Construction careers advice is key to housing targets, CIOB says

Government plans to accelerate housebuilding and development of key national infrastructure could fall flat if more young people are not enticed into the construction sector, according to a new report published by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB).

The report, Attitudes Towards Construction Careers, has been released to coincide with National Careers Week (3-8 March). It shows that two thirds (68%) of young people aged between 16 and 24 hold a positive view of construction careers and around a third (31%) would consider working in the sector.

However, almost half (47%) said information about construction was not included in the careers advice they received while they were in education.

More than a quarter (28%) of respondents said they do not believe careers in construction are accessible to young people. 

A similar survey of parents of young people aged between 16 and 24 showed more than three quarters (79%) would be supportive of their child working in construction, while just 6% said they would be unsupportive.

Government recently announced changes to some apprenticeships, which CIOB broadly welcomed. 

However, CIOB said, if construction roles such as site managers, skilled trades, designers, architects and surveyors are excluded from careers advice provided in schools, young people will not take up construction apprenticeships and the skills gap will persist.

David Barnes, head of policy and public affairs at CIOB, said: “If government is to realise its ambition to provide safe and warm homes for all and improved infrastructure, more needs to change to bolster the current construction workforce and develop a pipeline of competent people entering the industry. 

“Two thirds of the young people we surveyed have a positive view on the construction sector, but too few were seemingly presented with the industry as a career option while in education, which is most likely why we don’t see those positive perceptions translate into young people joining the sector. 

“This shows us careers advisers have a role to play in championing our industry alongside employers, who also should be taking every opportunity to positively promote construction careers.

“We also think having a dedicated built environment GCSE would help generate interest in the sector and showcase the vast array of roles available, including non-site-based roles and those using modern technology. Our survey shows a high percentage of young people and parents would be in favour of this.”

According to the survey, more than half of young people (53%) would be interested in studying a built environment GCSE, while almost two thirds (64%) of parents said they would encourage their children to take this subject if it were available.

When asked to choose words to describe construction roles, ‘highly skilled’ and ‘professional’ were among the top four selected by the 2,000 young people surveyed. Other popular phrases included ‘working on building sites’ and ‘careers for men’.

However, CIOB’s survey data shows an encouraging trend in young people’s perceptions of the industry, including more than one in 10 associating the sector with modern tech-focused roles and describing the sector as diverse.

Barnes continued: “We regularly hear inspiring stories from young people starting out on their construction journeys [who] love the versatility of the industry as well as how it gives them opportunities to engage with a huge range of people from an array of backgrounds. 

“They also speak about being able to physically see the end product of their work once a construction project completes, and the immense sense of job satisfaction and personal pride that gives them. They feel they’re genuinely making a positive difference to communities and wider society.”