It is the lack of skilled construction workers and not materials, ability or sites that is preventing the housing sector from meeting its targets, said Bob Weston, Chairman and Chief Executive of UK developer Weston Homes.
He noted that in order for 200,000 new homes to be built by 2020, which is the target pledged by the Conservative party, recruitment in the industry will have to significantly increase from the current numbers, particularly for the most highly skilled.
“Whilst we as an industry are committed to the target of more affordable homes available to first-time buyers, Weston Homes has had to really ramp up its recruitment in order to meet these targets.
“We currently have a shortfall within the industry of skilled tradesmen, construction managers and fabricators; especially those with many years experience providing the quality we expect,” said Weston.
To meet the shortfall, Weston Homes sent 6,500 letters to local schools in order to attract young people into apprenticeships and eventually to work in the construction industry.
Over the past month, Weston Homes has added 23 new recruits to its apprenticeship scheme. They join around 20 percent of Weston Home’s employees who are studying for National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs), on sponsored day-release courses or attending ILM management training.
“It takes two years to train skilled workers and five years to train our best recruits to management level, though of course development lasts a lifetime. Finding someone with twenty plus years of experience is becoming increasingly rare and difficult.
“We have always been committed to getting more young people involved in the industry, and with these new affordable home targets we will need, as an industry, to open our doors to bright young apprentices,” added Weston.
Romesh Navaratnarajah, Singapore Editor at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact him about this or other stories email romesh@propertyguru.com.sg
