More young people need to be attracted into jobs in the construction or it will suffer a major skills shortage as the economy recovers, three West of England industry leaders are warning.
Gary Higgins and Ben Milsom, founders of GBRS Recruitment, Integral Build director Tim Stringer, and Gemma Day, director of developer Dowlas fear many young people have the wrong impression of construction – seeing work in the sector as seasonal or low-skilled.
And that could have a serious impact on the industry as new schemes get underway across the region and across the UK. 
Gary and Ben started Weston-super-Mare-based GBRS Recruitment three years ago, growing its turnover to £2.5m from a standing start.
But they have noticed that many young people do not attach prestige to forging a long-term career in construction and that with many more jobs being created, a skills crisis is looming.
Ben said: “It won’t apply to everybody but generally we have found that young people don’t place as much value on a career in construction, as maybe they should. Certainly for many it’s seen as a seasonal or in-between job but the industry has huge growth and earning potential.
“There has also been a lot of debate around whether younger people in the UK have the skills to fill more specialist roles. We think they do – it’s just a question of finding and training them.”
At Integral Build, which specialises in construction, interiors, refurbishment and fit-out projects across the South of England, Tim Stringer said: “We have certainly found sourcing key trades, specifically traditional ones such as plastering and bricklaying, more difficult over the last year or so.
“This is still proving to be an issue going into 2015 and we can’t see it getting any better, especially as the industry gets busier. It does seem to me that the average age of the tradesmen is gradually getting older and this is a major concern for the future. Is it that young people are not excited about these trades?
“I would guess this is the case and the industry as a whole needs to look at itself very carefully to work out the best way to encourage school children and young adults – both male and female – that this is a great industry to be a part of.”
Gemma Day, director of Cheddar-based Dowlas, which is developer the Junction 21 Enterprise Area at Weston – one of the biggest developments outside of London – added: “We are experiencing lots of inquiries at our site and together with our partners have already finished some projects. As things continue to pick up I am starting to see a strain on skills which is a concern. What can we do? There is no magic bullet but engaging students at a younger age is one way.”
