Bridging the Skills Gap
The industry is at a turning point in that the supply of suitably qualified personnel in the UK workforce has tipped into shortage. Demand for people is forecast to rise further, increasing pressure on the labour market.
Employment costs are rising rapidly in some disciplines. There is increasing evidence of poaching and European sources are becoming more difficult to access.
Business expansion is being compromised by lack of suitable people and future Client investment in the UK is increasingly at risk.
The ECITB has increased training outputs and can achieve further growth at current levy rates, however, the gap is forecast to widen. The key challenge is to increase investment in training now to help to improve competitiveness and sustain business growth.
The issues are manageable with increased investment and cooperation across the industry, building on the solid foundations that already exist. We would value your feedback on the issues and action plan to ensure that the ECITB resources remain properly targeted.
Read more about the skills gap in the documents in the Linked Files section.
