‘Levelling Up’ Demand For High Quality Welfare Units

Despite the fact that the UK economy is thought to be facing a recession, new figures show that an extra 225,000 construction workers may be needed by 2027, due to investment in major infrastructure projects and initiatives such as the Levelling Up Fund. The ability to attract new staff into the sector will be vital if construction firms are to deliver on these projects.

Levelling Up

Announced by the UK Government in November 2020 as part of its Spending Review, the Levelling Up Fund is designed to invest in “local infrastructure that has a visible impact on people and their communities and will support economic recovery.”

The Fund, which is worth £4.8 billion, is part of the Government’s wider “levelling up” agenda – a set of policies that aim to address the longstanding issue of regional economic disparities – often referred to as the North/South divide.

The first two funding rounds focused on three investment themes – transport projects, town centre and high street regeneration and cultural investment.

Round 2 saw £672 million awarded to develop better transport links, £821 million to kick-start community regeneration and £594 million to restore local heritage sites.

Successful bids, which were announced in January 2023, included the Eden Project North in Morecambe, a new AI campus in Blackpool, a major regeneration scheme in Gateshead, and a new rail link in Cornwall.

Wider Construction Roadmap

The Levelling Up Fund forms just part of the wider construction roadmap for the UK, which despite the current economic downturn, paints an optimistic picture for the future of the industry, with major infrastructure, civil engineering and construction projects including:

• Heathrow expansion
• The new hospitals programme
• Houses of Parliament
• HS2 rail tunnelling
• Hinkley Point C

In fact, according to the latest Construction Skills Network (CSN) report, an extra 225,000 construction workers may be needed by 2027, with the UK’s construction output remaining above pre-pandemic levels at £15.13bn in the latest Office for National Statistics figures.

Ongoing Skills Shortage

Construction firms involved in the delivery of these projects will have to compete for staff, as the industry continues to struggle with an ongoing skills shortage and fewer young people entering the workforce.

Firms looking to attract new talent will need to set themselves apart from their competitors and one way to do this is by providing an attractive and comfortable working environment.

In 2014, a study by the British Council for Offices found that 45% of workers said that they would change their job for another one if the working environment was better; even if their role, salary and benefits were to stay the same.

Greater Productivity and Improved Staff Retention

Inclusive, high quality welfare facilities are important for health and wellbeing. A positive welfare environment will improve productivity and have a positive impact by attracting a more diverse and skilled workforce to the industry.

Quality Welfare Attracts Diversity

Our Oasis® welfare units are renowned for their of high-quality facilities that provide comfort and convenience for site staff. The secure, self-contained units are designed to have a positive impact on health and safety and staff wellbeing, leading to greater productivity and improved staff retention.

Each welfare unit provides sites with office and/or canteen facilities, a 24/7 drying room with silent overnight heating, and one or two toilets.

Our extensive Oasis Welfare range offers shower, faith toilet and accessible toilet options too.

Their flexible design supports agile working and makes it easy to scale projects up or down according to changing requirements.

What’s more, our EcoMax product is the only two-storey instant start unit on the market, featuring comfortable meeting rooms and office space on the second floor.

Chosen by leading contractors across the UK, Oasis welfare units reduce logistical restraints on where staff welfare accommodation is situated, and crucially, the original Oasis ‘instant start’ concept means that firms don’t need to wait for connections in order to start work.

Sustainable Welfare Solutions

As part of our commitment to delivering sustainable welfare solutions that support our clients’ net zero carbon aims, our Oasis Welfare units are also designed to minimise environmental impact. They achieve this by significantly reducing the carbon, noise and costs that are associated with traditional site welfare units.

The latest Oasis EcoLogic Solar welfare units are completely self-contained, static cabins, silently powered by Advante’s EcoLogic Solar hybrid technology. This generates year-round, renewable energy, limiting the use of the generator and reducing carbon footprint and running costs even further.

The units are also fully recyclable, with each cabin being refurbished and redeployed upon project completion.

With exciting industry growth on the horizon, now’s the time to start planning how you’ll recruit and retain the staff needed to deliver these projects.