The construction industry is failing to attract new students, leading to a widening skills gap developing in the sector.
 
Results from the Chartered Institute of Building’s (CIOB) annual skills survey show only around a third of respondents are sure their companies are still employing apprentices and one in ten say their organisations are unable to afford them altogether in the current economic climate.
 
The survey, carried out in the UK among 1182 construction professionals, found a majority believed the skills shortage in the sector will hinder future recovery.
 
More than half of those asked felt the low number of students entering the industry would contribute further to the skills gap over the coming years. The results showed only 12% of respondents were aware of their companies recruiting more graduates and only 1% were recruiting the same number as before.
 
Michael Brown, CIOB deputy chief executive, said: “Construction has been notoriously bad at attracting students, and other new entrants, which has exasperated the industry's long-term skills development. There is no denying the importance of graduate and apprentice recruitment as these employees represent the future of the industry.”
 
He added more than three quarters of respondents felt apprenticeships should be mandatory on public projects, which would help to encourage their employment.
 
However, he said economic problems were forcing many companies to recruit fewer graduates and to cut the number of apprenticeships just to survive.
 
“There is a danger that once the industry demand rises, and recruitment increases, there will be a mass of previously skilled workers who choose not to return to the industry having opted for other careers,” he said.
 
“The industry has never fully recovered from the recession in the 90's, particularly at the management and senior management level. We must learn from those lessons and find ways to put in place the vital skills needed for recovery and beyond.”
 
The report cites job cuts and lack of employment opportunities in construction as the main factors for the increasing skills shortage.

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