MANAGEMENT / PLANNING
GENERATION Z ARE the young people who were born after the millennials ; those who are unlikely to remember a time without the internet . Very few of Generation Z ’ s members are pursuing a career in the construction industry and this is likely to affect the recruitment strategy in your construction company .
Skills shortages Skill shortages are a prominent issue in construction . Results from the Construction News Barometer for Q4 2014 stated that more than 9 out of 10 construction companies said a
Construction firms need to allow employees flexibility when it comes to technology lack of skills or staff was among their greatest concerns over the next 12 months . Further to this , data from the Office for National Statistics shows the number of people completing a construction apprenticeship halved between 2008 and 2013 , to just 7,280 .
The rapid spread of skill shortages means construction companies looking to acquire talent aren ’ t just competing with each other but across engineering , technology , manufacturing and other sectors . Three-out-of-four construction industry leaders fear skills shortages will slam the brakes on the country ’ s economic recovery .
Construction ’ s struggle against university
The construction industry , with its huge demand for technical and craft skills , is also suffering from the obsession of successive governments to push young people into university . Back in 1999 , the business and education communities welcomed Labour ’ s Tony Blair when he suggested 50 percent of our young people should enter higher education .
“ In today ’ s world , there is no such thing as ‘ too clever ’. The more
14 March 2015