Young people urged to take up traditional careers

Young people are being urged to ditch dreams of becoming social media influencers and opt for more traditional roles that will give them more security.

The Government has a policy of building 300,000 new homes per year to tackle housing shortages, but is falling short of meeting this target.

And a leading trades training boss has insisted a lack of young people entering careers such as plumbing and electrical trades has created a chronic skills shortage to provide much-needed housing.

Ricky Sharma, managing director of Engineering Real Results (ERR), said:

“For many years, there has been a huge emphasis placed on students going to universities and getting a degree in whatever subject they want.

“But the result of that has been that there are lots of people with degrees coming out of their ears but without practical experience that will benefit them in their careers.

“Many millenialls and Gen Z‘s don’t want to work with their hands and are influenced by social media to become influencers, YouTubers and gamers. 

“As a result the normal infill from young people has diminished, leaving a shortfall of skilled tradespeople.

“Many of the careers that will be absolutely vital in the future are practical skills-based, such as plumbing, electricians and welders.

“ERR is bridging the skills gap by allowing people from different age groups and other industries without suffering any income losses.”

ERR specialises in providing skills and training in trades including plumbing, gas, electrics, welding and renewable industries. 

It has training centres up and down the country including Yorkshire, Southampton, Wolverhampton, Hertfordshire and Essex.

Its students come from a range of backgrounds, from people entering the world of work to those who are changing careers and industries completely.

And Mr Sharma is urging young people to consider their future careers carefully to protect themselves against an ever-changing world where technology and artificial intelligence will only continue to become more prominent.

He added: “As the UK continues its drive towards carbon reduction, and as technological advances such as robotics and AI become more influential, more people are becoming aware of the need to develop skills and experience that will be relevant in the future.

“They are very aware that some traditional careers such as factory workers, retail assistants, and writing and editing are increasingly under threat from robotics and AI platforms such as ChatGPT.

“It’s a trend that’s having a major impact across the UK jobs market, and more and more people are considering how hands-on jobs and trades such as electricians, plumbers and welders will continue to be highly in demand.

“Of all trades in 2024, electrical training probably has the greatest prospects because the sector has huge numbers of vacancies and more and more things are now becoming electric.

“Robotics can’t survive without an electrical engineer to install and maintain them, homes and businesses will continue to need plumbers and welding is a skill that is used across any number of industries, from automotive to aerospace.”

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