Written by Holtby Turner
With an impending skills shortage and an ageing workforce, Ed Blyth of Holtby Turner Executive Search explores millennials, construction and the challenge the industry has attracting young workers. It is undeniable the construction industry has an image problem, and is failing to convince the millennial generation of the appeal of jobs in construction.
The perception remains that the sector is old-fashioned, male dominated and not dynamic, which research suggests stops young people considering it as a career path. Training programmes and apprenticeships go some way to address this but if we are seeking to attract the brightest and most talented to construction, a cultural mind shift is needed in the way the industry presents itself.
As technology makes an impact and the jobs and skills required change, some of this may come naturally but employers still need to work hard to move away from the men in muddy boots image that seems to still come with any presentation on attracting talent. As Sally Cox of Hochtief commented at the Construction News Summit, despite the industry talking about diversity and beginning to walk the walk, none of her female friends would want to be in the industry because of the image the sector has.
What millennials want from a career is very different to previous generations. With changes to family life that come from both parents working, they prioritise flexibility over money and the ability to work remotely with technology. But is this just too far-fetched for an industry where the nature of the work typically demands your presence on site?
Doug Gillespie, ex-Director of Mace and Programme Director on the Olympics observed, “When you’re delivering a project, it’s really important to build a strong team and it’s very difficult to achieve that if people are working remotely”. This elimination of the traditional working day is a difficult one for the industry to grapple with but if you look at the results of a recent study by Harvard Business Review on what millennials want from a career, they place most emphasis on opportunities to learn and grow and work for a company that is socially responsible and gives back.
Construction is one of the industries where you can really shape the kind of community you want to live in, be it designing mixed tenure residential developments that promote social inclusion, the delivery of major infrastructure in a sustainable fashion or developing technology that improves the environmental footprint of the sector. The fact is that the sector has a good case to make, it simply needs to get better at promoting itself.
Take the example of The Collective, 14 Bedford Square, the world’s largest co-living building. With a mission to ‘redefine the way people choose to live, work and play’ they have redefined the concept of community via shared living spaces, on-site facilities and services all provided via one channel.
It may not be for everyone but its creative mission is one millennials aspire to. The sector needs to do better at promoting its involvement in ground-breaking projects such as this, to demonstrate how as an employee you can play a central role in the reimagining of concepts such as community.
The image of pouring concrete and hard-hats is gone, replaced by a value based message that millennials are motivated to do well by doing good. It doesn’t even have to be so conceptual, it could simply be getting clients from hospitals to talk to young people about how new facilities enable them to do their job more effectively.
With the impact that technology is expected to have on the sector, it is undoubtedly going to be an exciting place to work for the next generation. Yet to attract the most able minds, the competition is fierce and the industry cannot expect those with the skill-sets it will need to naturally migrate to its field.
As Doug Gillespie explains: “The reason I have found the construction sector exciting is because every single project is different. The people that you work with in the construction sector are enthusiastic, personable, honest people, and great fun to work with. You have to work hard but it gives you a fantastic sense of achievement at the end of every single project, and you’re always moving on to something new. I have the legacy for my grandchildren that I was involved in the London 2012 Olympics. It’s that sense of achievement of something tangible that makes it all worthwhile!”
Modern technology, variety and innovation, making an impact on our society, improving the planet – these are the things we really need to promote in order to convince the millennial generation, and make our industry attractive to the workforce of tomorrow.
