The term skills shortage has positioned itself as a buzzword over the past few years, with Britain going into meltdown as many paint a desolate and tumbleweed-rolling picture of the future of the UK's construction domain. With employee extinction on the rise, the realm has taken it upon itself to urgently reach out to a younger workforce in a bid to entice and engage the interest of the nation's youth. Many HR teams are having to rethink their tactics in order to firstly, recruit and secondly, retain skilled personnel.

Over the last year's issues, many industry-leading figures have contributed their opinions and solutions to the pages of FC&A on the concerns faced by UK construction and how to tackle this workforce deficiency to save UK construction in the wake of Brexit – which is forecast to exacerbate in the wake of our eventual departure from the EU. Incentives such as the Government's Apprenticeship Levy, and in-house initiatives like Redrow's first-of-its-kind house-building degree have surely assisted in a time of crisis, however, one additional course the industry has drifted down is endeavouring to attract a female clientele.

It's stereotypically been remarked that the industry is perceived as a field enshrouded in a masculinity with a predominantly all-male workforce, though, as Jayne Hall, Vice-President of CABE, voices in her gender diversity-focused article this month: "thankfully, the construction sector has moved on from this scenario." She proceeds to reveal statistics that disclose as little as 14% of employees presently employed within the realm are women. Turn to page 32 to read up on Hall's account on gender imbalance and inclusivity. Meanwhile, from pages 46 to 49, you can discover forthcoming construction-focused trade show line-ups. In keeping with this month’s gender diversity topic, London Build Expo – taking place from 23rd to 24th October – will hold its third annual 'Women in Construction Morning' networking session on 24th attracting many women working in the construction field. Turn to page 47 for the full programme.

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