Shockingly, 58% of businesses currently looking to recruit sufficiently skilled candidates have encountered difficulties, according to the latest Quarterly Economic Survey from the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry. 

In particular, skills shortages in the construction industry may make the UK government’s ambitious house-building target unrealisable. Responding to this news, Develop Training Limited (DTL), one of the UK’s leading training specialists in the utilities sector, calls for industrial firms to ramp up their response. DTL warns that changes in the education sector and other factors have left the construction sector and the utilities industry woefully ill-prepared to deal with the current skills gap. 

Current training schemes, whether in schools, colleges or in the workplace, are seemingly insufficient, inappropriate or just not working, says the company. In addition to this there is a partially hidden problem. Not only is skilled labour in short supply but this situation is worsened by an apparent mismatch between the skills of workers being employed and the skills actually required. Chris Wood, CEO of Develop Training, said: “We cannot rely solely on the politicians. Looking to the long-term, businesses facing skills shortages need to grab the bull by the horns and invest in real training. As a part of this, Trailblazer Apprenticeships need to be encouraged. They are a direct response to calls for workplace training to be made more relevant and can be directly aligned to individual firms’ actual business needs.” 

Chris Wood added: “The Trailblazer methodology is a potential game-changer in supporting the recruitment and training of the next generation of engineers and technicians. However, closing the skills gap and attracting suitably able people into these sectors requires wider action. Apprenticeships are seen by some as inferior to other channels of higher education such as the universities. This needs to change. In addition there needs to be a commitment on the part of employers to provide the financial rewards which are no less than those to be found elsewhere.”