The UK suffers from severe shortage in traditional construction skills, a pressure amplified by the fact that the average age of the construction workforce is increasing. A smart solution to this issue would be for the industry to embrace offsite forms of construction to increase the attractiveness of the sector to new entrants and to improve productivity to increase output with less labour.
Although the construction industry has had a slow start with regards to the smart technology, things are changing now with the integration of a range of devices that make complicated tasks much easier. Looking to the future, new roles are emerging, including Automation Technician, DFM Process Manager with digital design skills, together with hybrid manufacturing roles, for example a Digital Construction Manager, who will take ownership of the product end to end.
Explore Offsite South West, taking place on the 11th of July at Sandy Park, Exeter, invited Catherine Bullough, Programme Manager for the National Skills Academy for Construction at CITB, who will be discussing the offsite skills required to meet the future needs of the industry and will be providing an update on the action plan for qualifications and training support.
Moreover, Dr Sonja Dragojlovic-Oliveira, Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader, University of the West of England, will carry out a presentation on the research conducted on offsite routes to delivery for social housing commissioned by a consortium of housing associations. This represents a major opportunity for construction professionals operating in or entering the offsite arena to gain valuable intelligence.
The combined conference and exhibition will bring together a range of offsite technology supply chain specialists and industry leaders to discuss the uptake of offsite construction in the South West region. The event will focus on the key themes of offsite technology options, regional supply chain resources, project case studies and the opportunities within the offsite sector.
The Explore Offsite event is organised by Constructing Excellence South West, the single organisation charged with driving the change agenda in construction within the south west region which is part of the Constructing Excellence Regional Network (CERN).
