Source:  Sector Skills Agreement for Construction – England 2005, figure 4.  Based on Labour Force Survey.

To meet the challenge of qualifying every member of the workforce, CITB-ConstructionSkills has developed an On-Site Assessment and Training (OSAT) programme.  This aims to assess workers for the S/NVQs in the workplace, helping experienced workers get the qualifications to prove they can do the job. With these qualifications workers will be eligible for the CSCS card. 

To date, there have been 74,700 registrations, which have resulted in 26,300 S/NVQ achievements.  OSAT is accepted as an effective way of qualifying the workforce, together with the CSCS card.

Source: Sector Skills Agreement for Construction – England 2005 and Skills Needs Analysis for the Construction Industry 2004

For more information on OSAT go to the CITB-ConstructionSkills website and for regional variations in OSAT achievements see:

Across the UK, further education establishments are attracting over 50,000 starters to building-related courses each year, but only 30,000 attain qualifications.  Compared to other sectors, construction has the lowest attainment for Levels 1-2 (32%), for Level 3 it is one of three sectors with the highest attainment (51%) and it has the highest attainment for Levels 4 and 5 at 17%.

Research into the education and training system for the construction sector has confirmed both that there is shortage of capacity and that it is a growing problem.  The demand for college places on construction craft occupations, and particularly in plumbing and related trades, can not be met.  75% of colleges expect their construction craft courses will be oversubscribed.  In Scotland and Wales, the number of colleges expecting to be oversubscribed on construction courses is like England (60% and 50% respectively).  A quarter of colleges estimated that between 10% and 19% of applicants will be turned down as there is a lack of facilities or a shortage of instructors.  12% of oversubscribed colleges estimated that 50% or more applicants would be turned away.  However, there are increases in the number of full and part-time courses available. 

Only 3% of first year trainees on construction-related courses are female.  This proportion has remained unchanged for the last 3 years.

College are unable to meet demands as a result of difficulties in retaining staff, lack of space and cost of running courses, and employers’ lack of understanding of the contribution that they need to make to S/NVQ training.  There has been an increase of 26% in the number of work experience placements required since 2002, but only a 14% increase in the number of work placements achieved.  The number of required work experience places has increase by 50% since 2002 in the North of England compared to an 18% increase in the South of England.

Source: CITB-ConstructionSkills training capacity survey 2005, Sector Skills Agreement for Construction – England 2005 and statistics provided by CITB-ConstructionSkills 2005

Training and learning in the construction industry is predominately informal.  However, education and training opportunities in the construction industry is expanding with the development of National Vocational Qualifications and apprenticeships.

The IFF Research Ltd report 2003a found that:

• 42% of companies had apprentices or trainees
• 58% had provided training to non-apprentice staff (98% of larger firms)
• 17% of workers were working towards a formal qualification
• 20% of self-employed were working towards a formal qualification
• labour only sub-contractors were less likely to receive training than directly employed manual staff

The longer-term implications of the instability in construction output have been that firms have been reluctant to invest in training, and that the numbers of new workers, particularly those under 25 years, that perceive the industry as being one which offers sustained, long- term career prospects has been declining in recent years.

First year intake of trainees in construction for 2004/2005 is just over 46,000.  This represents a further rise on previous year’s figures.  The composition of the top five occupations in terms of absolute numbers of trainees has remained unchanged since last year and includes:

• wood trades
• bricklayers
• technical occupations
• plant operatives
• general operatives

Two-thirds of all first year trainees undertaking craft training are work-based.  The number entering training for plant operatives and general operatives has increased significantly since 2001/2002.  The number of first year trainees in plant operative training has increased from 306 to 4,987, whilst general operative training numbers have increased from 1,300 to 4,137. 

Over 60% of first year trainees are undertaking an S/NVQ 2 or Intermediate Construction award, which is comparable to last year’s figures.  The remaining 40% of trainees are spread evenly across Level 1, Level 3 and technical occupations.  75% of colleges believe that due to a lack of work placements and employers willing to provide such placements, trainees would fail to qualify to full S/NVQ level.  It is expected that between 10% and 19% of students would fail to get a work placement.  For more information on construction S/NVQs go to the CITB-ConstructionSkills website.  

