Academics, employers and government ministers are uniting to ensure that graduates get the right skills training to support construction companies in the downturn.
 
The Towards a Construction and Built Environment Higher Education Strategy conference was opened by David Lammy (pictured), minister for higher education. He said it was "crucial" to equip graduates with the skills that employers required in order to "get through these challenging economic times".

The Built Environment Skills Alliance (BESA), an advisory group of sector skills councils working within the built environment, hosted the event in London this month. Attendees included representatives from ConstructionSkills, the sector skills council for the construction industry, universities and other skills development providers, such as the Higher Education Funding Council for England and the UK Commission for Employment and Skills. 

Delegates discussed what skills were needed by employers, which training courses would be the best to deliver these skills and whether the right recruits had access to the correct higher-level skills. The key issues were debated in workshops and the feedback used to develop a higher education strategy for the building sector, which will be implemented by BESA members. 

Lammy said: "Building closer links between employers, including those within the construction industry and higher education institutions, is crucial for equipping graduates and those already in work with the higher-level skills businesses will need to get through these challenging economic times and reap the benefits of the upturn.

“I'm delighted to attend today's event and to recognise the progress that the construction industry is making to lay the foundations of a world class workforce for the future."

According to ConstructionSkills, the UK building industry generates more than £203 billion every year and employs 2.5 million people. However, a Construction Industry Council survey of UK professionals and skills gaps in 2007 revealed that more than half of all building companies struggled with the competency of their staff and expected to have difficulty recruiting in the future.

ConstructionSkills also identified a serious shortage of highly skilled professionals. Forecasts from its ConstructionSkills Network have identified that the industry needs more than half a million new staff before 2012.

This month’s conference examined the reasons behind the expected shortfall of skilled recruits, including fewer young people going into higher education, uncertainty about the financial viability of running higher education programmes for this sector, ageing higher education staff delivering construction and built environment qualifications and a lack of consistency in running these courses across different regions.  

Conference chairwoman Professor Sarah Sayce, head of Kingston University's School of Surveying and Planning, said: "The importance of the role that the whole of the construction and built environment industry plays within today's society, especially in meeting key challenges such as sustainability, cannot be doubted. It is vital that academics work with employers and the user community to ensure that education and training provision is relevant, not just to immediate needs but to the emerging needs of the economy."

Nick Gooderson, head of standards and qualifications for ConstructionSkills, added: "The higher-level skills deficits and increased recruitment needs that the industry is facing means a robust higher education system must be implemented to address them. As with all aspects of our Construction Qualifications Strategy work, we want to involve employers from the outset in shaping and delivering new and improved qualifications, to ensure that entrants to the industry are high quality and that employees can be up-skilled to meet the needs of their businesses."

Subscribe to TJ news bulletins:

| Subscribe to our L & D RSS Feed

Related News

• Major manufacturer champions apprenticeships at HRD
• Diversity and flexibility way forward for higher education
• Employers urged to recognise migrant and refugee talent

Related Discussion Topics

• Conferences
• HRD Week
• A national skills gap database

Latest News

• New award recognises organisations that invest in employee wellbeing
• Employers failing to Integrate talent management and diversity
• Health sector workforce skills need to be utilised more effectively, report finds
• Millionth worker completes training through Train to Gain
• Last week to apply for cash in return for help in NEET survey