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As the government urges early retirees back into the workplace, the over-50s talent pool could help solve construction’s skills conundrum
The government is encouraging early retirees to get back into the workplace.
In my view, it’s a crying shame that so much intellectual capital and experience of the construction industry should be lost prematurely when people take early retirement.
The over-50s have vast resources. And those resources should be harnessed and shared with the younger generation.
Some over-50s took early retirement during or after the pandemic. There’s now a move to entice them to return to the workforce to help stimulate the economy.
Untapped resource
This age group has a lot of wisdom and experience to share with those joining the construction profession. They have a lot to give. In my view, the over-50s are an enormous untapped resource.
There are stacks of people out there like me, who have had a successful first career but who could go on to have a second successful career in teaching, mentoring or training
My personal journey has taken me from a BSc Hons Construction Management student in the 1980s to the founding partner of Focus Consultants.
The business was launched in my dining room in Beeston, Nottingham, in the mid-1990s and has grown to become a multi-disciplinary company with offices in London, Leicester and Nottingham and a £6 million annual fee turnover managing more than £300 million of construction projects each year.
But for the past eight years, I’ve been revisiting the corridors of Nottingham Trent University (NTU) – this time as a lecturer, having gradually stepped away from frontline consultancy following a structured management buy-in (MBI) of Focus Consultants.
I remain a majority shareholder and operate as joint chairperson, now largely overseeing the business.
However, my reduced hours, year on year, have given me the opportunity to teach construction management, quantity surveying and construction commercial management, contract administration, and control and finance to NTU undergraduates.
I would encourage the over-50s to consider ways that they can share their knowledge and skills, rather than leave the industry altogether. It’s stimulating and it’s certainly something that I would recommend to others
It’s been a wonderful experience to return to my former university and has not only benefited me personally, but has also brought a number of benefits both to Focus Consultants and to NTU.
Beneficial partnership
The university has been able to tap into the knowledge and resources of the Focus team, while Focus has been able to recruit skilled graduates to join the business.
The partnership between the two organisations has recently been formalised in a three-year framework that will help foster future talent and offer collaboration opportunities and knowledge exchange, guest lecturing and more.
I’ve enjoyed a very fulfilling career in consultancy and I’m very proud of the business that I, my partners and my colleagues have built up over the past 30 years.
As I approach 60, it feels good to be giving something back to help future generations. It’s also been extremely positive for me personally to have had a second career teaching in my 50s.
I never thought I would become a published author or be part of a team that won an internationally significant award for an academic paper, but that’s what has happened as a result of taking on a teaching role at NTU.
I would encourage the over-50s to consider ways that they can share their knowledge and skills, rather than leave the industry altogether. It’s stimulating and it’s certainly something that I would recommend to others if it’s relevant and appropriate for them.
I’ve just been appointed as an NTU alumni and industry fellow, and it feels really good that I can still play a very useful role as I move into the next decade of my career.
Kevin Osbon MCIOB is a founder of Focus Consultants and an alumni and industry fellow at Nottingham Trent University.
A very interesting article especially in light of the CIOB removing the ‘associate’ designation. For the last 40 years I have been an ‘associate’ member and now I have to effectively apply to have my construction skills evaluated to determine if I can be admitted as a member. I have my own consultancy and advise clients and lawyers on construction related matters and how to settle or avoid disputes but unless I go through the rigmarole of applying for my membership I am no longer eligible for the CIOB designation. Is that not letting experience leave the Organisation because of an effective rebranding / red tape? Ironically the older I get the more my workload increases as my skills are more I demand.
Both my parents retired early in their 50’s and are loving life. I say, if you can afford to retire early then do it. There is literally no incentive to stay in work longer other than because you rely on the income. Both my parents got so fed up with how they were treated in their respective work places they decided it wasn’t worth the stress. They now live comfortably on their workplace pensions. If you want to “encourage” the over-50’s to stay in work, you have to make it worth their while, not just by wrecking the economy so that none of us can afford a retirement.
This would be fine if consultants and construction companies were not totally ageist. l lost count of the times the phone or email trail has gone cold when they find out your age
Interesting article Kevin
The majority of experienced over 50s Site Managers, I speak with would love to stay in an active role within the industry.
The current CSCS scheme not helping as the black card received through grandfather rights is to be removed.
These experienced Managers will have to do an NVQ level 5-6 costing £1800 or get assessed onsite through various tick boxes.
This is an industry crying out for experience personnel.
Mentoring up & down is a current trend & should be adopted by all involved.
Regards
Anthony Carroll
I retired at 66 and would have worked on but thanks to the government taxing any benefits from working on. Can’t see the point getting up at 06.30 every morning for the government to hit me with 41% tax…
I agree with the comments above in that the changes to prevent older workers obtaining a black card bearing in mind they take the test and speaking for most pass with 100% quite often and the dropping of ACIOB in Dec 24 resulting in taking NVQ s at a late stage to obtain a card after working say 30- 40 years may affect workers in two minds whether to carry on or retire. They will retire I think and skills are lost.
Well i cant wait to get out of the industry, Personally there is little pleasure anymore for me in this industry. No one actually heeds warnings or really takes on board suggestions or advice or it may just be the people i have with.
I have to agree with most of these comments so far – most people within this industry who are over 50 (and therefore in the ‘early retirement’ range) will have spent an entire career being under-valued, treated as second-class citizens and having to make up a weekly wage by working Saturdays; not to mention lunching on sandwiches and a flask in our own cars and using hedges for toilets. It’s great to see some changes happening within the industry, and good luck to the new generation coming through, but improvements are primarily seen only on the larger sites. I absolutely love the design side of our industry and I’m sure I’ll continue in this role in some way but the idea of working on sites longer than I have to is quite simply depressing. I’d suggest that few construction trades or professionals retire early because they’re rich, but more because they’ve simply had enough of a tough, under-valued life.
In an industry that is renowned for it’s long hours culture and with physically and mentally demanding roles, maybe it’s time to re-think about how we work in Construction to enable people to work longer (if they want to).
Introducing more flexible working patterns into the industry would open up possibilities for people who are nearing retirement but don’t want to be working 11 hour days, 6 days per week.