Constructing a future for the North East

Nov 6 2007 by Mitchell Smith for the Evening Gazette

THE second week in October marked National Construction Week (NCW) 2007.

How many of you reading this knew about it?

OK. Now, how many of you work outside of the construction industry and were aware of it?

The chances are that those of you in that second, non-construction, group who answered in the affirmative are few and far between.

Even I have to admit that, other than the Construction Industry Council (CIC) North East’s dinner, I heard and saw little about NCW this year.

After many years of change, we now have Constructing Excellence in the North East (CENE) as an umbrella organisation to bring the industry together through events such as the Constructing Excellence in the Built Environment Awards.

It is fair to say that a lot of good work is carried out by the regional team and board of Constructing Excellence to celebrate the industry.

But, we cannot leave the profile of our sector in the hands of a small few, many of whom take part in these activities outside of their working hours “for the love of it”.

The problem is that they can only do so much and it is the job of everyone in the industry to shout about success and celebrate our sector in a way which makes us all proud.

As much as many people would rather just get on with the job and not draw attention to themselves, there is no shame in the celebration of achievements.

As we look into the future, one of the key issues our sector faces is in recruitment.

The North-east has to develop and keep talent to build our sector, as well as to replace those whom we lose to other parts of the country, to other industries, or to retirement.

Let’s also not forget that growth within the sector will also require extra people over and above these losses.

That is one reason why the construction industry needs to celebrate its successes in the region.

We have to make the North-east construction sector as attractive a career prospect as possible.

The next step is to keep it that way for the people who work in the industry.

Again, through celebrating success, we bring job satisfaction.

Just as in any industry, a sense of appreciation brings a feeling of belonging and worth, and these are key factors in the retention of people.

The simple fact is that while organisations such as Constructing Excellence - through which the North-east has led the way for other regions with its awards - can do so much to help us celebrate our successes, it’s a job for everyone.

However, while we are the ones who truly stand to benefit from the higher profile and greater prestige that we could achieve if we all play our part, I do not believe that as builders and contractors we are doing as much as we can.

Mitchell Smith is regional leader of North East building group Rok.