n By Hajera Blagg


in construction at £32,386, £38,015 and £29,223 respectively.


“There are also many more opportunities for women now,”


Steven, who is father to three girls, was quick to add. He highlighted that a growing majority of crane drivers on-site are now women. A colleague’s daughter, he noted, got her crane driving ticket while working at HPC, and now her skills have taken her to Australia.


Ageing workforce – young people are needed now


At such a huge site like HPC, where there are more than 15,000 people working, it’s not uncommon for family members to be working on the same site.


“I know of another father and son, who both work shift patterns. The son told me that he hardly ever sees his father, because when one is working, the other is sleeping and vice-versa,”


Steven explained. “Because we both live and work together, I see my dad more often than I see my own wife and kids.”


Malcolm, Steven and Steven’s brother Jonathan, have a long history of working together on various major construction projects. When Steven and Jonathan were young adults, they first asked their father to help them secure work in the sector.


“I was working on Heathrow Terminal 5 [T5] at the time, and so I got both of them jobs there,” Malcolm explained. “Steven stayed on at T5, and Jonathan and I went on to work at the London Olympics project.”


Malcolm and Jonathan stayed together and went on to work with Crossrail. Meanwhile, Steven moved from T5 to a Belmarsh Prison project.


Eventually, Malcolm and Jonathan landed work at HPC. Jonathan would go on to work as safety manager for Stadler Rail in Cardiff, where he is now.


And it all came full circle when work at the prison finished, and Steven sought work at HPC with his dad. “All in all, I’ve worked with my boys for over 20 years now,” Malcolm said.


“They both love construction – you’ve got to love it, because the work isn’t easy, but it’s worthwhile. You’re always making new friends. The camaraderie is second to none.”


At the same time, Malcolm said he recognises the drawbacks, which may in part explain why adults aren’t encouraging their children into the sector.


“There’s this perception that jobs in construction are unsafe. There are of course health and safety issues, especially on the smaller sites, but on a big site like HPC, it’s much safer working here than in many other industries.”


Malcolm also highlighted the disadvantages of working away from home.


“If you’ve got kids and a partner back home, you don’t see them as often as you’d like. That can impact your mental health.”


Despite the drawbacks, both Malcolm and Steven are keen to highlight the positives, and they urge young people to consider learning a trade.


“There are massive opportunities – both financially and otherwise,” Steven said.


This is reflected in the FMB survey, which compared the average salary of a construction worker – £42,224 – to the average salaries of common careers following university.


All three of these – marketing, accounting and graphic design – had average salaries below the average


25 unite buildingWORKER Spring 2026


Malcolm doesn’t doubt there are many young people interested in construction now. In fact, figures show that JTL – one of the main facilitators of apprenticeships in the building engineering services sector – gets a whopping 10,000 applicants per year but is only able to place 2,000 apprentices. This is a huge opportunity missed for the remaining 8,000 applicants who are eager to enter the sector.


To reach those thousands of young people who are keen to pursue a career in construction, both the government and employers need to put more funding into training opportunities, Malcolm believes.


He adds that more big sites like HPC should have ‘open days’ when young people can visit sites with their families to learn about what’s available.


“For any young person who’s unsure about construction, I tell them to come along and have a go,” he said. “It’s not what you perceive it to be. It’s a brilliant industry with loads of career opportunities and career progression. It’s exciting times ahead.”


‘‘


Every day at work is different. We don’t always agree on everything, that’s normal. We have our own ways of doing things, but we always work together to get something over the line


Steven Davies,


Unite senior shop steward, Kier Bam


‘‘


Alamy


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