YNE Next Generation Roundtable
Morgan Sindall Construction’s Yorkshire and North East team's Next Generation Board held a roundtable to explore the routes into a career in construction.
Attracting the next generation
Exploring routes into a career in construction
The Next Generation Board
Introducing the roundtable event
The construction industry currently faces a range of challenges – from reducing carbon outputs to addressing the skills gap – and there are numerous obstacles to overcome in order to ensure that the industry prospers in the decades ahead.
22% of the construction workforce is over 50, and 15% are in their 60s - this skills gap means there is a huge opportunity for young people to fill it. However, there are concerns the industry isn’t doing enough to sell itself with a damaging lack of awareness among key demographics on the wide variety of opportunities that construction has to offer.
Therefore, Morgan Sindall Construction’s Yorkshire and North East team has established a Next Generation Board to ensure the concerns and aspirations of young professionals within the business are accounted for in future decision making processes.
To celebrate its launch, a roundtable was held in January 2021 with representatives of both the Board and key Morgan Sindall Construction partners during which attendees explored routes into industry, and the many different ways people can develop careers in the sector, as well as misconceptions that can sometimes deter potential recruits.
In order to address pressing issues such as diversity, sustainability and talent & skills, Morgan Sindall Construction believes it is imperative to listen and learn from the latest intake into the industry in order to tap in to their own experiences and hopes for the future.
Attendees
The Yorkshire & North East Next Generation Board is made up of graduates and trainees from Morgan Sindall Construction and key partners in the region.
Danielle Ford - project surveyor, Gardiner & Theobald
Joe Higgins - assistant quantity surveyor, Rex Procter and Partners
Jordan Ambler - assistant planner, Morgan Sindall Construction
James Layton - quantity surveyor, Morgan Sindall Construction
Nick Theos - project manager, Morgan Sindall Construction
Tom Wilson - quantity surveyor, Morgan Sindall Construction
James Speck – trainee estimator, Morgan Sindall Construction
Lewis Mannion – graduate design manager, Morgan Sindall Construction
Attracting people into Construction
Ideas and experiences
The discussion began with an examination of what can be done to attract a broader and more diverse group of people into the construction industry.
Our panellists agreed that early engagement is key.
"I think getting out to schools, sixth forms and colleges is crucial" commented Joe Higgins. "When I was doing my A-Levels it was a late decision to get into the construction industry because I didn’t know much about it. Growing up, you can get the impression that it’s a men only industry and it just involves building things on site. As we all know, it’s a lot more complex than that and that needs to be demonstrated better."
"As Joe says, I didn’t really get any understanding of the whole picture of construction until I went to university – you find out a lot more about it and it’s a hell of a lot wider than you realise" said James Layton
Tom Wilson agreed with this assessment: “It wasn’t until I was about 16 I knew what a quantity surveyor (QS) was. Most of my friends left school at that age to get a trade, but I wanted to go to university – that’s when I found out about quantity surveying. It would be much better if there was awareness at a younger age about the opportunities available.”
The need to break down harmful preconceptions about what the industry entails was shared by all participants, with Jordan Ambler highlighting how more can be done to tap into the enthusiasm of STEM students who may not be aware of how their talents can be deployed in the construction industry though aspects such as digital construction and engineering.
Changing the perception of the industry is key, said James Layton: “We need to make construction fashionable and popular – it needs to be something people want to get involved in. There’s got to be that desire from a young age from a broad range of people if we are going to get a more diverse range of people. By the time people are a bit older they may have already decided construction isn’t for them, and we’ll miss out on great people because of that.”
“My first career choice was sports journalism,” said James Speck. “It didn’t work out for me, and a few family and friends within construction explained the many opportunities in the industry and I was able to get myself on a trainee scheme. I wasn’t aware of what was possible when I was younger, but I’m really enjoying my role in the industry now. It’s also satisfying that there’s a clear career trajectory in front of me – that’s a real positive and it isn’t the case in other professions.”
“That’s a great point. It’s a difficult subject to talk openly about, but it’s also worth saying jobs in construction are both rewarding and often well paid. At careers fairs, wages always come up and we shouldn’t shy away from being upfront about it.” said Nick Theos. “There needs to be greater transparency of what is actually involved in the construction process, whether that’s pre-construction, the design work or the use of consultants. Though it’s obviously a really important part of it, it’s not just the site work and we need to convey that.”
“I’d argue that it’s not just about educating children,” countered James Layton. “It’s also about educating parents, and teachers too. They have such a big influence on the route young people take and if we can demonstrate that ours is a good and rewarding industry to work in ultimately everyone will benefit.”
