Is a shortage of fitters impacting your business?

Last week I commented on how the ongoing skills shortage may be resolved in the long run if students are savvy enough to avoid university degrees that don’t offer a good enough return on investment.

The allure of university life is still strong enough for many students to take on huge amounts of debt, but with many courses – typically in arts and humanities – the qualifications do not necessarily deliver a job or career that can pay for it.

Apprenticeships – on the other hand – may be less desirable than three years at uni, but the opportunity to earn while you learn makes a much stronger case financially.

However, while there’s a chance that more young people could decide to take on apprenticeships in the future, the current situation is that the industry is still struggling to attract new blood.

In fact it’s such a problem, that installation firm, The Window Company (Contracts) has reported that it is now having to turn down work because it doesn’t have enough fitters.

David Thornton, chair of the multi-award winning company, has said that to take on CIF funded work available in schools over the summer would jeopardise existing contracts due to a lack of resources.

He adds that the company still has the capacity for growth, thanks to investments that make it operationally efficient, but it is becoming ‘increasingly selective’ about taking on additional work.

Are you an installer in a similar position? If so, please feel free to email me with your thoughts at luke@glasstimes.co.uk