Skills and training in the UK precast concrete manufacturing sector

The precast concrete sector in the UK produces over 36 million tonnes of products every year, is worth more than £2.3 billion and employs in excess of 20,000 people. Any study of skills and training within the precast sector has particular resonance for the wider construction industry, as not only are the products produced used by the wider industry, but precast factories traditionally recruit from similar labour sources as the construction employers to whom they sell their products. Proskills, the government Sector Skills Council, has recently undertaken a survey of the UK’s process and manufacturing industries with regards to their staff skills and training and this paper comprises an assessment of the views and opinions of the precast concrete manufacturing sector. The widely predicted growth for the UK construction industry over the next few years presents an excellent opportunity for the precast sector (as the market for it’s products expands), as well as a significant challenge as the overall market for labour, both skilled and unskilled, becomes even more competitive.