THE Middlesbrough construction industry’s future employees are highly ambitious, clued-up and are keen to quickly climb the career ladder, according to the findings of a new survey.
CITB-ConstructionSkills asked the questions on its youth website bconstructive.
Those born after 1985, nicknamed “Generation Thumb” because of their renowned enthusiasm for texting and gaming, said “the opportunity to become your own boss” was the most appealing factor about working in construction.
This was followed closely by the variety offered by working on different projects and the opportunity to become a master craftsman in a specialist area. Surprisingly, the potential financial rewards were low down the priority listing for youngsters in the region but the majority thought that earnings in construction were about the same (41%) or higher (35%) than other careers.
When choosing an organisation to work for, Middlesbrough respondents cited a company’s “commitment to training and development” as the most important consideration.
A company’s size, location, reward package and its commitment to the green agenda were not rated highly in the pecking order.
Russell Buckley, regional delivery manager for the North-east at CITB-ConstructionSkills, said: “This is exactly what construction needs - quality candidates who are keen to raise the bar and meet the future needs of an ever changing industry.”