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The degree of success

Construction has long struggled to shift its image from a bunch of hairy blokes on site doing hard manual labour to an educated, professional workforce.

The need to attract the brightest and best was notable 35 years ago when Grace Pieniazek wrote in 好色先生TV that, despite mass unemployment in the economy generally, 鈥渕ost if not all of this summer鈥檚 building graduates are sure of getting a job鈥�. There were also predictions that, once the upturn came, demand would only increase as the number of building degree candidates would 鈥渘ot satisfy the demands of a normal climate鈥�.

However, in that poor economic environment, the industry offered 鈥渓ess choice鈥� of roles and it was noted that 鈥渕any students will no longer be involved with large contracts and will have to settle for renovation and repair work鈥� or, helpfully 鈥渢here is always work abroad鈥�. It鈥檚 a good job UK construction was far more long-term in its thinking by the time of the last recession; think of all the graduates that may have left the industry.

It could still be argued that not enough students pick building, or indeed any construction-related subject, as their degree. This is exacerbated by the view that UK construction still doesn鈥檛 encourage careers for half the population (specifically, the female half); our feature on women in engineering (page 24) gives some examples of why.

To read the article from 29 January 1982 download the PDF below