School leavers who thought the bubble had burst on a career in construction or property should think again. The recovery in the housing market has seen a bounce-back in job opportunities – and there are not enough suitably qualified graduates to fill them.
There are also concerns of an emerging professional skills shortage in construction.
“Ireland’s key professional bodies in the sector have all highlighted a shortage in graduates from construction-related courses to satisfy demand,” says Trevor McSharry, Head of Department of Civil Engineering and Construction at IT Sligo.
“Career counsellors and parents and students should be aware of this important issue when students are choosing CAO courses for third level,” he says.
The Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI), the representative body for estate agents and construction professionals, has warned that the shortage of qualified graduates entering the industry could easily threaten the pace of recovery in the property and construction sector. The Society’s recent report ‘Employment Opportunities and Skills Requirements 2014’ reveals that demand for quantity surveyors and building surveyors is increasing and there is likely to be a significant shortage of qualified graduates, largely due to the low numbers of CAO applications in recent years.
The Construction Industry Federation (CIF) has also warned of a shortage of apprentices for the construction sector, which could lead to substantial shortages in skilled staff in the next few years as activity in the industry increases.
The Ulster Bank Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), which tracks the construction sector’s performance on a monthly basis, showed encouraging trends in place at the end of the year to indicate that the sector will likely enjoy further expansion in 2015. The Bank says that the average reading for 2014 was the highest since the series began in mid-2000. Residential activity continued to rise sharply. Last month, Civil engineering activity, which includes large projects such as road building, increased for the third month in a row, and at the steepest pace since October 2006.
“The construction sector has undergone significant change in the recent past, not only relating to activity levels but also in areas of technology and regulation,” says Trevor McSharry. “Building standards are approximately 60% better then in 2002 and are expected to increase to near zero energy levels by 2020, which is very challenging but exciting for professionals in this area. Add to that the introduction of the building control regulations in 2014 has increased the importance of quality control and becoming a chartered member of a profession.”
IT Sligo offers a range of construction-related courses, which are professionally accredited and internationally recognised. They include: Civil and Environmental Engineering, Quantity Surveying, Architectural Design (RIBA Part 1), Interior Architecture and Design as well as Advanced Wood and Sustainable Building Technology. For more information, visit our course finder.
Engineers Week at IT Sligo will run from February 8th to 14th. The Institute will host a series of events and talks throughout the week. More details are available on engineersweek.ie.
Photo caption:
Leigh McLoughlin, Lecturer in Quantity Surveying at IT Sligo with Patrick Davey, a recent graduate who is currently working with AECOM, Dublin.