It has been forecast that over the next five years there will be 179,000 new jobs created for the construction industry. This is great news as the sector is experiencing a level of growth that has not been reached since the recession. However, there has also been a number of skills deficits found within the construction industry, which will increase as the industry grows. In order to combat this deficit training is being provided in order to help companies hire fully-qualified and able people to fill job roles.
The current gaps that have been noted within the construction industry covers several different trades, and it is predicted that Small or Medium sized Enterprises, or SMEs could have the most challenges to deal with over the next five-year period. Within the construction industry at the moment there has been a reported lack of roofer, plumbers and other skilled workers in the industry.
The training that is being offered is fully funded and will come at no extra cost to the SME, but is will help the business fill the available job spaces that they have. With predictions that the employment figures in the industry will reach 2.6 million over the course of this period of growth. This will be a 1.7% growth in the sector. Therefore, the training that has been set up by The Skills Support Workforce, or SSW, will help SMEs through their new fully funded training project to reduce the skills gap that is currently being experienced. Being able to fill in these gaps will hopefully help the business to make the most of this fruitful period for the construction industry.
The increased pressure to create more and more housing in order to meet demand has been suggested as one of the reasons for the increased growth in the sector. To meet the demand for new homes, approximately 220,000 new homes would have to be constructed. This high demand has a knock on effect and increases the demand for construction trades. However, the skills gap is meaning that the number of skilled workers is being spread quite thin. Hopefully the SSW’s new project will be beneficial for the industry.
