Brexit boost for British builders: UKCW survey

UK Construction Week may be over for another year but a survey conducted by the exhibition regarding Brexit suggests it may bring benefits to the construction industry.

Over 2,500 industry leaders were involved in the survey, including architects, contractors, SME builders, engineers, surveyors, local authorities and many more.

Key findings included 64% of those asked believing Brexit will force us to solve the skills crisis and invest in younger generations, whilst over half said it would make us by British building materials.

43% thought building material costs will stabilise, with 10% actually thinking materials prices could go down and 53% said we will embrace offsite manufacturing as a solution to the challenges ahead.

The survey results show that the UK Construction industry wants to discuss the positive impacts of Brexit, with the majority of those asked believing it will force us to solve the skills shortage once and for all by investing in younger generations and encouraging them into the sector.

In regards to promoting British skills and industry, Jon Gunn, CEO of modular housing specialists Tufeco and a partner at ATELIO, said: “We see tremendous opportunity in the next few years for us as British manufacturers of world class modular buildings.

“We have worked in collaboration with Grimshaw, so our project is a real testament to UK skills and knowledge, and are confident our product can be a real advantage in the challenge to build the homes we need in the next decade.”

Undoubtedly, UKCW accept that leaving the EU will pose challenges but they are hopeful the construction industry is already looking ahead to the positive outcomes Brexit could bring.

However, the UKCW survey has laid down a clear mandate for the UK Government tosupport British manufacturing and invest more in apprenticeships.

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