Due to the rapid growth in the construction sector in London and South East England, construction candidates are tapping into the opportunities presented by NI firms within the region, however there isn’t the necessary focus on increasing the key skills that the market truly needs.
That’s the warning from Michael Donaghy, Construction & Infrastructure Recruitment Consultant at VickerStock Engineering Recruitment, who is calling for a prioritisation of key skills to address the gaps left within the sector following the downturn in 2008.
“Demand for construction workers is increasing across the board and RICS have highlighted that there will be 64,000 new UK construction jobs created in the industry during 2014.
“But as a result of so many individuals leaving the sector between 2008 and 2013, we must make sure that candidates, especially graduates in the 18-25 years region, gain valuable practical experience in order to ensure a sound rebuild of a sustainable construction industry.
“If candidates don’t get the experience needed, employers will be less likely to employ these applicants and long term unemployment will continue.
“Our focus is on placing the right people into the right roles at a salary commensurate to their experience, and we have found over the past three months that many of our candidates are keen to find opportunities with Northern Irish firms with a presence in the UK.”
According to RICS the first quarter of 2014 saw the highest growth in the industry for 20 years and the sector looks set to grow by a further 3%.
“The South East of England gives ambitious NI firms a chance to tap into sizeable construction contracts, but there are fears of the market overheating again.
“Going forward we must all work to ensure the sustainability of the industry through targeted skills provision as well as offering younger candidates a chance to benefit from the opportunities of working in Great Britain”.
“All in all, it is a massive positive that the industry is increasing so rapidly and Northern Irish firms must invest in each of their employees by offering unique training, incentives and career development in order to attract, retain and utilize the top talent”.
VickerStock, Northern Ireland’s leading specialist technical engineering recruitment agency, offer recruitment solutions and expert engineering advice to candidates and companies within the construction and civil engineering sector as well as a range of engineering sectors including; aerospace, manufacturing and production, supply chain, electrical, utilities, renewables and ICT.
Based in Belfast, offering both permanent and contract employment with Northern Ireland’s most sought after employers in the engineering sector, the organisation’s overall goal is to match highly skilled engineers with the specific demands of each individual organisation they represent.
For further information visit www.vickerstock.co.uk or telephone 028 9031 3720