Chapter 1: What are the current skills shortages in the construction sector?
Construction firms are warning of a widespread shortage of specialised construction and infrastructure workers and warning that these shortages are delaying building projects. For more, I'm joined by Dr Keith Sunderland, Registrar with Engineers Ireland. Morning, Keith.
Good morning, David. How are you keeping?
Good, thanks. What's the problem?
Well, I suppose we are facing a critical skills shortage, but unfortunately, that's nothing new, David. All disciplines in engineering are identified as having issues, as been reported by the Department of Enterprise on its critical skills occupation lists, as has been reported by SOLAS across the range of different disciplines, and particularly in construction.
As we see it, there are two major challenges that we're facing. One, the dearth of necessary infrastructure requiring skills across the spectrum. And then we're also faced with the age of digitization, tools and artificial technology requiring upskilling in an increasingly globalised and mobile economy. So what we're hearing from engineers is that there are deficits at all levels.
We publish a barometer which gives a comprehensive snapshot of the engineering profession in Ireland and engineering employers as part of that barometer survey have indicated that, half of them by the way, have indicated that it takes up to six months to fill some vacancies in this sector. So that's, again, that's from almost half of the respondents. So it is an acute issue in our economy.
Okay, and it's obviously causing delays for infrastructure, for housing, for all the rest of us that we need so badly. But what can be done to meet those, to get rid of those shortages?
Well, we are, like, ultimately, it's a pipeline issue.
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Chapter 2: What challenges are engineers facing in the construction industry?
It's not just an immediate reaction. It can't be knee-jerk. It needs to, obviously, we need an injection quickly. quickly to basically fill that pipeline, but it also needs to be filled at the earlier stages as well. Ultimately, we have three and a half thousand grads in Irish education in level eight engineering programs, but we need in the next decade demand for up to 22,000 engineers.
So we have an issue, but that issue doesn't start at third level. It actually starts in second level and even primary. Children need to be attracted into engineering and construction, as do girls in particularly. Less than 12% of girls are operating as engineers in our economy. So it's a big issue across the pipeline.
Okay. And apart from engineering, engineers, I mean, the government has talked about investment in skills, investment in apprenticeships in particular. There's 87 apprenticeship programmes, I think, overall now. I mean, is that enough? Does more need to be done at that level as well?
Yeah well ultimately yes like practical education I mean within Engineers Ireland we accredit programs from apprenticeship all the way up to engineering level and we have what's known as consortia led apprenticeships which are partnerships between education higher educational providers and employers and they're increasing but they're not increasing quickly enough so we have apprenticeships in the mechanical and manufacturing space and the industrial electrical engineering space
But we also need to tackle the skill shortages at the digitisation, the building information technology, the skills that are required across the spectrum in the industry. And, you know, ultimately, those skills need to be balanced by human in the loop or human in the lead.
So while we have those digitisation opportunities and they are being taught to our level, we need to emphasise the ethical requirements as well. So it's a multifaceted and wicked problem, really.
OK, Dr Keith Sunderland, the Registrar with Engineers Ireland, thank you so much for joining us.
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