Building - Electrical

Construction is the UK’s biggest employer and exporter, responsible for £81 billion of outputs (£203 billion turnover) every year, more than 8% of the UK’s gross domestic product (GDP), which is three times that of agriculture and larger than any single manufacturing industry. The sector accounts for half the UK’s total investment, and employs more than 2.1 million people (more than one in four of the total UK workforce) in over 700 types of job. Despite the current recession, construction output is set to rise, and in order to achieve its target of a fully qualified workforce this year, ConstructionSkills (the Sector Skills Council for the construction industry) has said that it needs to qualify 100,000 workers annually to NVQ 2 standard.

THE SECTOR AT A GLANCE

2.1 million
number of people employed in the UK construction industry

175,000
number of construction firms in the UK

100,000
target number of workers to be qualified to NVQ 2 standard each year

95%
percentage of construction firms employing fewer than ten people

23,500
professional practices

450,000
number of people employed by professional practices

88,000
new recruits required every year for the next five years

Skills analysis reveals a significant shortage in managerial positions. Although the highest skills requirement is currently for workers with wood trade skills, there is also demand for managers, clerical staff, architects, engineers, and other design and technical professionals. A major concern is the lack of young entrants into an ageing workforce, with numbers of older workers (aged 60 and over) in the industry having doubled in recent years, while the number of those aged 24 and under has fallen by 27%.

Construction growth is expected to shift from the north to the south and east, driven by new builds that include the King’s Cross redevelopment, ports projects at Shellhaven, Felixstowe and Harwich, the East London Line extension, Victoria Station redevelopment, and the Olympics and Thames Gateway construction programmes.

Building trades in the Services
Apart from a handful of people employed in units to carry out minor carpentry and repair jobs, and Army pioneers who have basic building skills, all three Services rely on the Royal Engineers for construction. Non-commissioned ranks will have completed anything from NVQs at level 2 in basic training and level 3 after higher training, to an apprenticeship. Trades vary from surveyor to plant operator, and from draughtsman to bricklayer.

A brief overview of craft careers
Craftsmen and women are the people who actually make things. Some major skills in which they are trained include:

electrical installation and maintenance
plumbing
bricklaying
plastering
carpentry and joinery (woodworking)
gas installation and maintenance.

We will look at each of these in turn.

Electrical installation and maintenance
Electrical engineers deal with power generation and power supply. Modern manufacturing techniques tend to make replacement of a faulty component more cost-effective for the consumer than mending it in situ. Much of the traditional role of the maintenance engineer has therefore changed, with removal and reinstallation the norm.

For electrical engineering, the basic requirement is 17th Edition Wiring Regulations, which shows that the individual knows the necessary regulations and how to use them – it is virtually impossible to start in the industry without it. The next step may be the Inspection and Testing of Electrical Installation award and, after that, further qualifications to level 4 and beyond through Energy & Utility Skills – the Sector Skills Council for electricity, gas, waste management and water – and other bodies. ConstructionSkills estimates that there will be a need for an extra 14,000 qualified electricians over the next two years, so the prospects are good.

The Construction Skills Certification Scheme
The CSCS was set up to help the construction industry improve quality and reduce accidents. CSCS cards are increasingly demanded as proof of occupational competence by contractors, public and private clients and others. They cover hundreds of construction-related occupations so there is a card suitable for all roles (for example, ‘Craft and Operative’ cards include those for bricklayers, carpenters and joiners, formworkers and plasterers. More than 1.5 million cards have been issued to date.

To find out more, visit: www.cscs.uk.com

KEY CONTACTS

Electrical installation and maintenance
SEMTA (Sector Skills Council for Science Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies), 14 Upton Road, Watford, Herts WD18 0JT Tel: 01923 238441 Website: www.semta.org.uk

Joint Industry Board, Kingswood House, 47/51 Sidcup Hill, Sidcup, Kent DA14 6HP Tel: 020 8302 0031 Website: www.jib.org.uk