Former IDE President raises concern over ticking skills shortage time-bomb.
I am just back from the PlantworX 2019 exhibition in Peterborough where the final day of the show has been largely given over to students and at which skills and training has been placed at the very heart of the exhibition.
But I returned to a call from from Former IDE President John Woodward who – in response to our ongoing series of training podcasts – expressed major concerns about the entry levels of school leavers into the demolition industry.
Woodward said that apprentice uptake could be much better, as reported in our recent interview with another Former IDE President David Darsey. But he is particularly concerned at the lack of interest in the BSc course run jointly by IDE and the University of Wolverhampton.
“The IDE has worked extremely hard to find a route into the industry for school leavers wishing to enter an engineering route and the lack of uptake on the course starting in September this year is alarming. The demolition industry in the UK leads the world with innovation and we need new ideas and young blood to maintain that position,” he says. “Without an increase in numbers enrolling onto the course this year we could find this open door into demolition engineering will slam shut and we will lose forever the opportunity to have better educated management within the industry and the ability for industry peers to pass their wealth of knowledge to a new generation.”
Having been one of the key people that brought the degree to fruition, Woodward says he is concerned that a lack of take-up could threaten the future of the course.
“Don’t stand idly by and watch a great opportunity disappear forever,” he concludes. “Spread the word that degree entry is available and leads to a career in the most interesting industry around.”
