As reports of skilled labourers and builder shortages continue, and with South African tradespeople being targeted to work in Ireland, new research has highlighted an appetite amongst Irish people for increasing exposure to trade skills within the school environment.
According to new research from the Homevalue Group, 87% of all people polled agreed that trade skills should be encouraged more at a school level.
Building on that, and as people struggle to access skilled tradespeople for routine work around the house, more than half of those surveyed (62%) wish they had greater exposure to building and DIY skills, which might allow them to be more active at home.
Just 3 in 10 (29%) say they have any experience working on a building site or with someone with a trade or skill, to help develop their own DIY skills.
More than half of all those polled (53%) believe that everyone should get some experience working on a building site to develop some key skills which they may use later in life, regardless of their profession.
As people struggle to access tradespeople, burgeoning DIY enthusiasts in need of upskilling, or to get something done around the house, have turned to the following alternatives to get up to speed:
- 67% – Would go to a family member or friend first for help with a DIY project.
- 50% – Said they would generally go to a local hardware store for DIY advice.
- 44% – Always turn to Tradespersons for any DIY projects required around their home.
- 38% – Have followed a social media DIY account for inspiration and guidance on their plans.
The Homevalue Group through their website homevalue.ie are seeking to engage all stakeholders by providing content including blogs, solutions, and useful tips being available to help refine consumers skills in DIY and construction and are advocating a visit to one of their nationwide stores to speak with one of their many DIY experts.
Despite the increased appetite for DIY skills, there is growing evidence to suggest that there has been a shift away from encouraging young adults to take up a career in trades, skills, and apprenticeships at secondary and Leaving Certificate level, in favour of promoting university-level studies.
Speaking about the research, David Shakeshaft, Commercial Director with United Hardware, said: “The findings show an awareness of the difficulties faced in accessing skilled tradespeople, and also highlight a number of creative ways in which people are trying to bridge these gaps themselves.
A trade career can be an extremely fulfilling and a rewarding career choice, but many believe not enough is being done to encourage younger people to pursue this pathway, over university and college-level studies. Further, DIY know-how is an extremely self-fulfilling way to get bits and pieces done when you’re most in need. Anyone in need of some extra advice or information can always engage with their local Homevalue store for advice, tips and tricks to help with any DIY job, big or small.”
Of those polled, the survey found that almost 4 in 10 (38%) claim that they enjoy doing as much as they can around the house and would consider themselves DIY enthusiasts, with just over a quarter (27%) claiming that they enjoy supporting others and learning to do a few bits around the house but would not be confident without some guidance. The research for Homevalue was conducted by Empathy Research who polled over 1,000 adults.
