Future Construction Skills and Where to Find Them

Back in 2021 CITB (Construction Industry Training Board) stated that 216,800 new workers are needed by 2025 to meet demand and the latest figures show this has increased by nearly 4%, increased, not decreased!The sectors this seems to be affecting the most are Private housing, Infrastructure and Repair and maintenance. But I don’t think this is an accurate representation as it very much focuses on the front line, on the tools, the trades, and not the entire industry. It’s easy to forget that the industry wouldn’t survive without other skills such as architectural design, engineering, project management and other office-based disciplines.These worrying facts are only compounded by the fact that construction is one of the least digitised industries. But within all this doom and gloom there lies hope. The next generation of workers, digital natives, will demand digitisation, they no nothing different and this could be cyclical - more digital natives means more digitisation which leads to a more appealing industry for younger generations. But how do we get there?Today, we’re chatting with Kathryn Lennon-Johnson, an Entrepreneur, Author (which we’ll come onto later), TEDx Speaker, Teacher and Consultant with over 18 years of experience in behaviour change. To tackle the construction skills shortage and attract the next generation into construction, Kathryn recognised the need to celebrate the built environment as a source for good. She is the Founder of Built Environment Skills in Schools (B.E.S.S), and author of courses and books for employers looking to deliver effective school engagement.Topics Covered- Future skills and where to find them- The worst-case scenario if we don’t resolve the skills crisis within construction- Where and when should we be engaging- A look at 1990s school career advice is bleak, what’s changed- Are schools really the best way/time- How do we get people interested in off-the-tools roles- Latest technology to teach, learn and engageAdobe Express 30-day Free Trial: https://prf.hn/l/ZYdd028 Website: https://www.builddifferent.marketing/ Further LinksKathryn Lennon-Johnsonhttp://www.beskillsinschools.co.uk/5D Thinking - The Five-Step Roadmap to deliver measurable impact and powerful outcomes in careers outreachTEDxBrum Talk: https://bit.ly/2Y5OSHOhttps://www.gov.uk/school-performance-tables?_ga=2.261200973.137185135.1692101942-950470172.1692101942 https://www.citb.co.uk/about-citb/news-events-and-blogs/britain-builds-back-construction-will-need-216-800-new-workers-by-2025-to-meet-demand/https://www.citb.co.uk/about-citb/construction-industry-research-reports/construction-skills-network-csn/