A new survey by UK Construction Week Birmingham has revealed that those who work in the industry believe better school careers advice and improving the sector’s ‘dirty’ image are key steps to resolving the current skills gap in construction. With just two weeks before the three-day show returns to the
Culture Change in Construction Crucial Calls from Industry Experts at Exclusive Event on First Night of UK Construction Week Leading construction industry intelligence provider, Barbour ABI, brought top industry experts together at an exclusive event after the first day of the UK Construction Week exhibition in London to discuss the
Concrete Expo (3-4 May Excel.London) makes its debut in London this year with a comprehensive range of more than 100 concrete-related brands and product categories. It’ll be the first major dedicated trade show for the concrete supply chain for more than two years. This year there’ll be a selection of
The 2019 UK Construction Week is turning its attention to more innovative forms of building work. Since the UK is facing the biggest decrease in new work since 2009, more building companies are starting to embrace emerging technologies, especially since digital construction innovations are on the cusp of taking off across the world. This
To launch a series of Construction Careers Weeks taking place in Manchester, Birmingham and London this September and October, the winner of a national competition to design a campaign to encourage young people to consider a career in construction, as well as diversify the sector, has been announced. Built Environment
AluFoldDirect will be proving to the entire construction industry that aluminium glazing can be problem-free by featuring ‘Everything Aluminium Without the Pain’ on the PiGS Product Pavilion at The Build Show, part of UK Construction Week. “The aluminium glazing market is more buoyant than ever which is why it’s crucial
The UK Construction Week (UKCW) has created a new guide that promotes equality, diversity, and inclusion. Media 10, the show organisers, have worked with a new committee that included representatives from all parts of the industry, such as Balfour Beatty’s senior planner and LGBT Network co-chair, and the Group HR
BDC 319 : Aug 2024
A new survey by UK Construction Week Birmingham has revealed that those who work in the industry believe better school careers advice and improving the sector’s ‘dirty’ image are key steps to resolving the current skills gap in construction. With just two weeks before the three-day show returns to the NEC on October 4th, the survey polled over 1,100 people across the sector, including architects, engineers, housebuilders, installers, joiners, contractors and consultants. It found over a quarter (26%) of respondents felt the solution to fixing the skills gap was ‘better career advice at school/college to paint a more attractive picture of construction to young people’, while 24% said the answer was ‘a long-term strategy to attract and retain talent, not just a short fix’. Key barriers to young people pursuing a career in construction were seen as the industry being perceived as ‘dirty job’ (23%), lack of careers advice (19%), and the sector being seen as male-dominated (15%). Other survey results included: The main barriers to people’s own advancement in construction was due to lack of training support from their employer (18%); poor careers advice (18%); and lack of funding (17%) 57% of respondents thought the skills gap had either worsened or stayed the same in the last two years, with ‘the great resignation’ (19%); uncertainty (17%); and long lead times and the rise of materials and product costs (17%) being the principal causes Respondents said the best things about working in construction are the tangible results (25%); learning new skills (20%); and the fact that no two days are the same (15%) When asked what the construction industry workforce will look like in 2050, the most popular responses included ‘a more diverse/female workforce’; ‘more use of AI’; ‘increase in mechanisation/robotics’; and ‘it will be more lucrative and attractive to graduates’ 84% of respondents said flexible/hybrid working was now an option in their role, with the key reasons for the 16% who don’t have that flexibility being ‘not practical – we need to be on site at all times’ (52%); ‘the directors do not like it’ (18%) and ‘it’s never been discussed’ (16%) Nathan Garnett, UKCW Birmingham’s event director said: “Our survey is a clarion call to both the government and construction sector, and outlines what we need to change if we are to tackle the skills crisis we currently face. We plan to use our event in just two weeks’ time to set out some of the solutions that our survey points to so we can create real culture change. “Our survey not only highlights the challenge, but it also illustrates the variety and truly rewarding nature of being part of the built environment – a message we will get across loud and clear.” Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “As we continue to work hard to supercharge our region’s economic recovery, the construction sector will play a key role. Many of our young people – and indeed local job seekers of all ages – have recognised that joining this industry can offer an exciting, practical and well paid career path for those willing to grasp the opportunity. “However, it’s clear from the survey that we have more work to do to change perceptions and highlight the positive side of this booming sector which will shape the West Midlands for many years to come. I hope to play my part in fostering interest in construction – working together with the industry and other bodies like CITB – not only to connect local residents with great jobs but also to alleviate the skills shortage in the sector which is essential if we are to reach our full potential.” Tim Balcon, Chief Executive, CITB (Construction Industry Training Board) said: “We welcome this insight, which highlights the challenge that is being faced to attract and retain talent and to address the skills gap. We need to work collaboratively across industry to strengthen the entire talent pipeline and increase the number of people joining and staying in construction. “By investing over £233m across the sector this year, we’re doing all that we can to facilitate key routes into industry such as apprenticeship and employer grants, occupational traineeships, and onsite experience hubs. In short, we’re working hard to support the construction industry to address the gap highlighted in this report so that we can build a skilled, competent and inclusive workforce both for now and in the future.” This year UKCW Birmingham is expecting around 25,000 attendees, will officially be opened by Channel 4 presenter George Clarke and features guest speaker Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands. Celebrating culture change in the construction industry with an exciting programme of debate and discussion from top speakers, the show will also shine a spotlight on over 6,000 products from more than 300 exciting exhibitors. Visitors will also be able to find sections dedicated to Net Zero, Building Materials, Digitalisation, Infrastructure, Surface & Materials, Offsite Construction, and Skills & Careers. Register for free here, UKCW Birmingham registrations and if you are part of an industry group or community and you’d like to host your own networking event please get in touch via info@ukconstructionweek.com. Follow on social media @uk_cw #UKCW2022
