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qubemagazine · 5 years ago

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New Post has been published on Qube Magazine

New Post has been published on https://www.qubeonline.co.uk/building-up-the-construction-industry/

Building up the construction industry

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~ How businesses can help to close the construction skills gap ~

by Connie Johnson, vice president of marketing at National Flooring Equipment

Over three million tourists head to Barcelona every year to see one of the most impressive Catholic churches in the world, the Sagrada Familia. What many don’t realise is that the building’s construction isn’t even complete, and it won’t be until 2026 — 147 years after construction work began. However, as less people join the construction industry, can we guarantee that the church will ever be finished? In this article Connie Johnson, vice president of marketing at surface preparation equipment manufacturer National Flooring Equipment, explores how the construction industry can end the skills shortage.

Construction has always been a vital part of our lives, culture and economy. In 2017, the UK’s construction industry generated £113 billion, which represented 6 per cent of the country’s economy. The UK construction industry also contributes to employment, with 2.93 million people currently working in the sector, representing 10 per cent of all employed people.

Despite the construction industry being vital in providing us with housing, contributing to our economy and increasing employment, the industry has declined since construction of the Sagrada Familia began.

Demand

Construction businesses are currently under pressure to provide more infrastructure at a faster rate. However, the industry is struggling to encourage young people to enter the field and only about ten per cent of construction workers are aged between 19 and 24. On the opposite end of the spectrum, 15 per cent of UK contractors are in their 60s and planning to retire soon, creating more of a skills shortage as experienced construction workers leave the field.

The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) has reported that the UK industry must find 157,000 new recruits by 2021 to keep up with demand for more infrastructure. So how will businesses source the skilled workers to meet this demand?

Perception is key

Common misconceptions about construction have contributed to the growing skills gap in the industry. Construction is often perceived as a dirty, outdoor job that does not require much skill. However, the construction industry includes a range of disciplines such as architects, engineers, surveyors, bricklayers and many more. All of these are challenging and rewarding careers that require a broad range of skills.

Construction businesses are often also perceived as old-fashioned, but many are starting to invest in technology to remain competitive. In many areas of construction, including surface preparation, contractors have traditionally completed work using hand tools, which makes work time consuming and labour intensive.

By investing in powerful, modern equipment, contractors can work more quickly, efficiently and safely to meet demand. By promoting their investment in technology, businesses can highlight improvements in the sector and change outdated perceptions.

Inspiring a new generation

According to data from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), young people often perceive construction careers as a path for people who do not get a place at a college or university. Its data also found that people aged 14 to 19 scored construction a 4.2 out of ten on its appeal as a career option.

Businesses and education should work together to encourage younger people to see construction as an appealing career opportunity. Teachers should help young people to challenge stereotypes and understand the multiple skills and disciplines required in the industry. Businesses can also work with local schools to show students real life examples of careers in construction and challenge any stereotypes before it impacts a student’s opinion.

Responsibility

A lack of understanding about who is responsible for developing the next generation of construction workers is one of the main barriers to tackling the skills gap. Everyone in the industry should be concerned about the growing skills gap and do what they can to ensure the future of the sector.

Businesses, schools and trade bodies must work together to show students that construction can be a rewarding career that involves more than wearing a hard hat and working in a dirty, outdoor environment. Trade bodies can support companies to provide safe, efficient and modern workspaces for employees and challenge perceptions about the industries. Businesses and schools can also collaborate to ensure students have the opportunity to see construction as a potential career in the future.

National Flooring Equipment has over 50 years’ experience in the industry and aims to increase knowledge and understanding across the industry. We offer quarterly training sessions so that contractors can understand how to efficiently and safely use surface preparation equipment during construction work, which will hopefully help close the skills gap present in the industry.

We often forget that buildings like the Sagrada Familia would not exist without construction workers. Supporting the industry is the best way to ensure that buildings, both impressive and for everyday life, are built to meet the demands of our growing population.

Building up the construction industry

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containerhomeideas · 6 years ago

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Can Architects Carry Out Successful Building Project Management?

Building project management is not just about project cost management it’s about achieving a successful outcome from the architectural brief to the finished building whether it’s your home or a commercial office.

One thing is for sure, especially on higher value developments or renovation projects instructing an architect is absolutely necessary. There are several reasons for this. The first is that the architect is the professional that is able to turn what you the client wants into reality by coming up with a design that balances design and functionality with planning regulations and achieves this within budget.

The second reason is that architects are the best placed professionals to implement the design and coordinate the planning and project management aspect of the project. Implementation and coordination are the two primary skill sets that are vital – ignore this at you peril!

In order to carry out successful building project management many clients hire both a surveyor and an architect. One of the reasons for this is the ‘perception’ of the function of an architect.

If you ask what an architect does most people would say that their role is in creating a stylish, bespoke and functional design that as closely as possible matches the initial design brief and that’s it. Only when the brief stage is completed do many clients realise that an architects’ role is multi-functional.

Let me explain more here. When an architect receives his brief he will always have the design and the total cost of the build from the outset. On many occasions, but not all, there will be a small reserve for potential cost over runs. This means that the architect must be aware of the cost of material, the cost of labour and have extensive engineering skills as he must understand what can technically work and take the loads. In effect the architectural management in any project must encompass some overlap between an architect and a quantity surveyor.

However in successful building project management there is often an extremely important facet that is overlooked and that is the ‘added value’ at the end of a project.

Let me give an example here. Architects will often undertake restoration projects on behalf of clients. These usually encompass the purchase, renovation and sale of the building whether it be commercial or residential.

Quite often I have clients that come to me with a property in London’s West End. The client is a developer and knows that using an architect will add value in terms of design, finish and project cost management. However the developer will often ‘juggle’ the management of various professionals to successfully get the profit out of the development. You see in addition to the architect most developers and many renovators of high value properties utilise a chartered surveyor, an architect and a quantity surveyor. This involves three sets of fees with the disbursement usually handled by the project manager (the architect).

This is one of the reasons why property development companies can compete more effectively for profitable projects because they have all these professionals under one roof thus spreading out their fixed costs and therefore increasing their profits, especially in lean times.

Successful building project management can be carried out by an architect provided all the ‘other professionals’ such as Chartered Surveyors and Chartered Quantity Surveyors can be coordinated and ‘costed’. To be honest if you are a client wanting a high end scheme and finish or a developer specialising in high value property renovation you need a chartered surveyor on your team to appraise the market, find the property and handle the sale. You will find it difficult to get an architect that does all these successfully to get the maximum benefit – however if you find an architectural practice that ‘houses’ all three specialist areas then your outcome is like to be more successful!

Source by Mayur Vashee Can Architects Carry Out Successful Building Project Management?

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