Pro Installer June 2015 - Issue 27 | Page 46

46 JUNE 2015 PRO INSTALLER PRO SKILLS www.proinstaller.co.uk Windows Can’t Fit Themselves Specialist fenestration and glazing training provider, 4GE Academy, looks at the implications of skills shortages across the construction sector. Six months ago, news broke that there were Portuguese bricklayers earning up to £1,000 per week on building sites in London, due to a chronic shortage of skilled tradesmen. Figures quoted in the media by recruitment firm, Manpower, suggested that wages were doubled in order to attract skilled workers from overseas, so that construction companies could fulfill their contracts. Perhaps it’s hardly surprising that this situation arose as the sector suffered its most protracted downturn for a generation following the economic crisis of 2008. Hundreds of thousands of workers exited construction and associated industries as work dried up and valuable skills were transferred, wherever possible, into other areas. There were skills shortages before then, which compounded the issue. According to a report by accountants KPMG and the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), about 20% more construction managers, surveyors, electricians and other trades will be necessary to meet demand, over the next four years, than were needed from 2010-13. Pick up the PRO Installer, FREE, from one of over 600 trade counters. The acquisition of skills takes time and therein lays the fundamental problem. With the economy growing again and companies seeing their order books fill up, there’s a challenging dichotomy of the fruit being within reach but not being able to harvest it. A number of research studies carried out over the past couple of years agreed that more neede BF