Culture Change in Construction Crucial Calls from Industry Experts at Exclusive Event on First Night of UK Construction Week Leading construction industry intelligence provider, Barbour ABI, brought top industry experts together at an exclusive event after the first day of the UK Construction Week exhibition in London to discuss the need for culture change. Dr David Hancock, Construction Director at Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) highlighted the scale of the issue: “The construction industry has to educate and source locally, teach more trades and skills to improve communities and put the heart back. We have to care what we build and want to do better. That’s the change this industry needs. We measure costs, not benefits, and the concern is that with rising inflation hitting construction projects, that could become worse. Our industry must not revert to the old ways.” Trudi Sully, Impact Director at Construction Innovation Hub said: “I deliberately avoided construction for a long time, because it seemed a scary place to work. The Construction Innovation Hub is all about culture change. Enabling, educating and empowering the industry is what we do. Over the last four years of the hub we have worked with more than 400 construction supply chain companies to support research and innovation. Much of transformation is about partnerships, to mitigate risk, bring about change more quickly and enable better decision-based outcomes. Better manufacturing processes are leading to those processes being adopted in construction too. Advances in other industries are providing construction with a playbook to follow to make improvements.” Rebecca Lovelace, Founder and Chief Dot-Joiner at Building People said: “The built environment is about a world of amazing opportunities, and we need to get out of fragmented silos to realise its potential. We need boarder diversity in construction, not just more women as diversity brings more innovation and helps culture change. We need to enable anyone who is interested to become involved in the built environment. Barbour ABI is one of the sponsors and a major exhibitor at the UK’s largest construction industry event. UKCW is a new exhibition held at London’s ExCel from May 3-5, 2022. It brings together the whole construction supply chain and aims to support the industry’s recovery from COVID.
Concrete Expo (3-4 May Excel.London) makes its debut in London this year with a comprehensive range of more than 100 concrete-related brands and product categories. It’ll be the first major dedicated trade show for the concrete supply chain for more than two years. This year there’ll be a selection of concrete batching plant suppliers, admixtures, additives and chemicals, concrete pumps, concrete mixers, volumetric mixers, formwork, lifting and handling concrete, precast equipment and accessories, tools, testing services – in fact just about everything needed to produce, deliver and install the most widely used building material to construction sites.
The 2019 UK Construction Week is turning its attention to more innovative forms of building work. Since the UK is facing the biggest decrease in new work since 2009, more building companies are starting to embrace emerging technologies, especially since digital construction innovations are on the cusp of taking off across the world. This year’s Construction Week, held in the NEC in Birmingham, will dedicate more time than ever to this niche within the building industry. Builders will utilise digital construction to create a new slim-design concept hotel, planned to be located opposite Birmingham’s Grand Central Station, which aims to inspire building planners and nudge them towards the implementation of digital construction in more UK construction projects. A Call for Investment in Modern Equipment It is no secret that construction work within the UK lacks the vigour of a few years ago. With the continuing uncertainty of the UK’s departure from the European Union and a fear of investment from both the government and private companies, construction projects seem to have slowed or come to a halt entirely. In particular, there seems to be a lack of excitement when it comes to new building projects. This is why there are calls to focus on modernisation at UK Construction Week in a bid to inspire more foreign investors to take part in influencing the market. New technologies and digital services are a great way to boost investment in building work. For instance, startup construction companies can use a skylift rental service to build tall structures even with limited funds, while 3D printing is offering an increasingly cheap method of architectural design. These innovative products and services are exactly what’s needed to stimulate innovation in Britain’s construction industry and to draw investors to new projects. What is Digital Construction? Digital tools are far more efficient and cost-effective when it comes to construction. Digital construction is simply the application of such tools in the building process. This could include the use of online platforms that reduce the need for travel and improve communication, thereby lowering costs and speeding up the completion of a building project. Beyond this, it may go as far as using artificial intelligence to design buildings and using robots to build them. Automating as much of the process as possible cuts down on mistakes while lowering costs and speeding up construction rates. Naturally, this will lead to crucial debates about the job security of employees in the construction industry. The rate of building work in the UK is lacking, with a general sense of uncertainty negatively impacting on investment. New technology can help to lower the costs of construction and improve results. At the same time, digitisation will inject some excitement into the industry and help Britain to be a leader when it comes to modern building techniques. While UK Construction Week will focus on the digitisation of building design, the industry will need to balance this with the needs of construction workers.
