Construction Professional Visits Region To Answer Industry’s SOS For Skilled Workers

A well-known project manager from BBC’s hit tv show DIY SOS is visiting East Yorkshire to support a construction trade event.

Mark Millar, of BBC One’s DIY SOS, will be attending Foundations Live, a trade and careers event held to combat the skills and personnel shortage in the construction and engineering industries.

ONS data published in September has revealed that construction has fallen out of the top 10 most popular professions for 22-29 year olds, dropping from 7th to 12th in the space of six years.

This represents the biggest fall in any sector and points to a skills shortage and lack of engagement within the industry. With more than 150,000 jobs set to be created in the next five years, and growth in the Yorkshire and Humber region forecast at 1.1%, it is vital that the industry addresses the issue before a crisis point is reached.

Yorkshire and Lincolnshire-based Hobson & Porter has established Foundations, an initiative designed to help create a sustainable workforce for future generations. Foundations’ primary aims are collaboration and forging links between education and industry, raising awareness of the hundreds of career paths the sector offers in the first instance. The scheme then builds on this to introduce the hundreds of companies who operate in the sector to the best possible talent pool of work-ready candidates.

Foundations Live brings the concept of creating a sustainable workforce into an event space at Bishop Burton College. It combines two events under one roof; a networking and trade event for construction professionals to meet, learn about new products and innovations and do business, and an interactive careers event for people of all ages, from primary schools through to adult re-trainers.

The event is a collaboration between Hobson & Porter, Bishop Burton College and national supplier Jewson, and is supported by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), which will be onsite alongside training providers to offer support and advice on training, funding and recruitment for organisations in need.

DIY SOS’s Mark Millar will be a guest speaker at Foundations Live 2018 and will host a lunchtime panel of presenters from the region’s leading construction professionals, who will discuss the biggest issues surrounding the industry at present.

Richard Hunter, managing director at Hobson & Porter, said: “The recent statistics from ONS regarding the construction sector’s drop in popularity further emphasises the importance of changing the perception of our industry amongst young people, and demonstrating the range of careers available to both students and adult re-trainers.

“Foundations Live tackles this by raising awareness and creating links between pupils and re-trainers and local employers, engaging companies to provide real-life applications of curriculum topics. It is the ideal event to bring employers and potential employees together, helping to bridge the skills shortages we are currently facing.

“With so many SME organisations in the sector, success will only be achieved by the sum of all the parts and true collaboration. No one organisation or body can overcome the critical skill shortages the industry continues to face, we have to work together or the issue will intensify and the industry will have a bleak and worrying future.

Richard added: “Foundations Live 2018 is our third edition of the event and set to be the biggest yet, with more than 70 exhibitors and hundreds of industry professionals and pupils from schools across the region set to attend.

The confirmation of DIY SOS’s Mark Millar as guest speaker alongside a panel of leaders from the region’s growing industry will cement Foundations as the leading construction trade event in the region and a model for others in the country to follow. We can’t wait for Thursday 10th October and look forward to welcoming the industry on the day!”

Foundations Live 2018 takes place at Bishop Burton’s Equine Centre on Wednesday 10th October. To attend for free register online at: https://www.hobsonporter.com/foundations/.