Construction Training in the EU - Easybook Training
share

Construction Training in the EU

For some time now, the construction industry has had its eyes firmly planted on the direction of travel post-Brexit. As the UK prepares to leave the EU behind, we also leave behind one of the most important parts of our future: training. The arguments against how construction workers are trained in the UK, for example, has been a long-running problem. This article in The Guardian by Linda Clarke shines a necessary light on how long the problem has been seen to be evolving. In 2017, that problem isn’t going away – and with the political movement that the country might be about to embark on, it’s not going anywhere.

Indeed, it’s feared that the 176,500 EU workers who work within construction could be on their way out of the country post-Brexit. Given the skills shortages, we could have a massive hole in the way that our workforces operate. This isn’t to say that British construction workers are less able than those abroad – far from it – but to shine a light on the absurdly low quality of training undertaken.

For one, the EU is far more open about creating skilled workers in more diverse parts of Construction. While Britain concentrates on creating armies of similarly skilled workers, specialisation has taken a backseat. Now, many compete for similar roles. Roles that are over-populated creates fierce competition that brings down the employment quality that workers get to enjoy.

Meanwhile, specialist roles are left behind – to be filled as and when needed. This stops the country from having what it needs as we look to become more isolated from the rest of the world. This is only going to cause headaches within the construction industry and beyond.

EU construction training, for example, is more easily funded. If the UK leaves - which it almost certainly now will – then access to that funding is going to vanish. What little effort is made in the UK to try and keep up with European building standards and the variety of skills will be left behind. Cuts are a common part of UK living now, and this is only going to see the construction industry suffer.

Freedom of movement – and the access to learning skills on the continent that we cannot learn here – is essential within the industry itself. Without this, the ability to have multi-disciplines within a workforce is going to become far less frequent. With margins being squeezed tighter than they ever have before, there is a legitimate fear that the EU construction training that previous generations have enjoyed will now be ultimately denied.

Now, workers have far less opportunity to take in the diverse and skills-specific training that they need. Without the opportunity to do so in the UK, we’ll miss out on the important training to prepare the industry for a more challenging future.

Training abroad is cheaper, more diverse, and made to be specific to needed roles. The jack-of-all-trades education provided will simply not be enough when it comes to grander opportunities for all.