A shift toward the trades
Young people are increasingly looking to enter the trades, viewing them as a safeguard against the rise of artificial intelligence, while employers say they are placing more weight on human skills, according to business leaders.
Jambu Palaniappan, chief executive of Checkatrade, said tradespeople were typically older, with a large proportion over the age of 50, while there have been fewer younger people entering the industry. But he told the Press Association that this is now changing.
“That’s changing now, where people are really interested in an AI-proof job,” he said. “And I think the trades industry will really benefit from that.”
Palaniappan pointed to a growing openness to skills-based and vocational training and apprenticeships, adding that it is “not just about ‘university or nothing’.” He noted that while there is “a lot of ambition amongst young people in terms of entering the industry,” what is missing is “connecting the dots with the actual opportunities.”
The comments come as Checkatrade’s recent survey found that 48% of young people aged between 16 and 25 were considering a trade career. However, only 12% of trade businesses took on an apprentice in the past year. The same survey found that 80% of young people said AI has made them worried about office-based job security.
A pressing shortage
Palaniappan described the country as having “a really acute trade shortage,” adding that “Britain needs over one million new tradespeople to enter the industry just to keep up with existing demand over the next decade.” He pointed to investments in areas such as housebuilding and the energy transition as reasons for optimism.
The workforce challenge is set against a broader slowdown in the UK jobs market. Recent official figures showed the number of vacancies in the UK fell to a fresh five-year low in the three months to July.
In response to these trends, the government has begun to look at earlier intervention. Prime Minister Andy Burnham recently unveiled plans for new technical education routes for 14-year-olds, covering areas such as manufacturing, clean energy, life sciences and construction, in a bid to tackle youth unemployment.
Employers value interpersonal skills
Meanwhile, recruitment agency Hays said it was prioritising a handful of specialisms it believes are key to driving business growth, including construction and property, engineering and life sciences. Global chief executive Mark Dearnley said the focus reflected “mega trends that we see globally” in the jobs market.
Dearnley added that more businesses are seeing “interpersonal skills” as even more important when hiring, with curiosity and adaptability increasingly valued.
In a separate development, Checkatrade reported it had blocked 850 rogue traders from joining its platform in the past year, underscoring the importance of vetting in the trade sector.