PROPERTY DEBATE


IN ASSOCIATION WITH:


ON THE HOME FRONT


We brought our expert panel together with the help of Persimmon Homes to discuss the skills challenges facing the housebuilding sector – and the training providers who develop those skills - and what needs to be done to solve the problems and attract people into the industry


PRESENT: Richard Slater


Lancashire Business View (Chair)


Stuart Bullough Kingswood Homes


Alban Cassidy Cassidy + Ashton


Tom Hargreaves Anderton Gables


Philip Helm Tyson Construction John Roocroft


Everyone is aware of the skills pinch points in the traditional trades such as bricklayers, joiners, plasterers and electricians. But they are also there on the professional side as we find when we’re looking to recruit town planners.


There is a huge issue in the whole construction industry in terms of the public perception of what a career can be and it is something we need to try and resolve.


We are under pressure from the government to build more houses every year, there are more developers coming into the speculative housebuilding market, which is putting a huge drain on the resource we’ve got available to us.


The thing that frustrates me is that we don’t aim to catch youngsters soon enough. It’s a fantastic industry to work in, and if you work hard and show the right skillsets and mindset, there’s rich pickings to be had. It is the hearts and minds we need to try and win over a lot earlier in the process.


We need to treat our businesses and people coming to work for us as the product that we’re trying to sell and promote its positive image. We also need to get to know our ‘customers’, what attracts them and what would make them want to come and work for us.


We can all wholeheartedly agree it is a problem we’ve got and it’s not going to go away. The answer is to grab the youngsters as quickly as we can and then be true to our word and make sure we support them, as businesses and enterprises, through their learning career to make sure that we solve the problem.


LANCASHIREBUSINESSVIEW.CO.UK Mark Holden


Red Rose Dry Lining Lynn Johnson


Persimmon Homes Erin Kelly


Riverside Interiors Ian McDonald


Persimmon Homes John Roocroft


Persimmon Homes


Claire Shore Blackburn College


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