F E AT U R E Mind The Gap: Addressing Age, Skills, Image Discrepancies in Construction by Patricia Cuomo, Fonn, Inc.
Construction as a Growth Engine
beginning with lack of development and appealing career paths.
Despite a prolonged economic downturn marked by redundancies, instability and the COVID-19 pandemic, the construction industry has been one of the main engines of growth in recent years. Globally, the construction market is expected to grow by approximately 70% by 2025¹. However, not unlike the situation in other nations, the construction workforce is steadily aging, and the industry is failing to successfully promote careers in the trades that attract qualified professionals with both technical and trade skills. The construction industry has historically been slow to adopt technology and several underlying factors are contributing to the gaps in age and skills,
Innovation in a Rigid Field Construction work can be perceived as rigid— “This is the way we’ve always done it” and “It’s worked this way for the last 120 years,” are heard far too often on projects. Young workers are looking for change and ways to innovate and improve. They want advancement and excitement in their chosen field of work. Just as a young person who has begun a career in tech wants to see a clear path to advancement and promotion, why shouldn’t a Level 4 Advanced Apprentice want to see a clear path to becoming a project manager, project coordinator, project executive and project support
officer? They need to see the benefits of pursuing a career in a skilled trade such as construction, reasons to stay in the field, and ways they can bring innovation and positive change. By showing young people the benefits of working in construction and modernizing construction techniques through technology, there will be an increase in the appeal for young people that are evaluating longer- lasting roles when choosing a career path.
Gap in Skills Means Delays and Lost Business Another, and perhaps more obvious issue, is the shortage of skills. The gap in skills often results in additional costs, delays in production, and sometimes even lost business. The US construction
¹ HM Government: Construction 2025, Industrial Strategy: government and industry in partnership, July 2013
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