Balfour Beatty and Scape team up to address industry skills shortage

Thousands of students are being reached out to via a series of live interactive broadcasts, site tours and classroom visits in an attempt by Balfour Beatty and Scape Group to improve the skills shortage within the industry.

It’s estimated that 22,000 students from across the UK have been engaged with in the last three years as they are made aware of the wide range of rewarding careers available to them throughout construction and engineering.

Balfour Beatty is continuing its efforts to bridge the industry’s skills shortage through its collaboration with Scape Group, the public sector owned built environment specialist. Aimed at opening up the industry to students from different backgrounds and cultures, Balfour Beatty has allowed students to get a first-hand look at the roles they can play a part in. 

Students have been given the opportunity to observe engineering works being undertaken from the top of a tower crane, ask questions of industry specialists and venture out on construction sites. 

Phil Wright, Balfour Beatty’s Scape National Framework director, said: “Bridging the skills shortage is one of the biggest challenges our industry is currently facing. If we are to continue delivering the pipeline of new infrastructure the UK needs, we need to ensure we are attracting talented young people to a career in construction. We are actively engaging with students from all ages to provide them with the opportunity to understand the vast array of projects we deliver and how they could be involved in the future through numerous, interactive platforms.”

With over 150 schools already engaged, Balfour Beatty is planning to reach thousands more students with further activities planned in Warrington, Dundee, and Cardiff. The approach further supports Balfour Beatty’s commitment to The 5% Club, a UK employer-led initiative focused on creating momentum behind the recruitment of apprentices and graduates into the workforce.

Victoria Brambini, managing director of Scape Procure, said: “The number of students Balfour Beatty has engaged with is a really encouraging outcome. It highlights the added value that can be achieved through construction projects when the public and private sectors work in strong collaboration. Inspiring the next generation to build brighter futures and careers in the construction industry is key as we seek to address the skills shortage and meet the UK’s infrastructure requirements.”