Skills

Civil engineer Emmanuel Afolabi is one of the thousands that have suffered the crushing disappointment of missing out on a dream career in sport. He has made it his mission to help others going through the same to consider turning their talents to construction and engineering Football was everything to…

Mark Leeson is operations director at property and construction consultancy McBains The news that for the first time in six years there’s been an increase in the number of apprentices starting careers in construction is welcome. More than 26,000 apprenticeships began in the year to July 2022 – that’s 6,000…

Caroline Evans is the corporate strategy director for Arden University  The UK workforce is about to have a rude awakening. Research suggests that by 2030, 30 per cent of all jobs here could be eradicated due to automation. For the construction industry, this means more than half a million jobs…

Colin Wood is chief executive for Europe and India at Aecom  National Apprenticeship Week is one of the dates in the business calendar that holds significant meaning for me. I started my career as an apprentice and recognise the huge opportunity these vocational courses give young people in gaining a…

Mark Reynolds is chairman and CEO of Mace, and co-chair of the Construction Leadership Council Construction is a sector offering real opportunity to deliver big change. With a growing global population, the world needs our expertise to provide vital infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, homes, offices and transportation. While this…

Melissa Barber is head of people and communications at Beard Construction If, like me, you’re a woman who’s been working in construction for a decade or so, your first experience of a building site was probably less about the job you were doing and more about a feeling of imposter…

Sarah Sidey is a director of Randstad’s construction division In the recent interim review into misconduct in the Metropolitan Police, author Baroness Casey identified the need for urgent reform from within the organisation. In a letter to Met commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, she wrote that the public “need to have…

Robert Candy is chief executive at the Scaffolding Association The UK’s scaffolding and access sector, like many other construction trades, has a long-standing skills and labour shortage. This problem extends to other sectors and professions, from hospitality to airline pilots. There are many possible reasons for this. Some would suggest…

CITB chief Tim Balcon speaks to Luke Haynes about training workers, helping companies and the calls for his organisation to be scrapped

Tim Clark dons his hard hat to visit a construction training centre that its founders hope will capture the hearts and minds of the next generation