A new skills survey by leading built environment education provider the BRE Academy aims to generate a comprehensive picture of the UK’s construction skills gap from senior leaders down to sub-contractors.
The survey, which is now live, comes in response to a convergence of challenges hitting the construction sector and forcing it to change the tried and tested traditional methods and processes it has been used to for several decades.
BRE Academy Director Pauline Traetto said: "We have less land, fewer resources, more people, more demand, climate change and adaption issues, migration to cities, the move to digital construction or BIM - new designs, construction methods and materials are coming on the market and those working in the sector need to upskill and move with the changes. All of us working in education and training need to understand where the market is at and how we can support it to going forward."
Construction currently contributes £92 billion a year to the UK economic output with almost 3 million people working in the sector. Growth in the domestic market and unprecedented expansion in developing countries means that a talented, engaged workforce is critical for the future.
Aiming for a large sample of diverse respondents, the BRE Academy aims to establish an understanding of what skills are in short supply and what skills are needed for the industry now and in the future. Specific focus will be on skills for delivery of: low-carbon and highly sustainable assets that bring value to owners and occupants, projects transformed by digital design, advanced materials and new technologies, and buildings that perform at optimum design levels.
Traetto concludes: "The survey will also explore the factors responsible for the poor public image of the construction industry, the lack of gender diversity at all levels and how best to establish clear and appealing career pathways for young industry entrants. We’ll be announcing the results at Ecobuild next March."
