The world of construction and engineering is in a little bit of a pickle at the moment and it’s a problem that is getting passed down the line from project owners to principal contractors and then on to subcontractors. I am, of course, referring to the number of bodies on the ground (live ones) and the fact that there aren’t nearly enough of them to resource live projects.
There aren’t enough people to support all the engineering construction projects that are currently running in the UK.
There, I said it. It has become a bit of an elephant in the room, a conundrum and a headache that nobody is quite sure how to solve. This problem is not only to be found at the trade level but through to senior management, such that it has become an industry-wide challenge. It begs the question, is there something that we could be doing differently in our recruitment and onboarding processes to attract more people to the types of jobs that project management engineers need to fill?
There are of course large numbers of people working on the engineering construction mega projects running at the moment in the UK, which might affect the overall numbers of available construction workers and engineers elsewhere. At Hinkley Point, for example, there are currently 10,000 people working on site and the HS2 project has 31,000 employed to deliver it. These projects are crucial to the growth and prosperity of the country, so nobody would begrudge them the workers that they need. However, Hinkley Point and HS2 aside, there is still an overall shortage and the more inhospitable or remote the site, the worse the problem gets. Working on remote or offshore contracts involving oil, wind, gas or nuclear usually entails working away from home in adverse conditions and it’s hard and often dirty, but it’s vitally important that somebody does it. If companies are unable to resource key infrastructure roles, the consequences could affect consumers across the country in the most detrimental ways.
When, through from managerial level to that of the casual labourer, there is insufficient talent, up comes the perennial question, “Why don’t more women work in construction?” In answer to this, I don’t think it would be sexist to say that for a lot of women (although definitely not all) the prospect of working away from home in basic conditions is not all that attractive. But in the same token, it clearly isn’t too attractive for a lot of men either as they just aren’t doing it! Often a percentage of workers who do show up have to be turned away as they fail drug or alcohol tests and thus would represent a safety risk on site.
What does this mean? Is it that people simply are not being offered enough money to leave home to do this kind of work and those that are prepared to do it aren’t that fussed about going home anyway because they’d rather be at the pub?
Are there any solutions that AI can offer? Well, yes, historic data on staffing could be fed into a machine and predictive analytics used to model the potential staffing scenario in the very earliest stages of the project. This would give project owners and managers time to form contingency plans and calculate just how much more money they will need to offer to attract people away from home to work on these kinds of sites. That could work.
Equally, engaging with a project management consultancy in the earlier stages of the project is a more effective way of dealing with potential staffing challenges. At Coron, we can assist with the planning of a project’s organisational structure so that it is easier to account for available resources and identify opportunities to use automation so that less people are required.
Obtaining early help to get your systems organised before even populating the structure is good practice as very often original plans for resourcing projects turn out to be unfit for purpose. We can help you to analyse all the key external factors that will influence your project and affect strategic decision-making. Then you can sit back and enjoy the benefit of getting it right the first time!
At Coron, we can’t emphasise enough that nothing beats our early involvement to get it right at the start. We can work with a team to turn engineering construction projects around at any point in the project’s life cycle but the bottom line is that the earlier we get involved, the better.
Another important factor in the recruiting of staff for key infrastructure roles around the country may well be a generational one, and the latest generation to enter the labour market motivated in a different way to those looking to hire them. Employers might be seeing potential hires as motivated by cash alone, but the reality is that our Gen Z workforce are looking at other factors too. Along with a healthy consideration of work-life balance, they are interested in how their job will make a difference to society and to the environment. They want to work in roles where they know that their contribution is a valuable one. Perhaps marketing efforts using the correct messaging to strike a chord with the ideals of a younger workforce is a gambit that the industry is not using to the greatest effect.
At Coron, we want to make a difference to too, which is why we do what we do. It’s also why we are creating a community where SMEs can turn to us for project management expertise, whether for project management consultancy or delivery. We want to help people apply the right organisational structure in their projects, right from the outset.
Why fight needless battles? Wouldn’t you rather get it right from the start?
Get in touch today and join our project management consultancy movement.
