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Fewer than one in 10 young people would consider construction career, says L&Q
Just 9% of young people would consider a career in construction, a survey by giant housing association L&Q has found.
However, more than 50% are interested in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) – with degrees in these subjects required for roughly half of all construction careers.
L&Q, which owns about 102,000 homes in London and the South East and develops more homes than any other social landlord, surveyed 1,095 people aged 16 to 18 about their career aspirations.
Together with the Construction Youth Trust charity, the association launched a £1m schools programme today, called Learning to Succeed, aimed at encouraging more young people to join the construction industry.
Through the programme, L&Q will offer free lessons in STEM subjects and careers advice in 30 schools across the capital in a bid to change students’ perceptions of the construction industry.
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The young people surveyed often expressed concerns that construction is not an exciting field to work in, while 40% felt they wouldn’t be good at the job, L&Q said.
However, the 9% who were interested in construction cited the excitement of the industry above money.
Around 230,000 new construction workers are needed by 2020 to support development and refresh an ageing workforce, according to the Construction Industry Training Board.
L&Q plans to build 100,000 homes over the next 10 years, with half of those affordable.
Matthew Corbett, director of the L&Q Foundation, said: “If we’re going to solve our housing crisis, then we need our young people to help – but first we need to increase interest and awareness of the opportunities the industry has to offer.
“The average age of a tradesman on a site is now 45 years old. And Brexit is looming.
“We’ve got a serious amount of work to do in promoting ourselves if we’re ever going to fill the substantial gaps in our skills base and make the industry more appealing to younger people.”
Carol Lynch, chief executive of the Construction Youth Trust, said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with L&Q to develop and deliver the Learning to Succeed programme.
“It is through the development of programmes like Learning to Succeed that we can challenge the negative misperceptions of the construction industry and inspire young people to choose a career from among the amazing breadth of roles available within the sector.”
Kit Malthouse, housing minister, said: “It’s brilliant that L&Q [is] investing in our children, getting into schools to talk to them about jobs in construction.
“[Its] ‘Learning to Succeed’ programme will show them the real and rewarding careers they could have as future bricklayers, electricians, plumbers and scaffolders in our capital city, who will be tasked with building the homes we desperately need.”
