Wales faces a skills shortage as young people not entering construction trades, says report

Credit: ITV Wales

Wales may be at risk of a skills shortage, as trades like bricklaying, plumbing, and carpentry aren't recruiting like they used to, according to a new report.

The UK needs to find around a million new skilled tradespeople by 2032 to fill the skills gap, says Check A Trade.

As one third of the current workforce are over 50, there are concerns for what happens when they reach retirement.

Peter Kidney is a gas engineer, with five decades experience. He now works six days a week to get around all his customers

"There seems to be a lot of boys retiring, but not a lot coming through, it's like the perfect storm. There's no apprentices coming through.

"To be honest retirement does frighten me a bit.

Young people aren't entering trades like bricklaying, plumbing, and carpentry as much as they used to.

"I'd like to slow down, but it's just giving work away, you can't give work away these days.

"All the boys around here are so busy they wouldn't want all my work as well. It's gonna be a problem.

"I think it's got to be made easier to take apprentices on and the money that comes from the government has got to go to the boys that are taking these apprentices on."

Ifan Glyn from the Federation of Master Builders says the industry has to become more inclusive to fix the problem.

"Only 2% of the workforce on site are women. We're underrepresented in terms of the BAME community. We're underrepresented in terms of the LGBT+ community.

"There's a lot of work to be done on that front."

One third of the current workforce is over 50.

But he's also concerned that traditional trades aren't being funded well enough because they aren't as respected as other options for school leavers.

"The government often talk about a parity of esteem between vocational education and academic education, but the funding doesn't represent that.

"Our message to the government is if there is genuine parity of aspiration for vocational students and academic students put your money where your mouth is."

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