Construction industry discuss hopes after General Election

Construction industry figures share their views with UK Construction Media.

The day of reckoning is here for the political parties as the polling stations are now open for what promises to be the most closely contested election for a generation. 

For any party to win an overall majority, 326 seats will have to be won in Parliament, which seems unlikely given how close the opinion polls place both the Conservatives and Labour. 

The uncertainty of the election has hit the construction industry, which has been shown by a slight slowdown in output and PMI data suggesting growth in construction and manufacturing has halted.

What does the industry think is needed after the election to get construction growth moving again, and what will be the issues after the election? UK Construction Media has canvassed a number of industry figures to find out their hopes in the coming weeks and months. 

The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) has produced a guide to the built environment so MPs can understand the true value of the construction industry on the economy. 

Committed to improving the image of the construction industry, CIOB wants to work with the Government to deliver change by addressing the skills shortage through support for apprenticeships, training and mentoring schemes. 

The Company want to see greater investment in digital technologies including BIM, continued investment in infrastructure and an increase in the new builds built, and Eddie Tuttle, Senior Policy & Public Affairs Manager, wants recognition for the construction industry’s role in boosting the economy. 

He said: “The quality of the built environment affects very aspect of society. This presents the industry with a number of challenges, and a number of opportunities to deliver real, long lasting change. 

“What is clear is the sector’s contribution to the economy. Here in the UK, the construction industry officially accounts for around 6.3% of GDP and 10% of total employment – although we believe these figures under-represent the true reach of the industry.”

Other voices in the industry who gave their opinions include James Jameson, Vice President of Product Strategy at Rivo, a leading cloud-based operational risk management software platform. 

He conceded that uncertainty in a future Government that brings a slowdown in growth isn’t unusual, though will not have done any favours to the Coalition. 

James believes both Labour and Conservatives have similar housing policies but urged voters to consider “the major construction policies the primary parties are advocating.”

He said: “In reality, both parties are driving housing policies that will see 200,000 new houses before 2020. No insignificant sum given the current construction decline has been led by a 5% drop in housebuilding at the start of 2015.

“Any voter, let alone those two million directly working in the construction sector should be looking at the major construction policies the primary parties are advocating – both investment project policies but also employment policies. 

“Take Labour – they are the only party explicitly saying large construction firms hiring non-EU workers must match those numbers with apprenticeships, and we know apprenticeships are good for people and the economy.”

Apprenticeships are clearly of interest, but Richard Selby, Director of Pro Steel Engineering, wants apprenticeships for people who are committed to the industry, rather than to hit quotas. 

“I’d like to see a Government that will continue to stimulate the construction industry within the UK,” he said. 

“I want a Government that encourages apprenticeships as a strong alternative to university study, not simply as a way to meet targets on youth unemployment. 

“Apprenticeships need to be of value to the sector and the economy, filled by young people who genuinely want to work in construction, not those who don’t have a career path in mind and may drop out after a year.”

Richard raises an interesting point on how important commitment to construction projects can be to many within the industry, adding: “We tend to use subcontractors to employ our staff on projects. While we do our best to use the same people for most of our projects, we’d love to be able to employ more staff on a permanent basis. 

“Without strong commitment from the Government, we can’t predict how much income we will generate for extended periods, which prevents us from making long term recruitment and investment decisions.

“I know a lot of companies in the industry feel the same way, which results in the slowing down of growth in the sector.”

CEO and Creator of http://ift.tt/1zid1qJ, Lyndon Wood, believes that apprentices are not the only priority, and more attention should have been paid to the whole workforce. 

He said: “The construction sector has experienced shortages in bricklayers, and businesses are suffering because of shortages in those who have technological knowledge. 

“The difference is, political parties have addressed the skills shortage with the promise of more apprenticeships, but nothing is being done to up-skill the existing workforce.

“I would have liked to have seen a party pledging policies that are driven from looking at the workforce from all angles; offering not only apprenticeships for the youth, but by also giving more tutelage to those already in the industry.”

Ionic Recruitment is a leading recruitment consultancy within the construction industry and Managing Director, Martyn Makinson, believes that in order to hit the target of building 200,000 new starter homes by 2020, the next Government must use apprentices to make sure they have the capacity to build them.

He said: “We believe that the Government elected into power must support the construction sector by developing the skills of young apprentices. 

“By providing better training for apprentices, we would see the emergence of a better qualified young workforce and also a more motivated workforce.”

While Hannah Maundrell, Editor In Chief of money.co.uk said that getting a deposit for a home would be challenging, the housing commitment will boost the industry. 

She said : “While uncertain times are ahead, the construction industry should receive a welcome boost whoever ends up centre stage at Westminster.”

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