The industry benefits from a long term infrastructure plan
The industry's own boom and bust cycles are bad for business - particularly the small ones, says Jonathan Spruce of SME Fore Consulting.
The publication of the first National Infrastructure Plan in 2010, followed by numerous spending announcements of major projects, longer term funding settlements for various delivery agencies, and the recent ‘#Building Britain’ publicity blitz, all confirm that politicians across all parties finally seem to ‘get’ how important infrastructure is for the UK economy.
This new-found zeal is, of course, excellent news for the UK economy but also for the industry, and various recent surveys of companies confirm an optimistic view of increases in workload and fees. Anyone involved in infrastructure will welcome such upward trends as well as this longer term consistent programme of investment.
As the owner of a small business recently looking to recruit graduates for the coming year, I have been experiencing a profound sense of déjà vu.
But the industry itself also has a part to play in ensuring that the political consensus is long-lasting and embedded by promoting the significant educational and training benefits that a long term infrastructure plan can bring.
Around 15 years ago, I was writing a dissertation for my MBA qualification that looked at the negative impact on graduate recruitment and training that the mid-1990s recession had on the industry.
The basic premise of my argument was that, as an economic downturn hits, so graduate recruitment and training suffers, and fewer students are attracted to start courses related to infrastructure. When there is an upturn in workload, a shortage of suitably qualified people then creates an overheated market in graduate recruitment.
In other words, the industry creates its own “boom and bust” cycle, about 4-5 years after the economic one.
Good rewards are all very well, but should we all share a duty to try and promote the industry to all comers in order to secure a long term legacy of training and skills?
As the owner of a small business recently looking to recruit graduates for the coming year, I have been experiencing a profound sense of déjà vu.
Not only is this unsustainable and bad for the UK economy, it also paints the industry in a less than sympathetic light to those considering a career in it.
As well as making sure that the industry is capable of delivering on the National Infrastructure Plan, there is the real opportunity to start by targeting those in secondary education who will play a major role in delivering the latter stages of that Plan and to support the move back towards apprenticeships.
Good rewards are all very well, but should we all share a duty to try and promote the industry to all comers in order to secure a long term legacy of training and skills?