Construction firms with apprentices stated that their main reasons for taking on apprentices include: the need for more workers in the future (38%); a shortage of trained/skilled workers (23%); to help the sector (20%); as a favour (15%); and to train them to do specialised work (7%).  Construction firms with no apprentices stated that there was no current need for an apprentice (26%) or that they were too small (19%).  For more information on construction occupational specific apprenticeships go to the CITB-ConstructionSkills website.  

On-the-job training is preferred by employers as this focuses on practical methods of learning (35%) and teaches the employee work methods preferred by the employer (33%).  One fifth of employers stated employees/learners being trained on tasks that need to be done was a benefit of on-the-job training.  In the last 12 months learning and training in construction companies has been on ‘health and safety (75%) and the use of new materials or techniques (38%).

Source:  Sector Skills Agreement for Construction – England 2005, CITB-ConstructionSkills trainee numbers survey 2004/2005, Taylor Associates 2005, CITB-ConstructionSkills training capacity survey 2005, CITB-ConstructionSkills website 2005 and IFF Research Ltd. 2003a

For more information on regional skill shortages, assessment and training go to the regional dimension and for more training information data for the self-employed go to sector information.  For current numbers of trainees in construction and regional variations see:

The number of starts on built environment courses (including: civil engineering; architecture; building; landscape design; plus urban, rural and regional planning) has decreased from 10,630 in 1998/99 to 9,720 2002/03.  Recent data suggests that there is an increase in the number of undergraduate starts which is continuing.

Recent figures show that 2005/06 acceptances on construction-related degrees have risen, including:

• building courses rose 18.3%
• planning (urban, rural and regional) courses rose 14.9%
• architecture courses rose 10.6%
• general engineering courses rose 10.3%
• civil engineering rose 4.3%

Higher education is generally seen as successful in targeting minority groups in recruitment.  The number of Black and Asian students on built environment courses is increasing, which is set against an overall decline in the number of students.  Just under 13% of students on built environment courses are from ethnic minority backgrounds, but it is 17% on architectural courses and only 5% on landscape design.

The number of women in higher education on built environment courses is still low.  Overall, there are fewer than 25% women on these types of courses which has remained the same for the last four years.  However, there are variations on specific courses, for example, on the landscape design courses there are around 40% women, but only 12.5% on building and civil engineering courses. 

Source: ConstructionSkills website 2006 and Sector Skills Agreement for Construction – England 2005

To meet the needs of employers, the Learning and Skills Council is developing Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVE).  In 2006, it is expected that there will be 400 CoVEs set up, including 55-60 in construction.  The aim of the CoVE programme is to underpin, develop and strengthen innovative and flexible approaches to meeting current and future skill needs.  They will contribute to the training of new entrants through the delivery of apprenticeships.  CoVEs are expected to play an essential role in the construction sector and in designing and delivering progression routes into Foundation degrees.

The construction industry will be one of the first sectors to offer a sector specific diploma (the Construction and the Built Environment Diploma), to 14-19 years in 2008.  The Diplomas aim to make it easier for young people to gain the basic skills needed for life and work and will be introduced alongside GCSEs and A Levels.  Young people will be offered the opportunity of an education that meets their learning style, and subject and career interests.
 
Some future challenges for the education and learning provision include:

• a need to address the number of applications from women and ethnic minorities and those applying for construction related higher education courses
• a lack of work placements available necessary for young people to obtain work-based experience
• a need to increase site-based learning provision
• insufficient graduates in construction
• identification of good practice in supporting new entrants’ training
• a need to address the lack of planned investment in training by construction companies
• the development of an apprenticeship framework to ensure the needs of employers and individuals are met
• increase flexibility of S/NVQ framework and assessment regimes
• the need for a clear education-career path into construction from school-based initiatives, further education and higher education

Source: ConstructionSkills website 2006 and Sector Skills Agreement for Construction – England 2005