The scaffolding industry in 2018

The Autumn Budget, announced in November last year, covered many things including the announcement of a number of construction initiatives that the government plans to invest in over the coming 12 months. This could potentially provide the scaffolding industry with a number of opportunities within these projects. Here we explore what these initiatives could mean for the scaffolding industry.

Scaffolding opportunities in 2018

Housing

The government has announced that it will endeavour to ‘fix the dysfunctional housing market’, providing financial support of £15.3 billion over the next five years and adjusting planning reforms to ensure that more land is made available for housebuilding. The construction industry will benefit significantly from this investment, with opportunities to work on housing projects over the next five years.

Construction skills

From these housing projects, the government will provide investment to ensure that construction workforces are skilled in order to work on these homes. This will mean £34 million worth of funding to ensure innovative training is carried out across the country.

Investment in innovation

The Autumn Budget also highlighted the importance of productivity to the construction sector, without which the projects announced will suffer. The government therefore announced £170 million investment in innovation which aims to ‘transform the productivity of the construction sector’. Exactly what this transformation will entail is yet to be announced, but ultimately it will benefit those working within construction.

With 2018 looking to be a great year for those working in the scaffolding industry, ensure your workforce is fully trained and qualified in preparation for these projects. Simian Risk provide accredited scaffolding safety training and apprenticeships to businesses and individuals throughout the UK, book your place today.