The skills gap won’t be solved overnight, but by taking a more targeted, Generation Z-focused approach, we can start building the foundations for a stronger, more sustainable future for our industry, says Sam Nuckey, Managing Director of Window Ware.
The skills gap in the glazing industry has been a persistent challenge for many years, and despite numerous initiatives and discussions, we’re still struggling to attract new talent into our sector.
I believe it’s time to take a different approach to this critical issue.
At the recent Glazing Summit, we heard valuable insights from Mark Handley of Building Our Skills and Mark Capper of Mencap about various initiatives to attract new entrants to our industry.
These programmes are excellent and vital for our sector’s future, but I believe we need to dig deeper and look at how we can make our industry more appealing to the next generation.
The fenestration industry offers fantastic career opportunities across multiple disciplines, from fabrication and installation to sales and marketing. However, we need to ensure these roles evolve to meet the expectations and aspirations of Gen Z-ers.
With new government initiatives focusing on improving UK housing stock and evolving legislation and regulations, we need fresh talent with the right skills to meet these changing market demands. But rather than simply trying to fit new recruits into traditional roles, we should be asking: “What do young people want from a career in fenestration?”
At Window Ware, we’ve taken a proactive approach by engaging with our Gen Z employees to understand what they want from their job roles and careers as their generation has different priorities and expectations from previous ones, and we need to adapt accordingly.
As an industry, I feel we must tap into our younger employees for their insights and feedback to help implement meaningful changes. For example, what career progression paths do they want, are they looking for flexible working arrangements, what opportunities are they looking for to work with new technology and sustainability initiatives?
We need to evolve how we present ourselves to young people. By shaping roles around their aspirations and expectations, we can create an environment that appeals to this demographic and naturally attracts and retains the next generation of talent while maintaining the high standards and expertise that have always been our hallmark.
The time to act is now. This isn’t just about filling current vacancies – it’s about futureproofing our industry and ensuring we have the skills and expertise needed to meet tomorrow’s challenges.
The fenestration sector has always been innovative in terms of products and technology; now we need to apply that same innovative thinking to our approach to recruitment and career development.
The question isn’t whether we should change, but how quickly we can adapt to meet the needs and expectations of tomorrow’s workforce. Otherwise, we risk losing immense knowledge and capabilities within our industry if we don’t act quickly to share and transfer them to the next generation.
For more information, call 01234 242 724, email sales@windowware.co.uk, or visit www.windowware.co.uk.
