To help address the labour shortages in the construction industries, a special collaborative event is being held at Shrewsbury Colleges Group to give school leavers, students, and the general public a chance to find out about the exciting careers on offer.
Britain’s shortage of surveyors, bricklayers and other construction workers is holding back building work just at the time when the country needs more houses and infrastructure, according to the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.
The organisation says that almost two-thirds of surveyors said a lack of skilled workers is a key factor limiting building activity.
Trevor Oakley, Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), advisor for the Marches said: “Construction is one of the UK’s fastest growing industries and thanks to the range of projects going on at any one time – it’s also one of the most challenging and exciting to work in. Despite political and economic uncertainties UK construction will grow between, 2018-22. Infrastructure and housing will be the biggest growth-drivers. There is now a national focus on the skills and employment challenges facing the construction sector and the country. According to the latest Construction Skills Network report construction output is expected to grow by 1.3% over the next five years, with 158,000 jobs to be created.
“The range of construction projects in the Marches area, including the new Telford footbridge, student accommodation in Shrewsbury, infrastructure work and housebuilding, means there are many job opportunities in the region. There are also lots of exciting opportunities for careers to help secure the future of the industry in the Marches area.
“Careers range from trades through to design and technical roles and offer numerous benefits for businesses. Employers registered with us can, for example, tailor training to suit their company and also benefit from grants of up to £10,250 for Apprenticeships plus other funding opportunities.
“With older construction workers retiring it is important we have young people to replace them. There’s a lot of work in the pipeline so now is a good time to consider a construction career – there’s a huge range of roles available for people - not just working on site. To discover over 180 different careers in construction, visit www.goconstruct.org.”
Corinne Brown, Business Development Manager at Business Solutions, part of Shrewsbury Colleges Group, which has links with over 600 Shropshire businesses, said: “There are many ways people can get into construction and the industry welcomes everyone from newcomers to people with some experience to career changers and military leavers.
“For many construction jobs you will be able to show your skills and gain or extend your qualifications while working in the industry. Next year, nearly 10,000 people are expected to leave the industry, compared with little more than 2,500 who will join so there has never been a better time to consider it as a career.”
The Careers in Construction event is being held in partnership between Shrewsbury Colleges Group, Shropshire Council, the Job Centre Plus and the CITB. It will be held in the Electrical Plumbing and Gas Centre at the London Road campus from 1-3pm on May 3. School leavers, college students, military leavers and the general public are all invited to attend and speak to a range of employers about the opportunities on offer. To register to attend the event visit: www.shrews.co/careercon
Louise Johnson, Shropshire employer lead for Jobcentre Plus, said “This is an exciting opportunity to work in partnership with Shropshire Council, CITB, Shrewsbury Colleges Group and local construction employers.
“It is an amazing chance for our customers to have an insight in to all the different career choices in this buoyant sector.”
Companies wanting more information about the May 3 event should contact Ruth Blackhurst at Shrewsbury Colleges Group on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.