Skills

CN looks into the main parties’ manifestos as the UK general election approaches As the UK prepares to vote on 4 July, how have the main political parties’ manifestos approached the construction sector? Infrastructure The Conservative manifesto criticised “frivolous legal challenges” against big infrastructure schemes, after a five-year term in…

T levels and modern apprenticeships are the newest contenders to step onto the training stage. CN looks at how they are performing against the competition It’s no surprise that Steve Umbers is a fan of apprenticeship training. His 20-year career path through the construction industry has taken him from being…

Apprentice requirements imposed by local authorities on contractors are backfiring – leaving some trainees out of work and firms out of pocket Amid the cacophony of politicking before last month’s local elections, you may have heard candidates promising to create “local jobs for local people”. Politicians are acutely aware of…

Martin Barnfield is head of manufacturing at Painter Brothers, part of Balfour Beatty Group In an era marked by constant change and innovation, companies in the manufacturing and construction sector face a multitude of challenges. With fierce global competition for skilled workers, combined with high domestic material costs, the stakes…

Adam Nicholson is group preconstruction director at McLaren Construction As building safety regulation has crystalised, it has become clear that digitised upskilling is as important to the modernisation of the construction industry as digitised delivery. It was clear two years ago that the emerging building safety legislation could boost skills…

Richard Robinson is deputy co-chair of the Construction Leadership Council and president of AtkinsRéalis UK and Ireland The recently published (and long-awaited) National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline sets out £379bn of planned spend over the next decade, including £164bn of investment over the next two years that will require between…

Workers who gained skills cards through employer recommendation have until the end of the year to become formally qualified At the start of 2023, some 60,000 people held Industry Accreditation (IA) cards or ‘grandfather rights’ – Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) cards that are obtained through employer recommendation. Since then,…

Natasha Kearslake is the founder of HR and training firm Organic P&O Solutions, which works with businesses in the construction and engineering and sectors When it comes to attracting Gen Z and neurodivergent employees, the construction sector is years behind engineering and tech companies. But leaders can make quick progress…

Diarmaid Connolly is project director at construction consultancy Linesight The rise in AI technology and applications like ChatGPT is creating a boom in the digital infrastructure market, but the growing demand for data centres brings with it a heightened strain on supply chains.  Recent volatility in energy and material prices…

Gary McIndoe is managing partner at Latitude Law Since the UK left the EU, restrictions on employing overseas workers have been lifted in an effort to allow businesses to access the skilled staff they need. A cap on numbers was lifted, and the requirement for resident labour market testing was…