SB 4156 32pp WEB

Case Study
Schooling the sector itself
According to studies, over a third (35%) of school buildings in England aren’t fit for purpose. School leaders cry out for
improvements and repairs to be made on their current buildings. Extra classrooms are required to meet bustling demand. 43% of
school leaders in the south west and 41% in the south east saying their buildings are not fit for purpose at all. Needless to say,
the work is there for the construction industry, but where are the people? School Building Editor Joe Bradbury investigates:
The industry is currently in the grips of
a skills shortage. If we are to stand
any chance of delivering the types of
buildings sorely needed by Britain’s
educational sector, something must be done
about this.
Skills shortage
Speaking recently about the skills shortage,
Chief Executive of the Federation of Master
Builders Brian Berry said “we’ve been
experiencing a severe shortage of bricklayers
and carpenters for quite some time – these
latest statistics show that skills shortages are
now seeping into other key trades such as
roofers and plumbers. Indeed, of the 15 key
trades and occupations we monitor, 40%
show skills shortages at their highest point
since we started to feel the effects of the skills
crisis in 2013 when the industry bounced
back post-downturn. This growing skills
deficit is driving up costs for small firms and
simultaneously adding to the pressure being
felt by soaring material prices linked to the
weaker pound.
“The Government needs to be taking note of
the worsening construction skills shortage
now that we know that the UK will be
negotiating a hard Brexit. The Prime Minister
must ensure that the immigration system that
replaces the free movement of people serves
key sectors such as construction and house
building. Our sector relies heavily on skilled
labour from the EU, with 12% of the British
construction workforce being of non-UK
origin. As the construction industry
represents around 7% of UK GDP, it’s in no
one’s interest to pull the rug out from under
the sector by introducing an inflexible and
unresponsive immigration system.”
Efforts to address it
In an effort to address the worsening skills
shortage, Education Secretary Damian Hinds
recently unveiled new ‘hubs’ based at live
construction sites, which will train up
thousands of workers and help close the skills
gap in the construction industry.
Twenty six innovative partnerships across the
country have won a share of the £22 million
Construction Skills Fund to set up the new
‘hubs’ which will train more than 17,000
people to be job and site-ready by March
2020. The winning projects, including
Southwark Construction Skills Centre in
South London and Liverpool Waters
Construction Hub in the North West, have
collectively committed to training up over
7,000 people into permanent jobs by the end
of the programme.
With an estimated 158,000 new construction
workers needed in the UK over the next five
years, the scheme will help create the skilled
workers to meet this challenge.
Education Secretary Damian Hinds said “It is
vital that we have a strong workforce post-
Brexit. The Construction Skills Fund will
ensure more people gain the skills they need
to forge a successful career and help create
the skilled workers we need to deliver on our
housing ambitions.
“I’m pleased to announce the 26 winning
projects that will train up thousands of
workers and help tackle the skills shortages in
the construction industry. To support this
drive further we are transforming technical
education including introducing a brand new
T Level in construction, a high-quality
technical qualification which will be rolled
out from 2020.
“Whether building new homes or
contributing to major infrastructure projects
to keep our country connected, working in
construction means helping to shape Britain
in the months and years ahead.
All the ‘hubs’ will be based at live
construction sites so trainees learn in a realworld
construction environment and gain the
practical skills they need to secure a
rewarding career in construction.
The Construction Skills Fund will help inform
the design of the National Retraining Scheme,
which the Chancellor recently announced
will be backed by £100m. This ambitious
programme to drive adult learning and
retraining forms a part of the Government’s
modern Industrial Strategy – a long-term
plan to build a Britain fit for the future by
helping businesses create jobs in every part
of the UK.
The scheme is funded by the Department for
Education and is being delivered by the
Construction Industry Training Board (CITB).
Sarah Beale, Chief Executive of CITB, said
“The Construction Skills Fund can be a
genuine game-changer for both the
construction industry and the individuals
being trained. We have a massive need for
homegrown talent and these projects will
bring thousands of new people into our
sector, giving them the crucial onsite
experience they need to start a career in
construction. These 26 hubs will be based at
some of the most innovative sites in the UK,
and CITB will be working hard to make sure
they deliver the skills our industry critically
needs.”
In conclusion
Everybody has a right to a decent education.
The future success of our society depends
upon it! Our places of learning need to be
improved fast and the only way this can
happen is by removing barriers that delay
this. It is not acceptable that in 21st Century
Britain a third of headteachers are reporting
that school buildings not fit for purpose. It is
not acceptable that pupils are being taught in
damp, cold classrooms in schools that are
rapidly running out of space. It is not
acceptable that some children have to resort
to wearing coats in lessons to keep warm,
while others have been forced to do their
work on the floor because there are simply
not enough chairs and desks.
The situation is only set to get worse if we
don’t do something about it. The school
building sector needs us now more than ever.
Official government figures indicate that
secondary schools in England are facing a
boom in pupils, with numbers set to rise by
more than 600,000 over the next few years.
Let’s check ourselves and make sure we’re fit
for the task, because make no mistake we
have a task on our hands!
14 Winter 2019 4156