TV tech pioneer Maggie Philbin has called on the construction industry to fight for its place in attracting young people to the industry in the wake of the continuing skills shortage.
Philbin, who is due to be the keynote speaker on the second day of the Construction Industry Summit on 21 September, said the construction industry should be doing more to reach young people as a continuing skills shortage unfolds across the UK.
Speaking to CM she said: “The construction industry needs to showcase the opportunities that it has, because at the moment I don’t think they really do that, the result being that young people have the wrong idea of construction.”
Philbin: ‘Construction up against it’
“We want them to understand it’s not just about dirt and brickies, they need to understand it’s about clever people who can think strategically or have skills in other areas.”
She added: “The thrust of what I’m saying is there is a much-publicised skills shortage in all industries. The point is, when it comes to finding these people, construction is up against it, because guess what, everyone is, you’re competing with other sectors.”
Philbin said she wished to see more construction firms become involved with her industry-led initiative TeenTech.
Founded in 2008, TeenTech collaborates with companies, universities and business organisations to help teenagers see the wide range of career possibilities in science, engineering and technology.
Meanwhile, the CITB is planning to expand the functionality of its Go Construct careers website www.goconstruct.org, which matches people looking for work experience with employers who can offer placements.
And in a further development, Birmingham-based multi-disciplinary engineering solutions company, adi Group, has unveiled a pre-apprenticeship qualification for 14-16-year-olds which took in its first contingent of 12 students from a Midlands school.
Aimed at those students who are potentially looking toward a hands-on engineering career, the pre-apprenticeship qualification will offer practical experience and employability skills.
Occupying 10% of their overall GCSE curriculum time, the North Bromsgrove High School students will spend half a day per week in a live workshop at adi’s headquarters in Birmingham.
