The next item of business is a members’ business debate on motion SM6-17049, in the name of Gordon MacDonald, on construction skills for the future. The debate will be concluded without any question being put. I invite members who wish to speak in the debate to press their request-to-speak buttons.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament recognises reports of the continued skills gap in the construction sector, including in the Edinburgh Pentlands constituency; notes recent statistics from the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) indicating positive shifts in perceptions of the sector across the country and, it understands, that almost three quarters (74%) of young people aged between 16 and 24 in Scotland hold a positive view of construction careers and more than a third (36%) would consider working in the construction sector; further notes the belief that more must be done to increase awareness of careers in the sector to ensure that the construction industry has a steady supply of labour with the necessary skills, and welcomes industry-led initiatives that seek to increase engagement between young people and Scotland’s construction sector such as the CIOB’s Student Challenge and the Scottish Traditional Building Forum’s skills demonstration programmes.
19:13
I thank all members who supported my motion and made the debate possible. I also thank the Chartered Institute of Building for its support and for briefing members on the important issue of skill shortages in the construction sector.
An article in the March edition of Scottish Construction Now highlighted that the skills gap remains a major challenge and that Scotland will require to recruit more than 26,000 additional construction workers over the next five years if it is to meet industry demands and sustain growth. In addition, there is a longer-term challenge of ensuring that there will be a construction workforce to meet future demand for more housing, schools, roads and data centres. The workforce that will be required for those projects, which will start around 2030 and last into the 2040s, are currently primary and secondary school pupils. We therefore need to encourage more young people to consider careers in construction, which in turn means we that have to encourage parents to consider the vocational route for their sons and daughters. It is interesting that the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development found that 34 per cent of current graduates are not employed in the sectors that relate to their degrees.
There needs to be parity of esteem between the vocational and academic routes in further and higher education. At a recent meeting of the Economy and Fair Work Committee, one suggestion was that instead of referring to a four-year apprenticeship qualification as Scottish credit and qualifications framework level 6, which most folk do not understand, we should refer to it as a vocational degree.
The vocational route has many benefits. Students are paid as they learn, they contribute to the country’s economy through their spending, they pay income tax and national insurance contributions, which support public services, and when they qualify they have no student debt. That is why between 92 and 95 per cent of apprentices who complete their apprenticeships stay in the occupations that relate to them.
Other countries across Europe, together with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, have identified the importance of vocational training. For example, in Switzerland, which has a population of 9 million, 70 per cent of young people go through the vocational education and training route.
Young people here are starting to realise the benefits of apprenticeships. New data released by the Chartered Institute of Building during this year’s national careers week showed that young people and their parents are changing their attitudes to construction careers. The survey found that, in Scotland, two thirds of young people aged between 16 and 24 hold a positive view of construction careers and that around a third of them would consider working in the construction sector. A similar survey found that three quarters of the parents of 16 to 24-year-olds would be supportive of their children working in construction, and only 6 per cent said that they would be unsupportive.
Furthermore, almost half of the young people surveyed said that information about the sector was not included in the careers advice that they had received at school. We need construction apprentices to act as champions for the sector and to go into secondary schools, before pupils select their subject choices during their second year, to highlight the range of training in sectors that employ apprentices.
We also need employers to step up to the challenge, as the employer skills survey found that only 16 per cent of employers in Scotland take on apprentices. When a vacancy occurs, it is oversubscribed many times. We need small and medium-sized enterprises across Scotland to build their own home-grown talent and to understand that most apprentices start adding value to businesses after their first six months.
However, things are beginning to change, in that more schools are forming partnerships with local companies to give pupils an insight into construction. In my Edinburgh Pentlands constituency, during the building of the new Currie high school, the construction company Kier Group opened an on-site construction academy, through its constructing futures programme, which offered training in industry and employability skills to local students. The constructing futures partnership, which included Kier, the high school, City of Edinburgh Council, Edinburgh College and local employability partner Rural & Urban Training Scheme, covered the full academic year and introduced students to the construction industry.
The Construction Industry Training Board is funding more than 2,800 high-quality work experience places in the industry through its construction work tasters programme.
