A factor exacerbating the skills shortage in construction is retirement, and that the skills being lost are not being replaced fast enough. Companies and industry organizations are increasingly focusing on school leavers and graduates to try attract them to a career in construction. The challenge is whether construction can compete with more attractive and often viewed as more interesting sectors such as IT, entertainment or hospitality?

Younger generations and their obsession with social media and all things tech often get a lot of flak. They’re labelled as entitled, always looking for a hack or quick solution to a problem and not willing to put in the hard work to achieve something. This is a very broad and dangerous generalization in that it quickly alienates exactly the type of people that the construction industry needs.

Perhaps the focus should be less on telling young people what they should do and instead take the time to understand what’s important to them. Specifically, what they’re looking for in a career and how the construction industry can leverage this for growth.

Tech is central, use it

Current school leavers and graduates have never known life without tech. They navigate new technologies easily and can quickly apply them to solving problems. Given that many construction companies are struggling to integrate new technologies into their operations, this is an opportunity to score two wins simultaneously.

Actively recruiting tech savvy graduates to implement technology upgrades and programmes can help speed up the time to deployment. Working with older staff members there’s a dual benefit. They can learn the complexities of construction, while training existing personnel on how to use new technologies effectively.

Creating opportunities like this has the added benefit of raising the profile of the construction industry so that it becomes more attractive to school leavers. Using tech to solve industry challenges is exactly the type of opportunity they’re looking for.

Invite fresh approaches

In a similar vein, there are many opportunities for innovation in construction, specifically with regards to building more sustainably. A challenge in construction is diverting away from methods that have been used for centuries. Ones that have both a high carbon footprint and waste volume.

What better way than to engage young innovative minds that don’t have this entrenched thinking? Plus, being part of these types of projects ensures that they’re working on something meaningful that has a positive impact on the world. This too is an important factor.