Andy Burnham’s pledge to value the hard hat as much as the graduation cap is a welcome step towards closing construction’s skills gap. But ambition alone won’t be enough, argues Tony Mitchell, director of O’Brien Contractors. Young people need accessible opportunities, safe routes onto sites and employers – particularly smaller contractors – need the support to make them happen.
Only a few short weeks into his role as prime minister and Andy Burnham has already made headlines with his inspiring solution to tackling the construction skills gap. His sweeping statement that the UK will “value the hard hat as much as the graduation cap”, is certainly an optimistic attitude. However, what the construction sector really needs is action – we have heard similar messages before, yet nothing seems to change.
Could this be the investment we’ve all been waiting for?
Through major educational reforms, the announcement opens the door to technical skills exposure, work experience and employment routes to 14-year-olds, with the hope that by introducing these roles early on, more young people will choose careers in our sector.
On paper, this is exactly what we need. While careers in technology and AI continue to creep to the forefront of young people’s minds, construction is one sector AI cannot replace. Tech will certainly continue to make our lives easier, but this is not a sector-wide solution. Working environments, weather and ever-changing requirements mean automation is not always an option; we need skilled, adaptable tradespeople on the ground.
Making work accessible
So how do we make this work in practice? Realistically, at 14, transport is not always easily accessible and travelling long distances is often par for the course in our sector. If the aim is to keep young people connected with education and work experience, the government needs to ensure opportunities are accessible to young people from all backgrounds. This means more regional funding to build the right facilities in the right places, particularly outside of major cities where access may be even more limited.
Regarding transportation, whether that’s government-backed travel schemes to help contractors host solutions that work in their region, or subsidised travel fares to help ease the financial burden of commuting, access to and from sites must be considered.
On-site work experience
A major part of this plan is to combine education with work experience early on. This announcement is putting attention on many sectors, but in our world, construction skills are learnt hands-on. If young people are to learn the right skills, they need to experience these trades in a live environment, and for that to happen, access onto sites needs to be considered.
At the moment, many companies and sites will not allow under-18s on site, particularly the tier one contractors that lead the way and have so much to offer. For young people to gain that all-important experience, access and liability (as well as appropriate health and safety regulations) cannot be overlooked.
It is still early days, and what we are seeing so far is promising, but contractors and employers need both reassurance and a tangible strategy to make this become a reality.
O’Brien Contractors has been supporting young people with apprenticeships and routes into construction for over 20 years. In this time, we’ve helped a large number of young people develop valuable skills that have supported not just the individuals, but our business and the sector as a whole.
Our former apprentices are instrumental at all levels within our business. We shortly have two apprentices completing their programmes, a plant fitter and an engineer, both of whom are well placed to contribute to our business going forward. Looking to the future, we have three apprentices in our programme, with this summer’s intake also including an apprentice quantity surveyor completing a BSc.
SMEs need support
But not all contractors are in the same position. This is a sector that still relies heavily on smaller, family-run businesses that have been operating in the same way for years and might not be equipped to take young people on, whether that’s due to a lack of funding, time constraints or even just the knowledge of how to do so.
With many contractors already balancing rising material and labour costs, the next phase of these reforms must include support for the smaller businesses that will make these careers happen.
This is not to commend everything the government is doing to champion our sector and build a future for our young people. But construction is a complex, diverse and ever-changing landscape that needs our leaders’ full attention if we’re to get this right. With some planning, communication and hard graft, maybe this can bring an end to the construction skills gap.