The shortage of project managers in construction has led the Chartered Institute of Building to introduce the tomorrow’s leaders student challenge contest, which was held earlier this year. It represents a welcome opportunity for students with a keen interest in the built environment to put their skills to the test. Seven teams took part in this year’s contest, which provided an invaluable opportunity for students to showcase their innovative ideas and teamwork skills in front of a panel of built environment judges and prospective employers.
A new national 5 course at Wester Hailes high school, which is supported by Compass Roofing, will introduce young people to traditional roofing skills in the hope that they will consider doing apprenticeships when they leave school. This year’s Scottish Traditional Building Forum event, which Alex Rowley and I sponsor, will begin tomorrow, in the Parliament’s grounds. It will provide an opportunity for young people and politicians to see the wide range of careers that are available in the sector, from slating and electrics to painting, surveying with drones and stonemasonry.
Many in the construction sector realise that they must produce their own skilled workforce, and the examples that I have given highlight some of the steps that employers are undertaking. However, we also need to see improvements in careers advice so that guidance is provided on vocational training opportunities and not just on academic routes to qualifications.
We must also re-evaluate funding and support for apprentices without falling foul of the same disaster that has hit apprenticeships south of the border, where there has been a 44 per cent drop in posts since the apprenticeship levy was introduced.
There are many challenges facing the construction sector across Scotland, but it is a growth industry that contributes 6 per cent to Scotland’s gross domestic product and currently employs 210,000 people. The sector will continue to serve Scotland well in future years, if we can get the skills system aligned with industry needs.
19:20
Despite the context of today’s previous debate on the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill, I thank Gordon MacDonald for bringing this important debate to the chamber. I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests in relation to construction, as I am a non-executive director and shareholder of a house-building company. It is with that knowledge of the sector that I highlight the serious decline in certain skills and point out the bleak reality that is facing the sector and the Scottish Government’s chances of meeting its housing targets.
In the past month, I have attended the retirement of two hard-working individuals who had been with our family firm for more than half a century between them. Andy Paterson retired as a bricklayer after 35 years, and Bruce Innes has retired after more than 20 years as a joiner. I wish them both the very best in their retirement and thank them for their service.
Now, as more professionals retire and fewer young people enter the industry, we are faced with a doom loop in which there are not enough trained workers in the pipeline to make up the shortfall and to mentor their successors. Bricklayers are the most difficult to employ, as the skill set is simply not out there in the way that it used to be. I believe that, with regard to workers, the bricklaying sector is down nearly 30 per cent from where it needs to be. It is, sadly, not as much of a chosen trade for apprenticeships, and the Chartered Institute of Building highlights that urgent action is needed to address the worsening skills gap.
Worryingly, I was told last week that nobody has signed up for the bricklaying course in Aberdeen. In the past, that course had more than 40 students, but the numbers are—shockingly—now at zero. Joinery, too, is not receiving the same number of applicants as in previous years, and the impact of that can be felt in construction companies.
In our company, for example, we used to have more than 10 apprentices in joinery and bricklaying, and now we have only half that number. A further problem is that companies that would normally carry out training cannot do so because they are short of mentors in their own businesses to support apprentices. Unfortunately, the comments from Gordon MacDonald that SMEs need to take on more apprentices only serve to demonstrate how little the Government understands of how the sector actually works.
Aside from sub-contractors, we employ nine bricklayers and 11 joiners, and so, without an adequate number of mentors, there is limited capacity for us to be able to take on more apprentices. However, as we hear from those on all sides of the chamber, we need to support traditional skills and encourage more young people to pursue a career in the construction industry.
Bricklaying can be a rewarding career, with bricklayers earning more than £40,000 a year, and I am glad to see from the motion that 74 per cent of young people
“hold a positive view of construction careers”.
However, unless those skills are passed on, there will be no such pay packets and no houses built. Inspiring more people into the sector not only supports both the local and national economy—it will also see more homes being built, at a time when there is a national housing emergency in Scotland and 13 local authorities have declared their own housing emergencies.