Reflecting this, Danielle Ford explained how entering the industry wasn’t seen as a desirable, academic route: “At school you are taught about how to become a lawyer, how to become an accountant but becoming say, a surveyor, just isn’t talked about.
“I also think that while we need to change the industry’s image, we also need to take a look at what we can do better on day to day basis in how we work. We need to be more innovative and embracing of new technologies.”
“There needs to be greater transparency of what is actually involved in the construction process..."
Reflecting on this, Lewis Mannion also highlighted his recent involvement at Morgan Sindall Construction’s Horsforth School project in Leeds, which he has been involved with pre-construction work for over a year but is yet to begin work on site: “The amount of people in different job roles that play a part in something like that is staggering, and so many people have a valuable part to play – yet people just don’t fully appreciate the value of those roles.”
"When you get on the site of a Tier One main contractor project I think you can be quite blown away by how organised and safe these sites can be..."
The lack of understanding about how projects are delivered is another major misconception, added James Layton: “I probably considered construction be a messy process. When you get on the site of a Tier One main contractor project I think you can be quite blown away by how organised and safe these sites can be. The Considerate Contractors Scheme is vital and a really important way to spread the word about how efficient and safe sites are, and how much social value outputs they can drive.”
In order to counter this apparent lack of understanding, better engagement with schools and colleges is required.
“I’m proud that at Morgan Sindall Construction we do a great job of going into schools and explaining what it’s like to work in our industry, and also arranging for valuable work experience on our sites,” said Nick. “But I don’t think a lot of companies have the same engagement programmes – it’s vital that as an industry we get out to these events and really push our industry to the forefront of young people’s minds.”
Likewise, there also needs to be a clear pathway for training. Jordan used his own experience to illustrate potential problems that may be faced:
“Looking back, there was no bridge from me from finishing my apprenticeship into the next stage, whether that was moving up the ladder or studying at university. Official channels of progression just stopped, and it really came down to the individual. If you don’t want people to fall through the gaps and there needs to be a better framework that can be followed.
“It’s important to get skills and experience form working on site that you can take into management – at the moment, the industry doesn’t seem to join the dots on that. I ended up funding my degree myself and getting a place on a graduate programme before achieving my CIOB chartership – but that was through my own commitment and perseverance. It didn’t feel as though there was a clear path for that and without there being one a lot of people won’t achieve their potential, and the whole industry will suffer as a result.”
“Jordan’s absolutely right,” agreed Danielle. “I paid for my undergrad degree with a student loan, but my employer paid for my masters and it’s such a better way of doing it. I think it would really appeal to sixth form students if they knew they could pair up with a company and work part time and get a degree at the end of it. As we said earlier, it’s important parents and teachers are aware of these options too and they’re given just as much prestige as what are seen as traditional academic courses. It’s a solid route into a rewarding career – I can’t imagine any parent not wanting that for their child.”
James Speck added: “I do think working part time with mixed study is the best way to go. The teaching environment doesn’t give you a full understanding of what goes on at a site – getting work experience on a live construction site is hugely beneficial to both the individual and ultimately their employer and wider industry.”
Bridging the gap
Between age and experience
For construction to truly adapt into new ways of thinking regarding different issues – from technology to diversity and inclusion, it’s possible that some difficult conversations may need to take place.
While many longstanding construction professionals have driven the industry forward and embraced change, it’s possible that some may may be resistant to change and could potentially hold progress back.
“Younger people can look at things with a fresh pair of eyes, combined with a better understanding of how newer technologies can allow work to be completed in a more efficient way,” commented Joe. “Older colleagues may have a tried and trusted way of doing things that’s always worked for them and can be reluctant to change. I think it’s about coming up with a way to bridge that gap – which could just be as simple as getting people round a table to discuss possible solutions.”
“I have experience of working with older members of the team where I have to assist them and push them in certain directions that they not have otherwise considered,” said Jordan. “It’s understandable though – recently I found myself reluctant to use some new business software just because it wasn’t what I was used to. It’s a mindset we need to get out if collectively we’re going to improve our work. Like Joe says, it’s about getting people around a table or pairing them up to share insights and ideas – that way, regardless of age, we can all move forward together to benefit our own development and the projects we deliver.”
“Sharing ideas between generations is really important – it’s never just one way,” added Tom.
