4IR set to transform more than half a million construction jobs
02 November 2017
Depending on the pace of technological change, Mace estimates that up to 600,000 jobs in the sector could be replaced by new technology in the next two decades.
The research has been published as part of Mace’s latest Insights report, entitled ‘Moving to Industry 4.0: A skills revolution’.
The report argues that the figures – although only projections – give a sense of the scale of the talent pool that will need to be re-skilled to allow the construction sector to move to Industry 4.0 and embrace productivity-improving technologies.
Mace warns that without a major effort to reskill the current workforce and attract a new generation of more tech savvy workers, the construction industry and the UK will lose out on the potential productivity benefits of the next industrial revolution.
The construction sector has long suffered from a productivity gap, where it has failed to match the productivity gains seen in other UK industries. If it was able to properly move to Industry 4.0 and capture just half of the gains made elsewhere in the wider economy it could deliver an extra £25bn a year to the UK by 2040.
Improving productivity in the construction sector would also have a knock-on effect on UK housebuilding and infrastructure delivery, helping to alleviate the housing shortage and ensure that major infrastructure projects are more likely to be delivered on-time and within budget.
Mace’s report proposes three key recommendations that will help to ensure that the necessary number of workers can be re-trained. These are:
1. Accelerate the use of new technology in training
By mandating that the latest 3D printing technologies and augmented and virtual reality tools are introduced into industry training programmes and into ‘construction clubs’ in schools, the sector can better meet its future skills challenges and also ensure that courses are attractive to potential students and recruits.
2. Inform lifelong learning decisions
At the moment data is sparse on what skills we will need in the future. By commissioning large-scale sector-wide research and working with Government bodies like the ONS and CITB, the construction industry will be able to ensure that its skills profile is changing to meet actual need.
3. Revolutionise our traditional education programmes
Current apprenticeship and training reforms will not go far enough to prepare the workforce for Industry 4.0. We need to upend the curriculum on offer now to reflect the modern methods of construction and off-site assembly that will be needed in the future.
Mark Reynolds, Mace’s Chief Executive, and skills lead on the Construction Leadership Council, said:
“Everyone now acknowledges the current skills shortages need to be addressed. Our latest report high-lights the opportunities the digital revolution can offer, how we can dramatically close the future skills gap and how we can meet the £25bn ‘productivity challenge’.
“The recommendations we have laid out will go some way towards addressing these issues. The industry, our training bodies and government need to work together to take full advantage of everything that Industry 4.0 can offer.”
Martin Walder, VP Industry at Schneider Electric says:
“The urgent need for infrastructure and house building to satisfy a burgeoning population isn’t new. What is key for AI, robotics and automation to help meet demand is human-robot collaboration.
“Developments in dexterity, reliability and flexibility through machine ability to conduct precise and repeatable operations need to be combined with human skills and operability – the ability to see, feel, touch and think.
“These real-world “cobotics” settings will achieve significant economic and resource efficiencies by tackling complex tasks faster and safer.
“We still need machines in this human-machine construction interface; we need them to do the “dirty” work – the manual and often the most dangerous or monotonous tasks so we can keep our workforces safe. Our longevity relies on optimal collaboration and with greater control to realise true benefits in terms of safety and profitability.”
Read Mace's latest Insight report into Industry 4.0.
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