We currently have the highest recorded numbers of children living in temporary accommodation, and it has been made clear today that encouraging more people into the construction industry will play a key part in tackling that crisis.
I would like to hear from the minister today if he actually knows how many workers we have in the construction industry for each of those skills, and, more importantly, if he knows what numbers of people with those skills are going to be needed in order to meet the annual housing targets. If the Scottish National Party Government does not get a better understanding of the employment problems facing the sector, the housing crisis is going to get a whole lot worse.
19:24
I place on record my thanks to my colleague, Gordon MacDonald, who has brought this important issue to the chamber. Given the debate that we have just had, I give him much credit for getting up and beginning this debate in the manner that he has.
The motion that we are discussing raises serious concerns about the future of the construction sector in Scotland. The statistics that have been provided by the Construction Industry Training Board highlight an outflow of workers from the industry as a result of several factors, and the CITB has suggested that numbers will need to increase by more than 26,000 in the coming years if we are to close the skills gap in the sector.
Some of the factors that have contributed to the gap include an ageing workforce, a high-labour but low-productivity business model, and a history of boom and bust, with fluctuating workloads creating difficulty for planning over the long term. As well as those factors, recruitment drives must do more to make the sector more accessible for women, ethnic minorities and people with disabilities—cohorts of people who are all underrepresented in the construction industry, and whose absence is certainly being felt, given the projected labour shortages.
Gordon MacDonald, who brought the debate to the chamber, has touched on those challenges, as has the other speaker so far—and the minister will, in closing the debate, no doubt underline what the Scottish Government can do to support the industry. I will talk briefly about a couple of experiences in my constituency that have shown me the great potential that there is in Scotland for young people of all backgrounds to get into the sector.
Just a couple of weeks ago, I visited Coatbridge high school to view and take part in the build your future event, which sought to highlight the diversity of roles in the construction industry. Students could learn about and engage with roles in areas such as roofing, electronics, digital mapping and drones. The rise of technology in recent decades has greatly expanded the potential for people with hugely varying interests to consider a future in construction. I spoke to students who were genuinely keen to see what the sector could offer them and their families.
One of the most encouraging aspects of my visit to Coatbridge high was seeing that attitudes towards what might once have been thought of as a male-dominated industry have now changed significantly, with plenty of boys and girls registering their interest in getting involved. I was really struck by the fact that so many girls wanted to be involved.
In addition, earlier this year, in March, pupils from both St Ambrose high school and Coatbridge high were introduced to the constructing futures programme. The programme gave them an opportunity to experience a working construction site for 10 weeks, giving them practical experience and industry-recognised qualifications.
As we know, programmes such as the ones that I have highlighted boost skills, knowledge, connections and confidence for those who might be considering a career in construction. For the first time in the history of the constructing futures programme, the students who joined the programme were not exclusively male, which backs up my previous point and once again shows that there may be a shift happening in that respect in the industry and in society more generally.
Although I accept the concerns—which we have heard about tonight—from bodies such as the Construction Industry Training Board, and we need to do more, what I have been seeing in my constituency of Coatbridge and Chryston has been encouraging. I am sure that some of my colleagues in the chamber, including those in other parties, will have had similar experiences across their constituencies and regions.
I thank Gordon MacDonald again for bringing the issue to the chamber and for giving me an opportunity to talk about all the great work that I have seen from the students at two schools in my constituency, St Ambrose high school and Coatbridge high. I should point out that those are two of the schools that will be attending Gordon MacDonald’s event on Thursday. Although I will not be there in person, I have met a lot of the students who are going to be involved, and I wish them well at that event.
The motion specifically cited the fact that there is interest among Scotland’s young people in the construction sector. There is also an acknowledgement among them that a career in construction is a good one. There will be challenges in the sector, especially concerning recruitment, but, from what I have seen, the interest among our young people is definitely there. We must try to harness that interest so that we can make it work for Scotland in the years to come.
19:28
I thank Gordon MacDonald for bringing the debate to the chamber. If we want to meet all the expectations that we have set out in the Parliament over the past four years for the building of homes and infrastructure for roads, railways and cycle lanes, and for decent public services such as hospitals, schools and community centres, we have to acknowledge that we need skills and trades. That includes traditional trades, along with skills in retrofitting. Our joiners, plumbers and roofers—a whole variety of skills—are so important to our future.
