Skills

The government’s post-Brexit immigration proposals have earned mixed reviews from the construction sector. Interviewing Morgan Sindall chief executive John Morgan over the phone this morning, I could almost hear his shrugging shoulders when I broached the topic: “I don’t know how others feel, but we feel relatively relaxed about it,”…

The scaffolding sector has a robust training curriculum in place, but recent changes to the CITB and difficulty in attracting instructors means that access is limited

It is rare to find a scaffolder who initially set out to work in the specialism. Olly Mansell, health, safety, environment and quality director at…

Media coverage of scaffolding in the past year has not tended to show the sector in a positive light. A structural collapse on a busy street and the hospitalisation of a Crossrail worker due to poorly erected scaffolding are just two example of stories that have not helped to boost the…

The UK construction industry is being crippled by a reputation crisis. From divisions over HS2 and continued concerns about Crossrail delivery, to a deepening productivity problem, construction and engineering is under constant scrutiny from media, policy makers and the wider public. The impact this perception of the industry is having…

Today marks the first day of National Apprenticeship Week, an initiative run by the government-funded Education and Skills Funding Agency to showcase how apprenticeships can benefit both apprentices and employers. My inbox has been inundated with emails from construction firms on the achievements of its successful apprentices. However, these affable…

The firm says the updated card service is faster to apply for, convenient for workers and more resistant to fraud

Most people who work in construction are familiar with CSCS cards. They are used by the majority of contractors and clients to provide proof that those working on sites have the…

There is a relatively untapped pool of skills and creativity available that has the potential to bring major advantages to the sector if the right approach is adopted

When Skanska set out to improve diversity on a major London scheme, it was hit by an immediate problem. The contractor handed out…

An app developed by labour-supply firm Hercules Site Services is set to revolutionise the way projects source local workers

Hercules Site Services is a UK-wide specialist labour supply and price work company servicing the construction and civil engineering industry. Its vision is to provide an innovative approach that improves the way…

A new wave of apprenticeships is fundamentally shaking up training and development in the construction industry, according to Thomas Burton (pictured), director of apprenticeships at NOCN. He says the government’s 2017 reforms to the way in which apprenticeships are structured have already started to reap dividends. The changes brought about…

You’ve heard all the reasons for the industry’s talent crisis before: an ageing workforce among UK nationals; the failure to attract young people; difficulty in recruiting and retaining women; the risks of Brexit on the supply of construction workers from outside of the UK… "The issues are not unique to construction…