accuracy in work, at scale.

Time to shift gears 

Construction isn’t and never will be just about pumping funding into a problem. A cultural shift is required. If we can’t really get to the bottom of the issues that may be holding new recruits back, or what is driving them away, we’ll find ourselves within a self-fulfilling prophecy, and we’ll find ourselves battling the shortage year after year.

What’s the missing piece?

Workforce stability. Asking people to invest time in an educational or career path that might get cut short by an economic downturn is a tough sell. The focus must pivot away from short-term work cycles and make clear that we’re in this for the long haul. A long-term investment in both workers and the economy.

It may be that we need to engage with young people differently. Offer clear career progression, better (or, more stable) pay, solid benefits. This issue is bigger than providing entryways to jobs, but about proving that this is a sector that cares about its workforce.

A road well-travelled

There’s a lot of talk of eras gone by. So much so that the industry is a step away from taking on its own Taylor Swift-style tour.  

But we have been here before. If you’ve read much of our content, you’ll know this isn’t the first time that we’ve said this industry is cyclical, but we’ll stand by it time and time again. We've weathered boom-and-bust cycles. Global crises. Periods of economic uncertainty. When things are good, they’re good. Demand for work surges. Demand for workers surges.

And when things go bad, they leave. We scramble in the dust to replace them.

We should be mindful not to fall into the same pattern. Our approach moving should hold sustainability close to its’ heart.

Building homes is essential. Building schools, hospitals, infrastructure. So is creating an ecosystem that can sustain the workforce needed to build them. Training must be more than a systemic plug, it needs to be continuous. Learning is a natural part of a worker’s career, not a doorway to a profession.

We’re ready. Are you?

We’re prepared for what’s coming. Or at least, we’re trying our damndest to be. When it comes, we will meet increased demand head-on. We’ve invested heavily in our UK manufacturing capacity. When the industry starts to move upwards, and new projects surge – which we are confident they will – the material will be ready and waiting.

We are not drying to be a downer on what is otherwise good news. The funding that has been granted is funding that was needed. But we’d like to see that funding as part of a bigger, more comprehensive strategy, one that tackles the challenges of the workforce head on.

The policy landscape has evolved quickly and we should expect it to continue to. We are at a turning point. Make no doubt about it, the policies we’re seeing now are a sign of real intent.

But if we don’t think we don’t think bigger, what gets built will not be to the standard we need, and those building it won’t stick around. The question we should be asking ourselves is not about how we can get more people on site, but how we can make this industry one where workers want to stay, grow and thrive.

The clock’s ticking. We’re ready. Are you?