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Careers campaign used to target job centre applicants

1st July 2021

Everyone is painfully aware of the skills shortages across the industry and recent figures from the CITB show that the UK construction industry needs to recruit 200,000 people if we are to keep up with demand. With the timber trades including carpentry, joinery, and timber engineering in the top five disciplines desperately needing new talent, the TRA’s ‘Careers in Timber Engineering’ campaign has never been so important to help members communicate about the rewarding roles available in our industry.

Since the TRA’s ‘Careers in Timber Engineering’ toolkit was launched in April this year, member companies have accessed the portal 150 times and the campaign’s YouTube videos have together had over 400 views.

TRA member Adrian Hall, who bought Stoneleigh Timber Engineering two years ago and has seen a 30% increase in business since then says: “With more work than ever before we need new people to help us deliver our service. If you’re based in a rural location like us, it can be difficult finding new recruits.

“When I saw the TRA Careers toolkit, I sent the video to our local job centre to help them to find us two new designers through the Government’s Kickstart scheme.”

Adrian says most people have no idea what a timber truss is or what a truss designer does: “The video has been disseminated around the various elements of the Department of Work and Pensions in the Wiltshire area. It has helped them understand what a truss designer does. Now they can have an informed conversation about our vacancies with their ‘Clients’. The job centre staff said they were delighted with the video. They found it most helpful.”

“Where once we’d advertise for a ‘trainee truss designer’, we now advertise our vacancies as ‘Design Assistant – Homes’ to make the job more appealing to a younger audience.  It’s worked.”

“We need people for long-term employment, with a desire to learn how to use a computer to become designers of the future and in turn, to help us solve problems for our customers. The videos are a really useful tool to show what is involved in the roles we have on offer. It’s a great industry to be part of.”

To get a link to the ‘Careers in Timber Engineering’ toolkit and all its downloadable resources – including videos, presentation for students and promotional leaflets – please contact us.

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Trussed Rafter Association