In 2022, Harvard economist David Deming released a landmark study examining the role of human capital in business success and national economic performance. According to Professor Deming, human skills—or the absence of them—play a crucial role in determining economic winners and losers. His findings indicate that human capital accounts for at least one-third of the variation in labour earnings within countries and over half of the variation between countries. Deming’s message is clear: investing in skilled labour is essential for securing long-term performance and resilience.
In the UK, the construction industry faces an ongoing challenge to sustain the skilled workforce needed to meet the ambitious targets set by Whitehall. According to the Office for National Statistics, the sector is currently grappling with around 35,000 unfilled vacancies, with employers reporting that “over half of vacancies can’t be filled due to a lack of required skills.”
The workforce is also ageing. The country is “rapidly running out of bricklayers,” with approximately 30 percent expected to retire within the next decade. The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) estimates that “over 250,000 extra construction workers will be required by 2028” to keep pace with the demand for new homes.
For many young people raised in a world of constant wireless connectivity, the idea of a 10-hour shift on a cold, muddy building site is hardly appealing. In response, structural timber manufacturers in the UK are striving to create skilled work environments that school and university leavers would be eager to join.
Structural timber construction involves fabricating key components off-site in the comfort of advanced, high-tech manufacturing facilities. With automation and artificial intelligence playing an increasingly important role, “human capital is freed up to focus on everything from design to business strategy.”
At the Structural Timber Association (STA), we are committed to “education and training for members to ensure that they can deliver a highly-skilled, quality service to all clients.” As part of this commitment, the STA has introduced both the installer and designer training schemes—marking the beginning of a broader learning programme currently in development. We also offer ongoing education and skills development to ensure that members with accreditation are “operating to the highest quality and skill levels.”
To support this mission, we have established a dedicated skills and training committee, focused on delivering “training that is relevant and needed throughout the sector” and ensuring that our educational content remains “current, robust, and meets all regulatory requirements.”
Last year, we proudly launched our Skills Hub—designed to provide STA members, the structural timber sector, and the wider construction industry with up-to-date guidance and resources on “sector specific skills, training, and education.”
We’ve also been pleased to contribute to the development of the Timber in Construction (TiC) Policy Roadmap, through our work with the Confederation of Timber Industries (CTI). The Roadmap highlights several key opportunities to build skills, capacity, and competence throughout the timber construction supply chain. These include “improving the visibility of forestry and timber construction as careers at school,” “promoting Design and Technology (D&T) qualifications in colleges,” and “increasing the volume of apprenticeships.”
“Human capital is perhaps the single biggest determinant of business performance.” At the STA, we are proud to be leading the charge in driving a skills revolution in structural timber.
