Construction sector 'must improve graduate recruitment'

Construction firms have been urged to boost their graduate recruitment activities in order to avoid a worsening skills shortage within the industry.

The warning came from the Chartered Institute of Building after a survey discovered that 77 per cent of construction workers feel there is a lack of skills in the sector.

Deputy chief executive Michael Brown said that it is crucial for builders to take on university leavers, remarking: "There is no denying the importance of graduate and apprentice recruitment."

He remarked that these groups represent the "future of the industry".

Mr Brown argued that the construction sector should learn from the mistakes made in the last recession, when managers left the business to enter other careers.

Building companies must "find ways to put in place the vital skills needed for recovery", he stated.

Recently, a representative of the Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians revealed that an improvement had been seen in the building sector, with work remaining steady for larger projects and infrastructure schemes.