“Completely,” agreed Nick. “As an example, some of our older colleagues are used to carrying a notepad around for drawings whereas I take my iPad. I can show them that you can do a drawing and a quality check really quickly on my iPad, but they can use their years of experience to say ‘well, that doesn’t look quite right’. It’s really important to have that transfer of knowledge – you’re helping them as they’re helping you. You couldn’t run a site with just younger people or just older people – you need a mixture.”
“For me personally, I’ve been learning from my colleague Tom, a senior estimator, he’s been mentoring me and it’s really important to have that knowledge passed down, but it’s also crucial that I can question some of the things he’s doing if I think there are quicker, better ways,” said James Speck.
"It’s not only within individual teams that attitudes need to change", pointed out Danielle – "but also how construction professionals interact with clients".
“I feel as though there’s definite resistance to the use of sustainable technologies at times, and because of internal resistance from older colleagues we’re less inclined to push initiatives that could change the industry for the better on to our clients. As an example, when a client says they want a BREEAM outstanding or a WELL building, they can sometimes be advised against it because of the increased capital cost and the impact on development appraisals. But given the global climate crisis, I just don’t understand why you wouldn’t make every project you work on as sustainable as possible – but I guess that’s a good illustration of different generational priorities.”
“That’s a really good point, Danielle,” agreed James Layton. “It’s amazing when you consider how long methods such as offsite construction have been around, yet across the industry they are not implemented anywhere near as much as they should be. I hope that as our generation progresses and we get into positions of power and influence we’re able to guide clients in a way to helping them deliver increasingly sustainable buildings.”
University of Nottingham, GlaxoSmithKline Carbon Neutral Chemistry laboratory
Developing future best practice
The impact of the Next Generation Board
It is hoped that Morgan Sindall Construction’s Next Generation Board will be a key driver for developing future best practice in the industry
“As part of the board,” said Nick, “We’re setting up a Young Persons Forum and we’re trying to include as many young professionals as possible – predominately from our industry but not necessarily. I think there are many cross-sector best practices that we can speak about and pass between different industries and companies, for the benefit of everyone involved. We are the next generation, the people that are going to be running these companies in 10, 15, 20 years’ time and it’s important to share ideas now to support your peers development, and the development of our industries as a whole.”
Lewis added: “The Next Generation Board will be crucial for us branching out to a wider net of people and understanding how they work and they’re trying to achieve – we can bridge the gap between consultants and contractors and make it a smoother process so there’s not as many clashes and we can all have a clear idea of our common goal.”
As the roundtable approached its conclusion, our panel reflected on what one change they would like to see in the construction industry as a result of their generation’s impact.
“I’d like to see a reduction in waste on site,” said Tom. “On every single job you see a line of skips – as modular and offsite construction become more common, it will be great to see that change.”
Danielle and Jordan shared Tom’s sentiments, with Danielle wanting modular to become the norm: “If I’m building a residential building or a warehouse, whatever it is, I think it should be standard to go down the prefab route. However, I think that might be difficult to achieve in ten years.”
“My last project for a previous employer was a large residential scheme and the way it was delivered was really impressive,” added Jordan. “The use of modular will bring more efficiencies across the industry.”
Nick commented that his hope for the future is that safety would remain paramount: “The industry does an excellent job at the moment ensuring all new recruits understand that safety is the number one priority on any site. However, it’s vital complacency never creeps in and we all work together to ensure constant improvement.
“My own view from a design management perspective is that BIM needs to be more integrated into every aspect of construction, and that links into everyone’s points so far,” said Lewis. “From sustainability to the prefab angle, BIM can bring it all together and streamline a lot of processes – that’s what I’d like to see more of in ten years’ time.”
The further use of digital construction and BIM was also a priority for James Layton: “We can massively improve on how we deploy BIM at the moment. Clients don’t really push for it currently, but I think they would if they appreciated more the extra value they can get from the building during its whole life cycle in terms of reduced maintenance costs and other benefits. I hope there will be greater awareness of its capabilities in the future.”
For his own hope for the future, Joe returned to sustainability: “From my perspective, there’s probably only a few clients that look at whole life cycle costing exercises – if this was more common in ten years’ time it would really improve sustainability outputs.”
“I think in ten years’ time social value will be a much bigger concern that it even is now,” said James Speck. “We’ve touched on the importance of work with schools and communities, but I think we need to see even more of that over the next decade.”
The first Next Generation Roundtable concluded, with our panel having agreed on the key focuses for in order to support the construction industry’s future:
- Better engagement with schools and colleges to ensure a better route into industry for new recruits
- An increased commitment to sustainability and safety
- An enhanced focus on inter-generational and inter-industry collaboration
- Boosting quality through more use of digital construction and modern methods of construction
