Government predicted the transport infrastructure skills shortfall will be 55,000 workers by 2020. Source.

Building on this, the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a shortage of HGV drivers which forced the Government to step in with a 33 action point plan to reduce the HGV driver shortage. Source 

This skills shortage continues into 2022 with 48,000 vacancies reported in the construction industry in the first three months of 2022. Source 

The consequences of the skills shortfall on the delivery of projects could include: higher project costs, delays to projects, damage to UK economy and global competitiveness, impact on delivery quality and reliance on overseas skills to plug the gap. Source

Britain’s departure from the European Union will make it harder to fill the transport infrastructure skills shortage. EU migrants make up around one-tenth of the construction industry workforce (rising to almost one-third in London). A new report warns boosting training of UK nationals is unlikely to be enough to meet the shortfall. Source

Over 1.2million extra transport, logistics and infrastructure jobs are required by 2022. Young people, educated in STEM subjects, have been highlighted as a key source of much-needed technology skills. Yet currently, only 9% of the sector is aged under 25. Source

Transportation and logistics executives need to make improving the sector’s image a top priority – and the commitment should come straight from the top. A lack of training programmes, and a failure to get the message through to graduates that the sector is one in which can you have a long, varied and high-paid career, are some of the factors behind the image problem. Source

The Transport Infrastructure Skills strategy recognises the need to change how a career in transport is perceived. And that the industry needs to encourage more people into transport careers to meet the challenges of technology and deliver the pipeline of transport infrastructure projects. Source