Electrical firms frustrated by skill levels of trainees

Unqualified applicants are routinely applying for jobs at engineering services firms, a survey has revealed.Nearly half of the electrotechnical and engineering services businesses questioned said candidates are consistently applying for jobs even though they lack sufficient knowledge or skills.The quarterly Building Engineering Business Survey found 58 of the responding 125 firms are looking to fill vacancies, but 46 per cent consider the quality of people coming forward to not be good enough.And 47 per cent of firms that are recruiting think candidate pay expectations are too high.The survey was carried out by the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA) in partnership with the Building Engineering Services Association, Scottish electrical contracting trade body Select, and the Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers’ Federation.One respondent quoted in the survey said “One of the biggest problems is that applicants are not as skilled as they think they are. In some cases, they are nowhere near where they should be.”Another said: “Youngsters coming into the industry struggle to cope with the academics of the electrical courses, and consequently leave.”Research from the ECA shows that the industry needs 12,000 newly qualified electricians every year to meet increasing demand in England. At present, just 23,000 apprentices are in training.In an article in The Sun last week, education secretary Bridget Phillipson called for more young people to pursue careers in the trades, including as brickies, builders and electricians.ECA chief operating officer Andrew Eldred said he welcomed Phillipson’s sentiment, but said if it was to have any impact, the government needed to work closely with the industry to increase numbers.He said: “Of the parts of England where electrical apprentice starts are too low, the vast majority are now represented by Labour MPs.“Key Labour government missions such as new housing and net zero will not succeed without taking steps to address these shortfalls at both national and local levels.”NG Bailey group HR director Rob Smith told Construction News: “One of the biggest challenges our sector has faced in recent years has been skills shortages, with the recruitment and retention of people being critical to delivering our ambitions.“However, while skills shortages were particularly acute in the wake of the pandemic, at NG Bailey we have seen things start to move in a more positive direction in the last couple of years.”He said the company has placed a large focus on its early careers with its long-running apprenticeship scheme taking on 63 new apprentices this month, as well as running a graduate programme and two new leadership schemes.“Ultimately our aim has been to make sure our people have access to opportunities and benefits that mean they want to continue to build their careers at NG Bailey, and in turn that is helping to ensure the best people want to come and work for us,” he added.On the issue of recruitment into the wider building sector, Mark Farmer, the author of the 2016 Modernise or Die report on the construction industry, who has also penned an as yet unpublished review of skills for the government, recently told CN: “We need to continue to push really hard on the narrative around what a great career being in construction can be. But we need to be really grounded in reality about what the next generation wants in terms of their career.“The reality, however unpalatable, is a lot of young people do not see construction as a career choice.”