Havering College Helping to Plug the Construction Skills Gap

Havering College Helping to Plug the Construction Skills Gap

Major infrastructure projects are threatened by the UK’s skills shortage, with a quarter of a million existing workers needing retraining and an anticipated gap of 100,000 workers over the next five years, according to a recent government-backed report. The National Infrastructure Plan for Skills, published by Infrastructure UK, sets out concerns in major sectors such as roads, rail and energy amid fears that major projects will be affected.

The report found that through growth in infrastructure investment, there was a demand for over 250,000 construction workers and over 150,000 engineering construction workers by 2020, with a shortfall of nearly 100,000 additional workers by the end of the decade.

This will require the retraining and up-skilling of around 250,000 of the existing workforce over the next decade. This is in addition to the need to recruit new workers.

The report also found that programmes such as HS2, Cross Rail 2, the Tideway Tunnel, plus increased investment in roads, will put further stress on the industry’s capacity to deliver.

While this puts pressure on construction firms to meet demand, it does present huge opportunities for people looking to upskill and build a career in this fast-paced sector. In particular, demand will be for electricians, welders, bricklayers, carpenters, site supervisors, engineers and labourers.

Havering College has taken steps to realign its offer to help meet the needs for these skills and help local people access the opportunities that the big infrastructure projects in and around London can offer. On the 14th of July they’re holding an Infrastructure Careers Event to encourage more people to consider a career in Construction, Engineering, Transport & Logistic. This event will offer great networking opportunities and a real hands on experience . So whether you need entry level skills or want to formalise your construction leadership skills in a degree level qualification, the college can help.

For tickets or more information visit havering-college.ac.uk/college/events