It’s no secret the construction industry faces a significant skills gap, with a lack of digital capability only exacerbating the problem; solving it goes beyond a sector-wide approach. Tim Clark reports
“Long on ambition but short on people,” reads the headline of a recent Reuters article. The piece, published in late November in the weeks following the Budget laid bare the challenge for the UK construction sector when it comes to skills.
Over a quarter of a million workers need to be re-skilled over five years to meet the government’s construction commitments. Of that, 59,000 plumbers and 33,000 electricians would be needed, and policies such as the forthcoming Future Homes Standard would mean demand for green and ecological skills within construction.
Traditionally such skills include bricklaying, carpentry, site management and other trades such as plumbing and electrics; an area that faces an even more acute shortage is digital skills.
TheReuterspiece echoed concerns raised by the Financial Times in June last year, which asked whether the country had ‘enough workers’ to tackle its big infrastructure plans.
Acute shortages
When it comes to digital skills, specific roles facing acute shortages include Building Information Modeling (BIM) specialists, digital construction managers, and professionals skilled in data analysis and digital design.
Analysis by Build in Digital* of recruitment websites which included Indeed.com and Monster.com estimated that there were around 200 vacancies for BIM specialists as of January this year. a more broad search for BIM found 400 vacancies.
There were approximately 200 vacancies for digital construction managers and 200 vacancies for digital engineers (across all professions), however it wasn’t clear how many of those jobs were specific to construction.
Commenting on the launch of the recent RICS Digital Construction report, Ben Huskisson, chief digital officer, executive management board, at Gleeds, said there is significant potential in digital transformation for companies operating in the construction sector.
“I personally believe that digital transformation through digital twins, and integration with web three, artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain platforms and marketplaces will all have a massive impact, especially as these technologies become more cohesive, and this is happening,” he said.
“Our industry has been relatively slow at digitisation but that is changing. In my opinion our industry will need to continue investing […] The cost of not investing is more of a risk.”
It is not just in the UK that digital skills have been a concern. A study from the
Department of Civil and Construction Engineering, School of Engineering, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia, highlighted issues that have dogged the sector down under.
Titled, A Review of the Digital Skills Needed in the Construction Industry: Towards a Taxonomy of Skills, the study highlighted a number of ‘significant’ concerns over the rate of digital skill adoption within construction.
Antipodean view
According to Swinburne University a key challenge is the limited awareness and training opportunities available to industry professionals, leaving many stakeholders ill-prepared for the transition to Industry 4.0.
What are the key causes of the digital skills drought? The Swinburne study found that compounding the issue was the prevalent resistance to change, as traditional practices remain deeply entrenched, making the integration of new digital technologies and methodologies particularly difficult.
There are benefits to persevering, however. When it comes to robotics, the study stated that: “Furthermore, integrating automation and robotics technologies in the construction sector has improved cost, safety, quality and productivity. New roles and responsibilities are also established whenever modern technologies are introduced in any industry.”
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The digital skills gap is exacerbated by the lack of standardised digital skill requirements, resulting in fragmented implementation and inconsistent adoption across organisations and projects. On top of this, budget constraints pose a significant barrier, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which often lack the financial and human capital needed to invest in digital training and tools.
These challenges underline the urgent need for coordinated efforts to address the barriers to digital skill adoption. Without addressing these issues, the construction industry risks falling behind in leveraging technological advancements to enhance productivity and maintain competitiveness in an increasingly digital world.
An analysis by Sasha Menon at Autodesk published in December found that inability to improve productivity performance is putting pressure on labour and capital inputs, leading to increasing construction costs and, in some cases, project delays.
According to Menon, one answer for the UK (and global) construction sector could be to increase ties with academic institutions.
“One of the key solutions to the digital skills gap is to train your teams using methods such as educational partnerships. An example of this is the partnership between Autodesk and Singapore’s University of Social Sciences (USS),” Menon says. “A partnership like this can help the workforce stay ahead of the latest trends and emerging technologies and be more adaptable, helping them to succeed in the field.”
Academic collaboration
This has happened in some areas, for example Northumbria University increased its ties with contractor Mace, and recently unveiled new 3D printing technology.
In Scotland the University of Strathclyde developed a ‘first of its kind’ platform for remote inspections of concrete in collaboration with Babcock and EDF Energy.
The collaborations and innovation are just two of many that exist between industry and UK academic institutions. The question may remain that the close ties are good for innovation, but are focussed on building up businesses and innovation, not necessarily helping to train a cohort of skilled digital construction professionals.
Construction training bodies are aware of the problem, however. Working out what skills are needed in construction’s digital sphere is not new. In 2018 the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) published a white paper outlining plans for digital skills in the construction industry.
In May last year, the CITB introduced the Digital Competence Framework for Construction to define key digital skills required for professionals in the sector. This framework builds on the 2018 report and incorporates elements from established models such as the European Union’s DigComp 2.2: The Digital Competence Framework for Citizens and the Centre for Digital Built Britain’s Skills and Competency Framework.
The framework identifies six core areas of digital competency. The first, Digital Literacy, Information & Communication, covers skills like managing digital content, collaborating online, maintaining digital etiquette, and recognising competency gaps within a person’s own skill set.
The second area, Safety & Security, focuses on safeguarding devices, data, and personal well-being in digital contexts, as well as understanding data security and ethical concerns.
The third area, Design & Development, Problem Solving, emphasises creativity in digital technology application, addressing technical issues, developing content, and navigating copyright and licensing.
Another critical area is Data Capture, Analysis & Insight, which involves working with datasets, data capture hardware, and applying analytics to gain valuable insights.
Additionally, Modelling & Simulation includes creating data models, using digital tools for data collection, and understanding telematics in construction processes. Finally, Smart Construction & Built Assets pertains to smart construction techniques, the management of digital twins, and integrating technology into built assets.
Clear progression
To address varying levels of expertise, the framework has placed five levels of competency into its guide, this includes default users, competent users, mindful operators, selective generalists, and skilled innovators.
According to the CITB, giving different abilities a clear progression and hierarchy allows individuals to develop digital skills tailored to specific roles and responsibilities.
The CITB stated that the new guide is designed to be adapted as and when new technologies come along, and will “evolve alongside technological advancements in the construction industry”. It is hoped that this flexibility will help the sector embrace digital integration to boost productivity, efficiency, and innovation.
As the prime minister announced only this week, the UK aims to be a powerhouse of low-carbon energy, new housing, and now an AI data-centre leviathan. However, grappling with a pronounced digital skills gap that threatens to undermine its future competitiveness and ability to meet ambitious infrastructure and sustainability goals, also inevitably threatens to undermine such ambitions.
To bridge this gap, a more coordinated approach involving educational institutions, industry stakeholders, and government policy is needed to foster comprehensive training programs and create clear career pathways for digital construction professionals.
*Job vacancies across a number of job website such as Indeed.com and Monster.com for various roles were added together, and were taken on 12 January. The totals do not account for some roles which are overseas, and/or duplicate job postings on multiple websites.
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