In order to meet our climate target—our most important commitment to future generations—we must ensure that there is a skill set in the construction industry. That is why it is important that this debate has been brought to the chamber.
I am pleased to see that the data suggests that young people see a future in the sector. It is important that we ensure that the sector is well regulated and safe, and that it has strong terms and conditions for those who work in it. I have met with trade union colleagues in construction and I know that we have some work to do, but I recognise the on-going work with the trade unions and the construction industry.
During my time in Parliament, I have been fascinated to hear about colleagues’ knowledge in this area, and I have learned a great deal about the sector. Tonight’s debate is such an important one. The work to ensure that there is on-going, good-quality construction work in the future, and to ensure the retrofitting of and continued existence of the buildings that we need, must be done—as other members have said—in tandem with the progression of construction training.
During my time as an MSP, I have had the great pleasure of meeting a number of trades workers from a great variety of trades and backgrounds right across my South Scotland region. I have attended the annual Scottish Traditional Building Forum event in the Parliament grounds, and I will do so again this year.
Young workers in particular recognise that they need the skills to enable us to meet the challenge of reaching net zero and to deliver on the retrofitting of buildings and the building of our infrastructure and community settings, not only now but way into the future. Lots of skills need to be developed.
The consistent message that I have heard from businesses and workers across the sector is that the Scottish Government must set policies to establish clearer training routes, invest in local training and, in particular, drive a desire to save some of the skills that are out there at the moment. We have heard about that from other members today.
I have previously raised in the chamber the challenge that young apprentices face in accessing the local education that will allow us to retain those skills. People seem to find it difficult to find the right provision to enable them to keep up their competencies and qualifications and to become a professional in the sector. If the minister has any information on that, I would really appreciate hearing it. The ability to undertake apprenticeships locally makes a great difference in rural areas such as the one that I represent. That model really helps our young people to take on the roles and jobs that Gordon MacDonald spoke about in his opening speech.
This is an important sector for the Parliament to look at. I thank everybody for their contributions, and I thank Gordon MacDonald for bringing the debate to the chamber.
19:32
The Scottish Government very much recognises the importance of a thriving construction industry to Scotland’s economy. We also acknowledge that the sector faces recruitment challenges, and we aim to address those primarily through the Construction Leadership Forum, which is a collaborative structure involving industry, workforce representatives, public sector agencies and the Scottish Government and is chaired by the Minister for Business.
The main focus of the Construction Leadership Forum’s skills working group, which is co-chaired by Skills Development Scotland, is work on boosting the workforce, in recognition of the fact that the sector requires a significant, skilled workforce to deliver our net zero goals.
The United Kingdom Construction Industry Training Board figures suggest that there is an annual recruitment gap in Scotland of around 5,000 people, and estimates suggest that the industry needs 64,000 new people in the next decade. However, demand is not geographically uniform, as the excellent CITB biannual report of where the workforce is located clearly demonstrates. CITB data also suggests that there is a disconnect between the number of young people embarking on construction-related courses in our colleges and the number who go on to work in the sector. That is a situation that we need to understand the causes of and address. I want to recognise the constructive role that is played by CITB in all of this work.
Apprenticeships are absolutely vital in helping to develop a pipeline of talent for the construction industry, as well as for other key sectors. That is why we continue to invest significant funding in our apprenticeships in order to meet the needs of employers, the workforce, young people and Scotland’s economy.
Construction apprenticeships continue to have one of the highest take-ups of modern apprenticeships, accounting for a quarter of all modern apprenticeship starts in 2023-24 as well as the highest number of modern apprenticeships in training, comprising a third overall. Foundation and graduate apprenticeships are also available for construction, ensuring that our overall apprenticeship package provides a wide range of rewarding career options within the sector. However, we can and must do more. Costs, economic confidence and apprenticeship delivery are all areas that need to be addressed. That might involve considering different pathways into the industry, looking beyond traditional City and Guilds four-year apprenticeships.
