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02.06.08

LONGTERM CONSTRUCTION SKILLS DEFICIT MUST BE AVERTED

Significant skills shortages could blight Northern Ireland’s construction sector in the mid to long-term if the current slowdown in the industry is not managed effectively, according to RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) Northern Ireland. RICS says that if investment in training and development is cut and skilled workpeople are tempted to leave Northern Ireland, the sector could suffer from a major skills deficit when the present downturn passes.

The leading body for construction and property professionals urges industry to continue to invest in training and development in order to ensure necessary skills for the future and calls on government to ensure a steady release of public sector work in order to help avoid firms having to let staff go and to avoid skilled workpeople leaving Northern Ireland.

RICS Northern Ireland construction spokesman, John Davidson, says: “We are experiencing quite a significant slowdown in construction activity in Northern Ireland at present, with the very real possibility that many firms will have to let skilled staff go. We believe that many of these people will be tempted to leave Northern Ireland to look for work elsewhere, which could leave the industry short of skills further down-the-line when major projects come to fruition. There is also always the temptation in a difficult market for firms to cut spending on training and development, which could be very detrimental in future years.”

 

  
     

"Market conditions are difficult, but we believe that mid to long-term prospects for Northern Ireland’s construction industry are very good as regeneration continues and a significant amount is to be invested in infrastructure. Therefore safeguarding the future of skills in the industry is vital in order to ensure that this work can be carried out efficiently and effectively in future years.

“We would urge the construction industry to ensure that it continues to invest in training and development in order to ensure the necessary long-term skills. We would also urge both the industry and government to be wary of the potential for skilled workpeople to leave Northern Ireland in light of the current downturn.

 

“In this respect, a timely and consistent release of public sector work is essential. Many firms with lighter workloads than last year may feel that they have no choice but to release skilled workpeople who may then be tempted to leave Northern Ireland for work elsewhere. This could result in the local construction sector not being able to cope when major public sector projects do come to fruition further down the line,” Mr Davidson continues.

 

“We would also urge government to look at introducing more vocational construction-related subjects into the curriculum at GCSE and A-Level in order to ensure necessary skills in the long-term. Encouraging more women into the construction industry is potentially another way of safeguarding skills levels. The construction sector is currently male dominated and more must be done to encourage women into the industry,” Mr Davidson adds.

 

RICS Northern Ireland is committed to helping ensure a highly skilled workforce to support quality, sustainable development in Northern Ireland. RICS works closely with schools, universities and colleges to ensure that current RICS-accredited educational courses and training programmes provide its members with the necessary skills to enable them to succeed and to contribute positively to the economy and society.