Educate, Inspire and Empower
Educate, Inspire and Empower
You could, with reasonable accuracy, attribute a date to the start of most industries. The aerospace sector would identify 1908, when Orville Wright took off from Kitty Hawk. Trade and investment banking have their roots in 12th Century Italy, and you could also date the first mines and when the first oil well was drilled. But construction shares one distinction with agriculture, which is that it would be practically impossible to do this, because by the time the historical record started, construction was already an industry. Civilisations emerged because they could build, and through building, support economic activity, healthcare, education and culture.
So you can reasonably ask why an industry, which has survived the vicissitudes of 5,000 years, adapting, evolving and expanding to allow each generation to leave its legacy, now needs to turn its attention to itself. But the reality is that in the UK, and globally, the industry faces greater challenges in meeting the needs of society for infrastructure, homes and other buildings, making these resilient to climate change and adaptable to the needs of a larger and older population. The first step that the industry needs to take in meeting these is to reconstruct itself.
Throughout the world, construction remains broadly reliant on a demographic of young men. But in a world where demographic change means a third of UK construction workers in the UK are over 50, recruiting the estimated 50,000 new workers required each year to meet forecast demand, this reliance cannot continue. The industry needs to increase the proportion of women and those from ethnic minorities working in the industry from 14% to a much higher level. In particular, it needs to dramatically increase the proportion of women in onsite roles, the trades, project management and plant operation, which is currently 1.7%. Meaning that a high proportion of the population is excluded from the opportunities for social mobility that construction provides. Median pay in construction is above the UK average, and pay increases in the sector have been above inflation, both of which are unusual in sectors where many start out with no or few formal qualifications, but can work their way up to the most senior levels of firms.
Achieving this requires the industry to reinvent itself, through adopting new technologies that reduce the need for human muscle to deliver, creating a more collaborative culture with more teamworking across organisations, addressing poor payment and employment practices, and tackling the sexism and lack of provision for female employees that lead them to choose other sectors to build careers in.
This is why Constructing Change is so important. It is an initiative that brings together firms from across the whole supply chain, academia, the education sector and government, to effect positive change within the sector. Its aim is to drive the collaboration and engagement that will deliver change, whether through showcasing the opportunities the sector provides in schools, or encouraging the practical conversations that change firm policies and behaviours, so the industry becomes a fairer and better sector to work in. It is about helping people make the positive choice to be a part of the industry, and that is why the Department for Business and Trade is delighted to partner with Constructing Change.
The construction sector is more relevant today than it has ever been, as we seek to modernise the built environment that enables us to thrive, but it faces significant challenges. It needs to become more productive, more sustainable and more highly-skilled. This cannot be achieved unless the industry reconstructs itself and rebuilds itself in a new image, which resonates with a wider demographic. Which is why we need Constructing Change.
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