A survey by public sector procurement organisation Scape found that nearly 85% of public sector construction managers and 58% of private sector contractors and suppliers believe that the current skills shortage is negatively impacting the quality of their workmanship.
One in 10 contractors and suppliers said that skills shortages were impeding their ability to meet budgets.
Over a two week period in summer 2016, Scape surveyed more than 150 senior managers at public sector organisations across local and central government, along with a range of suppliers and subcontractors delivering built environment services.
The result is Sustainability in the Supply Chain, a report that highlights skilled labour shortcomings in the supply chain.
The report also highlights the differing priorities of the public and private sector. Within the public sector 70% of those surveyed felt that providing long-term benefits for the local economy should be one of the biggest priorities, compared to 58% within the private sector.
Similarly, 67% of those surveyed in the public sector believed that local skills and suppliers is the most important element, whereas those surveyed in the private sector saw operational stability and minimising waste as more important factors.
Scape Group chief executive Mark Robinson said: “Our research has shown that the skills shortage is at breaking point, not only severely impacting the quality of what we are building but also our ability to build it on budget. While there is a mountain to climb to overcome this challenge, basic recommendations can be put in place to ease the burden, for example, 19% of contractors and subcontractors still do not have an apprenticeship scheme.”
The full report can be downloaded here [click to open pdf in new window].
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