Liverpool faces a "construction crisis" after the numbers of young people starting apprenticeships fell by 13% in five years, new figures have revealed.
Modular building firm Elliott has analysed government apprenticeship figures since 2014/15 across 30 UK cities to understand participation trends, the future impact it could have on construction, and the number of women entering the industry.
The findings for Liverpool showed that the numbers of young people taking on construction, planning and built environment apprenticeships had dropped by 13%.
A total of 7% of construction workers in the city are now over 60 too, and the challenge is expected to worsen with the potential increase of the retirement age.
There was a glimmer of hope in the stats for Liverpool however, as the city saw a 1,000% increase in female apprentices entering the industry.
Elliott said the overall figures prompted "fears for both the skills gap and future of the construction industry locally".
Resourcing manager Amanda Luciano said: “The recruitment of construction apprentices is a serious issue that could have a detrimental impact on the local economy and construction sector for many years to come.
“It’s worrying to see the declining number of apprentices in Liverpool, but at least it’s rewarding to see there has been an upturn in the number of women wanting to enter the building industry.
"We hope our findings point towards a short-term dip and Liverpool can benefit in the future from a local talent pool of highly skilled apprentices.”
According to the Office for National Statistics’ Labour Force survey, just 12.5% of construction workers are women - and it could take almost 200 years to achieve gender equality in the UK.
According to the Chartered Institute of Building, by 2021 the industry will need over 150,000 new workers to keep up with the government’s pledge to build more than 300,000 new homes.
With current construction workforces fast approaching retirement, only 1% of the UK’s construction employees are under 20 years old, and 16% are over 60.
Elliott said apprenticeships are a "vital form" of recruitment, and are needed now more than ever to help with building demands.
