Member Article

Barratt launches campaign to overcome sector skills shortage

With the Government recently announcing a £5bn boost to help galvanise the housebuilding industry[1], but firms still struggling to find the skilled workers they need to meet the nation’s housebuilding targets, one of the region’s largest housebuilders is launching a new campaign to encourage more people into the sector. Barratt Developments Yorkshire East, which encompasses the Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes brands and is currently developing Aspect in Anlaby and Tranby Fields in Hessle, is launching the Constructing Futures campaign this month, in an aim to bridge the skills gap and encourage more people to consider working in the housebuilding industry.

An estimated 230,000 construction jobs are set to be created throughout the UK in the next five years[2], but the industry is struggling to keep up with the pace of change - something which Barratt Developments believes is holding back housebuilders across the country from meeting the Government’s ambitious housebuilding targets. As well as the need for young people to join the sector and train in skilled roles, Barratt Developments believes that existing construction firms in the industry need to consider taking on more business from housebuilders and to reap the benefits of being a subcontractor in the industry.

To address this ever growing problem, Barratt Developments is calling on firms across the region to join them at their Constructing Futures events, which will see the housebuilder addressing common concerns about working in the industry and offering firms practical advice on how to get their foot in the door and managing their subcontractor business. Barratt Developments will also be working with schools and colleges in the region to deliver talks and practical workshops to showcase the career opportunities available in the sector – from practical trades to technical and sales based roles.

Steve Mattinson, Construction Director at Barratt Developments Yorkshire East, commented: “It’s fantastic that the Government has ambitious aims to boost housebuilding, but the simple fact is that the UK will never have the number of homes it needs if we don’t have the skilled people required to build them. It isn’t just about encouraging more students to train as bricklayers, even though this is a worthy aim. Children leaving school and college are unaware of the opportunities available to them, but existing construction firms also don’t realise the sheer potential open to them in the housebuilding industry. What we want to say to these firms is that the Government plans to build 25,000 new homes by 2020[3] and as a result businesses across the county have a unique opportunity to take advantage of this supported growth.”

He continued: “We know that some firms might have reservations about investing and getting involved, so as part of the Constructing Futures campaign we are aiming to dispel some of these myths and to showcase the fantastic opportunities available to hard working people who want to work in the housebuilding sector. In partnership with this, we will also be teaming up with schools and colleges across Yorkshire to educate youngsters on the wealth of career opportunities available within the construction industry, to ensure we have enough skilled people to build the homes of the future.”

Barratt Developments will be launching the Constructing Futures events in 2016.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Richard Savage .