WhatHouse? Award-winner Spitfire Homes has committed to tackling the industry’s skills crisis head-on by pledging a new minimum requirement of 5% of its total workforce to be made up of trainees or graduates.
This requirement not only means that 5% of Spitfire employees are to be early career professionals, but goes one step further requiring contractor partners that Spitfire spends over £500,000 with to employ at least one apprentice on a live Spitfire site as a condition of partnering with the business, with groundworkers, bricklayers, electricians and plumbers falling within scope.
The company’s long-established investment in early career talent has a number of employees across the business progressing through trainee routes, including an NHBC Seal of Excellence winning senior site manager, a trainee sales manager and a quantity surveyor. A recent work experience placement has taken the position of trainee planner.
Dave Smith, managing director at Spitfire Homes, commented: “The skills shortage isn’t incoming; it is already here. My view is simple. If we don’t build the next generation of talent, we will have no right to complain about the skills shortage when the market returns – and it will. The industry knows there is an inherent issue with the future pipeline of skilled construction professionals, but we appear to be hoping someone else will resolve the problem for us.
“By setting out this commitment for ourselves and our supply chain, our intent is made clear. By working in partnership with Spitfire Homes, you are part of the wider solution.”
Brendan Carty, managing director at Shannonside, one of Spitfire’s civil engineering contractors, said: “We believe construction will return to being an attractive proposal for school leavers. As AI continues to take over many office-based and repetitive digital jobs, the demand for skilled workers in construction and infrastructure will remain high.
“Apprenticeships offer the chance to learn practical, hands-on skills that are difficult to be replaced with AI. Individuals can earn while they learn, gain valuable qualifications, and build a stable career in an industry that will always be needed as cities grow and infrastructure develops.
“Groundworkers play a vital role in ensuring projects get off to a safe and successful start. Delivering groundworks requires physical skill, on-site problem-solving, and human judgement. Shannonside is proud to support people entering the construction industry, in partnership with Spitfire.”
