As the new prime minister Andy Burnham comes to power, BE News is calling on the built environment industry to present a united front to government on the industry skills crisis, so that we can take meaningful, collective action to address it.
This month, the only quality, free-to-use industry media title that covers the entire built environment industry is launching the ‘Map the Gap’ campaign in collaboration with Cobalt Recruitment in a bid to measure – or map – the skills gap across the industry.
We are asking professionals from across the industry, whether they work in commercial real estate, construction, housing, planning, architecture, engineering, law or another part of the industry, to take part in a ‘Built Environment Jobs Prospects Survey’ – there is one for employers and one for employees – so we can identify where the key skills gap lie and establish the cause and scale of the gaps.
Our view is that we must measure the skills gap – or ‘Map the Gap’ – before we try to close it and that while there are lots of laudable, well intentioned individual initiatives out there, we need to work collaboratively with organisations across the built environment industry, rather than in a proprietary way within organisations or sector silos, to do this.
We then need to speak with one voice to government and demonstrate that the skills gap extends beyond the construction industry and a shortfall in the number of people required to a shortage in the right sort of people with the right sort of skills. Only then can we take meaningful, collective action to tackle the crisis.
To support the ‘Map the Gap’ campaign, all you need to do is click the Built Environment Job Prospects Employee Survey or the Built Environment Job Prospects Employer Survey. The surveys only take a few minutes to complete, and you will be entered into a prize draw for the chance to win a cash prize.
The more professionals from across the built environment industry who complete the surveys, the more robust and credible the findings will be, so please spread the word and share the links with colleagues and industry friends.
We will be discussing progress with stakeholders at a second ‘Map the Gap’ roundtable debate this summer and revealing the survey findings later this year at the ‘Map the Gap Spotlight’ event, to which stakeholders from across the wider built environment industry will be invited.
To find out more about how you can get involved in the ‘Map the Gap’ campaign – and play your part in helping to close the industry skills gap – please contact BE News co-founder and editor-in-chief Liz Hamson at [email protected].
- Read Liz Hamson’s latest leader comment on the industry skills crisis and let us know your thoughts on the issue.
