Megan Gardiner, the 24 year-old Branch Manager at Howarth Timber & Building Supplies’ Bury St Edmunds depot, discusses the issues facing young people within the builders’ merchant industry.
Young people play a vital role within the merchant industry, not only as a generation of its workforce, but the ways in which our ideas and knowledge will keep the industry moving at a fast enough pace to face new challenges.
However, one of a number of difficulties currently faced by the merchant industry is getting young people through the doors in the first place — it’s been a discussion point for a long time, with no definitive solution. And with the uncertainty surrounding skills shortages following Brexit, it’s never been more essential to secure the future of the builders’ merchant industry by attracting younger talent.
The next generation
I’m a very firm believer that young people are the future of the construction industry. Our knowledge will be essential throughout the years, and will be relied upon to ensure the industry keeps up to date with technological advances — for example, mobile apps, visualisation tools and the use of drones.
As it stands now, young people are modernising the builders’ merchant industry through embracing new ways of thinking and working. The world is constantly evolving, and the younger generation has the ability to keep the industry on top of technology so that it is always one step ahead. Builders’ merchants have had to adapt quickly to online purchasing systems, for example, which offer products previously only available from specialists at competitive prices, with just the click of a button.
Advances like this allow young people to shine and help merchant businesses come up with flexible ways of doing business.
The challenges
While they can offer so much to the builders’ merchant industry, there is a concerning lack of young people entering the construction industry. According to data published this year by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), whilst construction employment did increase last year it was only by 3.8%.
Perhaps more troubling, the latest Census (with figures taken from 2011) showed that 37.8% of those working in the construction industry are 35-44 years old — evidence of the widely-publicised ageing workforce and skills shortage*. Seven years down the line, and with the Brexit vote already impacting on the availability of overseas workers, there has never been a greater need to attract more young people.
I joined the industry by chance, and it was only while I was working for a builders’ merchant that I realised how many opportunities are available. This is a common issue — when young people think of construction in general, they see it as only having physically demanding roles, which can be off-putting for some. From experience, I know that this simply isn’t the case.
The solution
Promoting the variety of roles within the builders’ merchant industry is essential in attracting young talent, as well as being transparent about opportunities for training and career progression. Howarth Timber & Building Supplies ensures its staff is fully trained and knowledgeable, so it’s important that young people know they can gain industry qualifications and will receive on-the-job training.
In my opinion, everyone deserves a chance and with the right attitude, training and support, anyone can achieve in this industry.
Therefore, those already working in the industry need to play their part in showing the younger generation why it’s a great career move. The industry is often an unknown for young people, so it’s essential that representatives visit schools, colleges and universities in order to start the conversation amongst students considering their career paths.
Footnote: * The youngest workers, aged between 16 and 19 accounted for 2.7% of the total construction workforce in 2011, whilst 20 to 21 years accounted for 3.0%. Although a similar pattern was exhibited across all other industries, the proportion of workers in construction aged between 40 and 54 was larger on average by 1.7 percentage points. Furthermore, the proportion of construction workers in the age group 60 to 64 years was 7.1% in 2011, compared to a figure of 6.0% registered for all other industries.
