Despite woes in the education sector due to tuition fees and the unaffordable nature of certain forms of education, we are at a point in time whereby education sits at a considerable high. With a great deal of the population following both traditional and emerging means of training and qualification, the sheer quantity of skills within the country is undeniable. Yet, where do these skills lie?

Despite increasing levels of skills in one form or another, those skills pertaining to most areas of the construction industry (as well as many other “hard” trade industries, such as manufacturing, engineering and transportation) are considered to be at something of a low. Now, the availability of such training has in no way diminished over time, and so when looking at how we can attribute this fact, the most prominent reasoning resonates with notions of a worrying lack of interest in such industries.

When we say “lack of interest”, we don’t simply mean that individuals (specifically youths) have no interest in the areas of work, but perhaps moreso that many trade professions are no longer considered to be enviable career paths, or career paths that can see considerable personal and professional success. This, despite popular belief, is far from the case, with industry wages being in no way uninviting (especially in areas of engineering).

With a considerable offering on the pay-scale, and the success of the wider construction industry, the question begs as to why there are such low levels of interest in construction careers, and even more importantly, how organisations can overcome the challenges faced by this.

One could perhaps argue that, historically, “intellectual” professions have traditionally been considered to revolve around desk jobs, and construction-related careers, instead primarily involving great degrees of physical labour instead. Yet, this is truly no longer the case, with the construction industry (as well as other trade industries).

This begs the question as to whether there re direct issues within the construction industry which are limiting the potential for recruitment, or whether it is merely a case of improving relations and the image of the industry to better display those opportunities available within the construction industry itself.