The future of construction relies on strong mentors

By Steph Cox, Director and Head of Midlands at E3P

The construction industry is grappling with a familiar set of challenges right now. The ongoing skill shortages, caused by an ageing workforce and amplified by high staff turnover rates and a lack of diversity, is putting an increased strain on businesses.

These pressures may not be new, but they are actively hampering growth and limiting the resilience of our industry.

Technical training and on-the-job experience remain vital, but they are not enough to address these long-term issues. What the industry needs is greater emphasis on mentoring – a critical, and often overlooked, tool for supporting career progression and building sustainable businesses.

Managing and mentoring are very different roles

Managers and mentors play very different roles. Managers focus on outcomes – delivering projects, driving performance, and meeting targets. Mentors focus on people – building confidence, providing clarity, and supporting long-term development.

Both are necessary, but they require different approaches. Managers lead outcomes. Mentors lead with empathy.

The most effective leaders can strike a balance between the two mindsets.

For managers looking to adopt more of a mentoring approach, the first step is to listen more than you instruct, ask questions that encourage reflection, and share your own experiences. These simple changes can make a meaningful difference.

Building the next generation of talent

Attracting and retaining talent remains one of the industry’s most pressing challenges. Entry-level recruitment often dominates the focus, but retention is just as important and we cannot overestimate its importance in 2025. For many workers currently grappling between remaining in construction or jumping ship to another industry, mentoring could make a measurable difference.

For early-career professionals, mentoring provides guidance in navigating complex projects, encouragement to build confidence, and practical advice on career decisions. It also ensures continuity of knowledge transfer, which is vital as senior professionals retire, and new technical skills reshape project delivery.

Through my work with the Society of Brownfield Assessment (SoBRA) Early Careers Subgroup, I have seen the benefits first-hand. Structured mentoring schemes provide accountability and encouragement that allow early-career professionals to build both competence and confidence, reducing the risk of attrition at critical stages.

How mentoring drives business successes

While management is about measuring outcomes, mentoring can actually deliver clear and measurable outcomes too.

Construction businesses that embed mentoring into their culture benefit from improved retention, accelerated professional development, stronger leadership pipelines, and higher productivity. For example, research shows that 67% of businesses reported an increase in productivity due to mentoring, and 55% felt it had a positive impact on their profits.(1)

When the industry is struggling to attract and retain staff, with over 250,000 additional construction workers needed by 2028 to meet demand(2), the case for structured mentoring has never been stronger. It shouldn’t be seen as an optional benefit, but a strategic investment.

Bridging skills and innovation

As the sector adapts to digital technologies, modern methods of construction, and more stringent sustainability requirements, mentoring plays a crucial role in embedding change.

Mentoring connects the experience of senior professionals with the fresh perspective of younger staff, creating a space where knowledge can be exchanged both ways. This helps businesses not only adopt new innovations, but make them part of their culture – ensuring that digital and sustainable practices are not just introduced, but embedded.

Supporting diversity and inclusion

Mentoring is particularly important for those who remain underrepresented in construction. For women, who continue to face barriers to progression and experiences of isolation, mentoring provides advocacy, visibility, and support.

Through my role as Chair of Women in Property North West, I have seen how structured mentoring programmes help female professionals build confidence and pursue leadership. Even small interventions can unlock significant outcomes. For example, I recently mentored a professional who was balancing childcare with ambitions for progression. With practical adjustments and renewed confidence, she went on to secure a leadership role and establish a new department – an outcome that demonstrates the impact mentoring can have, both for individuals and for businesses.

Embedding mentoring into culture

At E3P, we have embedded mentoring into our professional development framework. Each role, from Graduate through to Director, is mapped to clear expectations and competencies. Every employee is paired with a mentor outside of their line management, creating space and opportunity for broader discussions around career goals.

Quarterly check-ins are focused on personal development as well as project outcomes, and structured training programmes support technical and leadership skills. Crucially, mentoring is treated as a core responsibility and is recognised in performance reviews.

This ensures mentoring is consistent and accessible, while also encouraging more informal support through day-to-day conversations. Both are necessary for a mentoring culture to take hold.

Looking ahead

The challenges facing the construction industry will not be solved through technical training alone. To build a resilient, inclusive workforce, we need to recognise the role of mentoring in retaining talent, closing the skills gap, and strengthening leadership pipelines.

Mentoring isn’t a silver bullet, but it is a practical, proven tool that delivers real benefits for individuals and businesses alike. If the sector is serious about overcoming its challenges, embedding mentoring into business culture must be part of the solution.

Sources:

https://nationalmentoringday.org/facts-and-statistics/Statistics
Construction Industry Training Board’s Construction Skills Network (CSN) 2024-28 report: https://www.citb.co.uk/about-citb/news-events-and-blogs/over-250-000-extra-construction-workers-required-by-2028-to-meet-demand

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