The Construction Industry Training Board report in the UK goes on to show that the sector happens to be facing an ongoing need so as to match the growth of the workforce.
The yearly sector forecast from the CITB underscores the consistently persistent gap between what the UK requires so as to keep up with demand and also the workforce that’s available to meet the challenge.
The Construction Skills Network 2024-28 report from the CITB reveals that-
The construction output in the UK:
• Grew by 2% in 2023, which happens to be the third consecutive year of growth.
• Is going to grow by an average of 2.4% every year between 2024 and 2028.
• So as to meet this growth, equal of over 251,500 extra construction workers happen to be needed in the next five years, with construction employment growing to 2.75 million by 2028.
The fact is that the major opportunities happen to be lying under private housing, infrastructure as well as repairs and maintenance.
In spite of the sector going ahead and recruiting almost 200,000 people per year, in 2023, an average of 38,000 vacancies were advertised every month. For almost 31% of construction employers, finding an apt skilled staff remains their major hurdle, especially with more older workers getting retired but not getting replaced.
It is well to be noted that although the construction sector in the UK went on to welcome 200,000 new workers, it witnessed a loss of over 210,000 workers.
Due to the current difference when it comes to the predicted need for construction work and the workforce that’s available, the forecast from CITB shows how critical it indeed is for the sector so as to tackle the challenges by way of effective recruitment as well as training in order to replace the ones who happen to be leaving and at the same time prepare better for the future and also take utmost advantage of major opportunities like enhancements in productivity and also meeting the net zero retrofit objectives.
In response to such issues, the CITB has gone on to invest £267 million to help the sector go ahead and also enhance the diversity, quality as well as productivity and, in a way, make construction a more lucrative choice for a career when it comes to future generations.
The areas this investment is going to directly support happen to be three expanded initiatives so as to help employers meet the demand head on:
The New Entrant Support Team- NEST which is going to help employers go ahead and better navigate the recruitment process, give grants, and provide suitable training when and where required.
Industry Impact Fund- thereby making direct funding accessible for employers in order to design as well as test new solutions in terms of talent recruitment and retention issues.
Employer Network- By way of rolling this across Great Britain, in order to enable local employers to place their own funding priorities and at the same time also meet area-specific skills needs.
The chief executive of the CITB, Tim Balcon, said that the construction sector in the UK is going to progress; however, it does require more people within the workforce who happen to have the right skills.
He adds that there has always been worker demand, and the CSN report from CITB showcases how many of them happen to be leaving the sector as compared to the ones who are joining, as well as the options for employers to go ahead and take care of the challenge by way of recruiting and also developing competent, skilled, as well as a diverse workforce that is able to meet not just the current needs but future requirements too.
The fact is that the people pipeline is indeed crucial for the growth of the sector, but other kinds of enhancements also happen to be important, such as technological and productivity innovation. and this is why their commitment to investing more than £267 million to make sure the skills system happens to be fit for purpose now and also in the future is indeed very significant. Balcon says that the last few years have gone on to pose numerous issues for the sector, and no wonder it has shown great resilience. 2024 and beyond has a major positive outlook for the industry, and by way of a joined-up approach to train, recruit, develop, and upskill the talent, the CITB will go on to play a very important role when it comes to supporting the sector, which without a shred of doubt happens to be a major driver of the UK economy.
