A new program has been put in place to alleviate the shortage of construction workers for the market. According to a report from Bloomberg.com, the program started back in 2012 with London's biggest firms hiring former gang members and giving them a fresh lease on life.
Called Street Elite, the program aimed to address the projected 1 million building and construction workers shortage within the next decade. The shortage is a result from increasing home demand and the retirement of older employees.
This was echoed in a report drafted by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation in cooperation with KPMG LLP. Here, the most sought after employees in July were construction staff, before health care workers and engineers. The openings for construction staff have doubled in the last two years with vacancies in the past quarter ending in July reaching 37 percent or 26,000 openings from 2014.
The program, according to Berkeley External Affairs Head Matt Bell, "The industry is faced with a chronic long-term skills crisis and we have to be inventive and a little bit brave in the ways that we tackle it."
He added, the individuals in the program "often come from chaotic backgrounds" and the program gives them "professional experience."
There are other ways that the skills gaps in the workforce are addressed. In a report from ft.com, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development conducted a survey of 900 companies and found that companies have found other means to expand their labor workforce. These include 'self-help' measures through more training for current staff and hiring of apprentices.
CIPD Labor Market Analyst Gerwyn Davies said, "The tightening labour market is undoubtedly encouraging more employers to turn to a wider range of younger recruits. It is also due to a recognition among a growing number of employers that they need to develop talent to limit the potential for future labour shortages and pay pressures."