As job vacancies hit the highest levels since records began, a new survey of young adults looking for work in the UK has revealed that 46% believe that it is harder now to find suitable career opportunities compared to before the pandemic.
In response to this, the Construction Talent Retention Scheme (CTRS) has propelled Talentview Construction (TVC), an early careers initiative that is supported by the government, the Construction Leadership Council (CLC), universities, colleges and construction industry employers. It is funded by the Construction Industry Training Board’s (CITB) industry levy.
The free to use TVC makes it easier for those to take advantage of an array of opportunities, and helps candidates to browse opportunities by signing up to alerts for job and training opportunities, and building their own online profile, so that employers can find them more easily.
Employers can also showcase their business to new recruits on the TVC site, and upload all of their early career vacancies and directly contact students and apprentices.
This comes after it was estimated that the construction industry needed to recruit more than 217,000 new workers between now and 2025 to support its current activity, with demand likely to accelerate, as an estimated 500,000 UK-born workers are set to retire in the next 10 years.
To make matters worse, only 16% of respondents said they had received information about the wide variety of careers in construction and the built environment when they were at school or college.
Sarah Beale, co-chair of the CLC’s skills workstream, said: “Construction is an industry like no other, with a wide range of opportunities now available in one place. The TVC is the place to come to find a route into construction, with first jobs and experiences on offer, including apprenticeships and roles to suit everyone.”
Commenting on her experience with the TVC, Millie Rooker, a technical apprentice at Barratt Homes in Bristol, said: “Getting an apprenticeship in construction means I can learn about something I want to make a career out of and get paid and gain valuable real-life experience, which is the perfect combination.
“You can do your A-Levels and then go on to get the job you want, but it’s only then you may find you don’t actually like it. You can learn just as much by doing an apprenticeship and, more importantly, get a clear picture of the work that’s involved.”
