According to the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), the construction sector needs to attract the equivalent of 50,300 extra workers per year to meet expected levels of work over the next five years. The sector is already experiencing challenges with talent shortages creating overstretched workload that will put real strain on costs and delivery. Therefore, construction companies will be looking to wider stakeholders to help deliver projects with minimal disruptions.
There are significant opportunities across the construction sector in 2025. However, without smooth-running facilities to support these construction projects, effective delivery will not be possible.
What are the current challenges for FMs in the construction sector?
Recent research, conducted by industrial repair and coatings specialist Watco, highlighted that at least 1 in 4 FMs in the construction sector worry that there is a skills shortage. A further 42% also admitted that it’s difficult to find good employees. Without the right teams in place, it will be nearly impossible to run the construction facilities required to support the sector in meeting ambitious UK targets.
With already high workloads, budget cuts and stress reported in Watco’s research, it’s critical to look at what can be done to address this now and going forwards.
Short term: start making the most of free resources
Watco’s research found that 40% felt that their skills needed updating. Sharing free online resources, such as eBooks will help team members to enhance their knowledge as required.
Empowering team members with these guides means that they can take more responsibility off of stretched managers, e.g. conducting a safety audit to assess the slip, trip and fall hazards around a construction facility and presenting back the recommendations to resolve them.
For day-to-day repairs and maintenance, these resources can also be used to keep the facility’s surfaces well maintained, preventing accidents or damage to equipment. For example, following Watco’s ‘Guide to concrete floor repairs’ would show team members how to spot and repair common types of floor damage. This is crucial in construction facilities because heavy inventory is transported using forklifts, which if caught on a damaged floor surface could tip over and cause serious injury to team members, damage to the equipment itself, and seriously impact the surface condition of the floor.
Longer term: shared training responsibilities
FMs today are particularly stretched because of the volume of responsibilities on their own plates, so sharing these out between the team will not only encourage upskilling but also free up FM’s time to ensure the facility is running smoothly overall.
Going forwards, FMs should allocate responsibilities between team members, and encourage upskilling, for example in reporting hazards, among the wider team to share the responsibility and empower the group. Furthermore, 38% of construction FMs did not know what the Building Safety Act is, and a further 24% didn’t understand how it impacts their role. This highlights an area of training that is critical to the sector to ensure FMs understand how they can play a role in delivering robust building safety throughout the lifetime of a building.
