| By :
Martin Hofschroer
More young people should enrol on plumbing courses in order to make the most of the age gap in the construction industry. Catriona Lingwood, chief executive of Constructing Excellence in the North East, wrote in the Journal newspaper that the construction industry was crying out for an increasing number of younger employees. Catriona Lingwood said that a lot of trades had an aging workforce despite the fact that more has been done to increase the number of apprentices in the construction sector in recent years. The construction industry has a higher percentage of employees aged between 55 and 64 compared to the UK average, according to a report by the Centre for Research into the Older Workforce for the Department of Work and Pensions. Ms Lingwood said that this evidence should encourage more young people to take plumbing courses and electrical courses as construction businesses will be looking to employer younger employees in order to have a balanced workforce. She wrote in the publication: "Sharp young people should be able to look at this and realise there is a gap which can be exploited, not only for their own benefit, but for the good of the industry." Ms Lingwood went onto say that Britain would experience a skills shortage, which would seriously damage the economy, if young employees did not choose to study for careers in the construction industry. She wrote in the Journal: "But if the next generation does not come along to take up the mantle before such tradesmen retire, where will we find the experience to pass on the knowledge and the skills accumulated over the years." Ms Lingwood said that older employees in the construction sector were valuable as they had the knowledge and experience to pass down and train those looking to enter the industry. The Centre for Research into the Older Workforce report also found that the construction industry had a lower percentage of employees aged between 25 and 34 compared to the UK as a whole. John Montague, chairman of Youthbuild UK, said that learning a trade can help disadvantaged young people overcome problems such as unemployment and poverty. He said: "Most people are defined - to some extent at least - by the jobs they do, and consequently a trade gives a person a sense of self-worth." The 2009 winner of Youthbuild UK's Young Builder of the Year competition was a young woman who overcame spending years in the care system by taking plumbing courses and securing an apprenticeship with British Gas.
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