In this month’s column last year, I commented on how the mood among our members was not optimistic amid continual budget speculation that was generating fear within the business community and stagnating the market. It was encouraging to hear that the new Chancellor has acknowledged that the government’s own downplaying of the economy had caused damage and hopefully this won’t be a feature of his tenure.
The latest GDP figures show that the overall economy has grown over the early summer months, but the construction sector remains static and is described as still treading water. However, despite all that is going on in the world, the economy and the BCSA membership alike have demonstrated remarkable resilience and our recent regional meetings have reported some improvement in optimism. One of the main drivers of growth over the summer was the service sector, where commentators are attributing improved performance to an increasing uptake of AI technology.
Increasing workloads are good news for our members, but they could rapidly lead to resourcing issues and increased competition for staff within the structural steel sector. Our industry is not alone in losing many senior and experienced people over the last decade without being able to maintain a throughput of younger staff progressing through the ranks. This has become a problem for back-office, site and production, with many of our members having to resort to recruiting welders from overseas to fill the void in their factories despite youth unemployment remaining an issue within the UK.
Gen Z have grown up in a world dominated by the internet, smartphones and social media. They have a strong emphasis on work-life balance and unfortunately, working in a heavy industry is probably not an attractive option when it is possible to achieve fame and a very good income without leaving your bedroom. However, not everyone can become an online influencer and a recent article in The Independent described how things could be changing as an unexpected consequence of AI.
This article reported a growing interest by young people in what were described as “AI-proof jobs”, primarily in trades. They are far more open to pursuing skills-based and vocational training with apprenticeships to support their careers and a recent survey had shown that 48% of 16-to-25-year-olds were considering a trade career. It’s no longer just about going to university or nothing, and 80% of the respondents noted that the advent of AI had made them concerned about the long-term security of office based jobs. Undoubtedly, the cost of a university degree course now also has a part to play with many baulking at entering their working lives saddled with a large debt. However, even at degree level there is the option of a Higher Level Apprenticeship (HLA) to study while in employment, providing someone is prepared to give you the backing.
Andy Burnham recently called for the UK “to value the hard hat as much as the graduation cap” to encourage more vocational training. We work in an industry that already values both and work together on a daily basis. The BCSA continues to work hard with Government and other trade associations to change the landscape around preparing young people for the workplace from apprenticeships through to university graduates. However, to attract and retain our future staff I believe that both the BCSA and our members as a whole need to re-examine what we can offer to young people in terms of both apprenticeships and a future career path. We are well positioned in being able to offer both the learning of valuable trades and support for those who wish to obtain higher level qualifications. There is a need to get this message across to our local schools and colleges; to actively engage and show what we have to offer.
Apprenticeships are nothing new; many of us now in senior positions started our careers this way. However, they represent an opportunity for our industry going forward and future resourcing could simply be a case of going back to the future.
Back to the future?
In this month’s column last year, I commented on how the mood among our members was not optimistic amid continual budget speculation that was generating fear within the business community and stagnating the market. It was encouraging to hear that the new Chancellor has acknowledged that the government’s own downplaying of the economy had caused damage and hopefully this won’t be a feature of his tenure.
The latest GDP figures show that the overall economy has grown over the early summer months, but the construction sector remains static and is described as still treading water. However, despite all that is going on in the world, the economy and the BCSA membership alike have demonstrated remarkable resilience and our recent regional meetings have reported some improvement in optimism. One of the main drivers of growth over the summer was the service sector, where commentators are attributing improved performance to an increasing uptake of AI technology.
Increasing workloads are good news for our members, but they could rapidly lead to resourcing issues and increased competition for staff within the structural steel sector. Our industry is not alone in losing many senior and experienced people over the last decade without being able to maintain a throughput of younger staff progressing through the ranks. This has become a problem for back-office, site and production, with many of our members having to resort to recruiting welders from overseas to fill the void in their factories despite youth unemployment remaining an issue within the UK.
Gen Z have grown up in a world dominated by the internet, smartphones and social media. They have a strong emphasis on work-life balance and unfortunately, working in a heavy industry is probably not an attractive option when it is possible to achieve fame and a very good income without leaving your bedroom. However, not everyone can become an online influencer and a recent article in The Independent described how things could be changing as an unexpected consequence of AI.
This article reported a growing interest by young people in what were described as “AI-proof jobs”, primarily in trades. They are far more open to pursuing skills-based and vocational training with apprenticeships to support their careers and a recent survey had shown that 48% of 16-to-25-year-olds were considering a trade career. It’s no longer just about going to university or nothing, and 80% of the respondents noted that the advent of AI had made them concerned about the long-term security of office based jobs. Undoubtedly, the cost of a university degree course now also has a part to play with many baulking at entering their working lives saddled with a large debt. However, even at degree level there is the option of a Higher Level Apprenticeship (HLA) to study while in employment, providing someone is prepared to give you the backing.
Andy Burnham recently called for the UK “to value the hard hat as much as the graduation cap” to encourage more vocational training. We work in an industry that already values both and work together on a daily basis. The BCSA continues to work hard with Government and other trade associations to change the landscape around preparing young people for the workplace from apprenticeships through to university graduates. However, to attract and retain our future staff I believe that both the BCSA and our members as a whole need to re-examine what we can offer to young people in terms of both apprenticeships and a future career path. We are well positioned in being able to offer both the learning of valuable trades and support for those who wish to obtain higher level qualifications. There is a need to get this message across to our local schools and colleges; to actively engage and show what we have to offer.
Apprenticeships are nothing new; many of us now in senior positions started our careers this way. However, they represent an opportunity for our industry going forward and future resourcing could simply be a case of going back to the future.