Construction industry needs an entirely different mind-set to meet skills challenge identified by Infrastructure UK, says KPMG

Richard Threlfall, head of Infrastructure at KPMG UK, comments on yesterday's National Infrastructure Plan for Skills announcement. He said:

“I very much welcome Infrastructure UK’s initiative in developing the National Infrastructure Plan for Skills. It forces the construction industry to look beyond the current skills crisis to the long-term need to invest in its people, get serious about apprenticeships, and to re-train and diversify its workforce.

“This is a report the industry cannot ignore. It shows an overall need for 100,000 additional construction workers and engineers, and at least 250,000 of the existing workforce that need re-training. The recent UK Industry Performance Report revealed that construction employees on average are receiving only 1.2 days of training in a year. We need an entirely different mind-set in the industry if we are to meet the challenge which Infrastructure UK has identified.”