To launch a series of Construction Careers Weeks taking place in Manchester, Birmingham and London this September and October, the winner of a national competition to design a campaign to encourage young people to consider a career in construction, as well as diversify the sector, has been announced. Built Environment Skills in Schools (BESS) – the organisation behind Construction Careers Week – teamed up with One Minute Briefs, a user-generated social media content community that challenges people to create an advertising concept in only one minute in response to a one sentence brief. In total, over 80 designs were submitted in 24 hours to BESS’ challenge to: “Create posters to inspire the next generation of construction workers to address the skills shortage and make the sector more diverse for #ConstructionCareersWeek.” The campaign generated 1,800 social media engagements and reached over 41,000 people online. The entries were whittled down to a shortlist of 13 and the winner – Yellow is the New Black, by David Felton was chosen as the winner by BESS. Kathryn Lennon Johnson, founder of BESS, said: “We were so impressed by the creativity that came from all the entries to our One Minute Brief challenge, and it was difficult to choose just one winner. The skills shortage in the construction industry is a major issues – and something we need as many people as possible to be aware of. Collaborating with One Minute Briefs gave us the opportunity to not only generate some amazing ads, but it also gave us a platform to communicate to people across the UK what we’re trying to achieve with Construction Careers Week. “We’ll show the designs to the students we meet during Construction Careers Weeks in Manchester, Birmingham and London to start conversations and challenge their perceptions of what a career is like in the sector.” Manchester Construction Careers Week starts 24 September, focusing on diversity and gender, with the Inspire Summit at the Bridgewater Hall on 25 September a key date. In Birmingham, the careers week starts 8 October, focusing on the future of construction and tech, with a number of activities taking place at UK Construction Week at the NEC Wednesday 10 October. Finally, London Construction Careers Week will take place from 15 October and focus on past, present and future. Additional activities will take place at London Build Thursday 25 October. For more information, visit the BESS website.
AluFoldDirect will be proving to the entire construction industry that aluminium glazing can be problem-free by featuring ‘Everything Aluminium Without the Pain’ on the PiGS Product Pavilion at The Build Show, part of UK Construction Week. “The aluminium glazing market is more buoyant than ever which is why it’s crucial to offer installers Everything Aluminium without the pain, so that installers can take advantage of the sector. By going to The Build Show, we can show more people in the construction industry how we have perfected our manufacturing processes to deliver aluminium glazing right first time, every time,” said Craig Miller, Managing Director at AluFoldDirect. “The range of visitors to The Build Show also means that we can talk to local builders, specifiers and architects about our range, fast delivery times of 1 week for unglazed and 2 weeks for glazed, Aluminium Glazing Design Centre and the new AluFoldDirect Aluminium Installer Training Academy,” he added. AluFoldDirect is one of ten companies featuring on the PiGS Product Pavilion, which is sponsored by Balls2 Marketing. The PIGS Product Pavilion at the Windows, Doors and Glass Show has been created after feedback from visitors to The Build Show 2017 saw lots of requests to see more glazing products. AluFoldDirect is the perfect company to feature on the pavilion, to show visitors how they can get ‘Everything Aluminium Without the Pain’ and make the most of the ever-growing aluminium glazing market. Visitors can find AluFoldDirect and learn about its Everything Aluminium range of products on Stand B515 in Hall 10 at The NEC between Tuesday 9 October and Thursday 11 October 2018.
The UK Construction Week (UKCW) has created a new guide that promotes equality, diversity, and inclusion. Media 10, the show organisers, have worked with a new committee that included representatives from all parts of the industry, such as Balfour Beatty’s senior planner and LGBT Network co-chair, and the Group HR and diversity manager at Willmott Dixon. “We have benefited enormously from the input of many diversity champions and leaders within the construction industry over the last couple of years, and have published the videos from our Diversity in Construction panel discussions so that others can hear their advice as well,” explained Nathan Garnett, director of UK Construction Week. UKCW’s new guide sets out an exhibitor code of conduct that encourages companies to consider the mix of staff and representation present on their stands. It also covers issues such as the clothing worn by promotional staff and the activities available on stands. Nathan argued that the UKCW has always promoted diversity in its conference platform, however, this time they chose to look at the exhibition as well. “I think UK Construction Week can play a pivotal role in highlighting those who are making great strides in balancing out inequality in our industry, to demonstrate best practice and to inspire others. We should use this event as a celebration and an opportunity to challenge ourselves to make that commitment to achieving minimum requirements and demonstrating on-going progression.” Aaron Reid, head of sustainable procurement at Balfour Beatty, advised people in the construction industry to join together “to ensure that a career in construction is considered an attractive option and that we grow to become representatives of the communities in which we operate.” The UK Construction Week will house over 670 exhibitors and nine shows, all taking place at the Birmingham NEC from the 9th until the 11th of October.