I am also very much alive to the role of private sector provision in all of this, having visited the national construction college in Inchinnan a few months ago. There is no doubt that, in setting out to tackle construction industry shortages, we need to consider who is best placed to deliver training and where. Further, we need to recognise that, when it comes to our colleges and businesses seeking to have courses delivered in their localities, we require those businesses to come together to ensure that there is a critical mass of trainees and a pipeline in place to make that delivery viable over a sustained period. If not, the ask can become unaffordable.
The Scottish Government remains committed to an all-age careers support offer that supports people to progress to rewarding careers. Learners must choose their own paths. However, we need to ensure that, in making their choices, they are aware of the range of potential pathways and are informed by up-to-date information about the likely labour market trends and the potential economic outcomes of their choices, and that the opportunities that are available in the construction sector are highlighted.
Work to introduce young people to careers in construction and let them experience the opportunities that are available has been taken forward across Scotland by Developing the Young Workforce, which is embedding construction work tasters into schools. That three-year project, funded by the CITB, has been co-developed with the DYW network, employers and young people.
That sits alongside the work that Skills Development Scotland is doing to provide an all-age career service in every local authority area. The SDS careers advisers who are involved in that service are well placed to provide awareness of opportunities in the construction sector. However, they are not the principal influence on young people when it comes to settling on a career pathway. As Gordon MacDonald highlighted, the biggest influence is parents and carers, and there is undoubtedly work to be done in tackling the bias against trades that we see even though each and every household in this country is reliant on the services that trades provide. I believe that there is more to be done to tackle such prejudices and encourage young people to view jobs in construction in a positive light—I say that as the son of a joiner. Good money and rewarding careers are to be found in construction. The scaffolders I saw undergoing training at Inchinnan are an example of that.
Subject to legislative processes, the reform agenda for post-school education and skills will bring together all apprenticeship funding into one organisation, making it more streamlined, transparent and easier to direct and deliver. I want that future offer to better support SME participation, the need for which Gordon MacDonald also highlighted.
As we look to the future, and as part of a wider-ranging reform agenda, we will give careful consideration to the necessary balance of apprenticeships across key economic sectors to meet wider economic and industry demand, including within our vital construction sector.
In the recent programme for government, the First Minister committed to bringing together employers, colleges, universities, and other partners to ensure that the system is responsive to regional and national skills needs, and work to deliver that is progressing well. However, it will take a little time for us to see the fruits of that and it will take a bit longer than that to produce completed apprenticeships. So, we also need an uplift in available skilled workers now.
Scotland needs talented and committed people from across the world to be able to work and study here without excessive barriers. The evidence shows that those who choose Scotland as their home help grow our economy, increase productivity and innovation and address skills shortages.
Migration policy should support mobility, collaboration and innovation and must suitably reflect the skills requirements of all sectors of the economy. The United Kingdom Government’s immigration white paper proposes changes that are short-sighted and will prove damaging to sectors that rely heavily on international talent, including our construction sector. We will continue to press the UK Government to urgently work with us to deliver tailored migration solutions for Scotland and prevent the harm to our economy, communities, and public services that the policy decisions in yesterday’s white paper will undoubtedly lead to.
Through our Government’s strategic approach to growing a green and fair economy, we will continue to ensure that Scotland is known for championing fair work, for succeeding in new industries and for progress in a range of innovative sectors. Of course, the construction industry is central to the success of that work, particularly around our green industrial strategy, where the sector will play a vital role in the supply chains for renewable energy and housing. However, we must also not lose sight of the vital role of traditional building skills—stonemasonry being a case in point—in the maintenance of existing infrastructure, and ensure that they are promoted to the next generation as career options.
I thank Gordon MacDonald for securing the debate, for delivering an informed opening speech and for co-hosting with Alex Rowley the construction skills demonstration outside Parliament tomorrow. I look forward to attending and taking part, though I should warn him that the building-skills gene has, unfortunately, skipped a generation in my case. I am my father’s son in many regards, but not that one.
Meeting closed at 19:39.Previous
Decision Time