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Whats Thale building trade like where you are
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There have been a fair few new estates and developments that have been going up around here. I'm assuming that Brexit could stifle a lot of further development, until greater certainty about the economy returns.  |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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In Kent, so much be builds are going on. In the next town to me, there's three huge new housing estates with new schools being built.
Near Gravesend there's two huge projects being built. The new Dartford crossing will be built and a huge new garden city.
North Kent there's the Paramount theme park being built soon enough. Will end up similar to Disney world, so I read. |
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We will see, the building trade is generally the first thing to suffer when a recession is looming and a very good indicator of things to come.
I predicted the last one about a year before it happened as I could see the changes taking place.
However personally it seems pretty healthy at the moment things down in the south seem to be on the up.
My wages have only just gotten back up to pre 2007 levels after taking a massive hit and decreased until a low about 3years ago.
That's not to say that a recession isn't on its way but lots of large building companies learned a lot following the credit crunch, and some didn't.
The smart one's learned not to put all their eggs into one basket and not rely on cashflow on completion of projects getting into large facilities and maintenance contracts.
Whilst clients also learnt not to award national contracts to single contractors.
However it seems the NHS and carillon didn't follow that plan and both have suffered as a consequence.
It has always been a source of anger to myself that the building trade is usually the hardest hit during a recession but gets the least sympathy and publicity.
Manufacturing among others are going to be using Brexit as an excuse to pull out of the UK to be able to move to locations where labour costs are cheaper.
It always seems to be the working class who gets hit the hardest.
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I've been in the trade since 85 and managed to survive two major recessions,i put that down to not being greedy when things are good and being honest and reliable when things have been bad.
Problems are with lot's they just follow the big money it's either boom or bust with no thought to anything in between. |
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"There's hundreds of thousands of new flats and houses being built in and around London.
My borough has thousands going up at the moment. "
Yeah but they're all built by companies that flood the sites with eastern Europeans that work for £50 a day. Its making pricing jobs for smaller trade companies impossible |
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"There's hundreds of thousands of new flats and houses being built in and around London.
My borough has thousands going up at the moment.
Yeah but they're all built by companies that flood the sites with eastern Europeans that work for £50 a day. Its making pricing jobs for smaller trade companies impossible"
Very true |
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Busy at the moment but what I’ve noticed as a joinery foreman for the company I work for is we are struggling for joiners with the correct qualifications only seem to have a level 2 and as for bricklayers we can’t get seem to be a shortage of them up our way |
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"Busy at the moment but what I’ve noticed as a joinery foreman for the company I work for is we are struggling for joiners with the correct qualifications only seem to have a level 2 and as for bricklayers we can’t get seem to be a shortage of them up our way "
Yeah well that's the result of the previous recession many tradesmen leaving the industry in favour of other employment.
Also the devaluation of trade qualifications as a direct result of employer's being obsessed with "multi trades" rather than single trade.
My 4 years city and guilds advanced craft certificate is virtually worthless these days and can't even get a CSCS trade card because the CSCS people don't recognise city and guilds and because I can't provide a letter from my employer at the time due to him being dead!
It's a money making venture.
Some guy can rock up on site with minimal trade experience as long as he can pass some Dopey course that entitles him to a operatives certificate apparently that makes him fit to work on site even though he wouldn't know how to fit a fire door even if it fell on his head.
I am a fully skilled carpenter and joiner with 34 years of experience.
Yet all i am classed as these days is a multitrade.
I might as well have done a bloody yts scheme back in the day and should have become a flipping heating engineer. |
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"Busy at the moment but what I’ve noticed as a joinery foreman for the company I work for is we are struggling for joiners with the correct qualifications only seem to have a level 2 and as for bricklayers we can’t get seem to be a shortage of them up our way
Yeah well that's the result of the previous recession many tradesmen leaving the industry in favour of other employment.
Also the devaluation of trade qualifications as a direct result of employer's being obsessed with "multi trades" rather than single trade.
My 4 years city and guilds advanced craft certificate is virtually worthless these days and can't even get a CSCS trade card because the CSCS people don't recognise city and guilds and because I can't provide a letter from my employer at the time due to him being dead!
It's a money making venture.
Some guy can rock up on site with minimal trade experience as long as he can pass some Dopey course that entitles him to a operatives certificate apparently that makes him fit to work on site even though he wouldn't know how to fit a fire door even if it fell on his head.
I am a fully skilled carpenter and joiner with 34 years of experience.
Yet all i am classed as these days is a multitrade.
I might as well have done a bloody yts scheme back in the day and should have become a flipping heating engineer."
few years ago we where on a Laings job and the site agent said our city and guilds is no longer recognised and so was the advanced craft so we could not get a gold Cscs card my mate piped up and showed him his hands and said see them they do the talking not some daft card the bloke didn’t know what to say  |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"Busy at the moment but what I’ve noticed as a joinery foreman for the company I work for is we are struggling for joiners with the correct qualifications only seem to have a level 2 and as for bricklayers we can’t get seem to be a shortage of them up our way "
I'm qualified in all levels of carpentry including level 3 site carpentry. I also have my level 5 HND in construction management.
Plenty of us but unfortunately sexism within the construction industry is still rife. That attitude isn't going to help the industry. Shame I've experienced it and by senior managers no less.  |
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"Busy at the moment but what I’ve noticed as a joinery foreman for the company I work for is we are struggling for joiners with the correct qualifications only seem to have a level 2 and as for bricklayers we can’t get seem to be a shortage of them up our way
I'm qualified in all levels of carpentry including level 3 site carpentry. I also have my level 5 HND in construction management.
Plenty of us but unfortunately sexism within the construction industry is still rife. That attitude isn't going to help the industry. Shame I've experienced it and by senior managers no less. "
a lot of the blue chip construction companies I’ve worked for the Laings Kiers bowmer Kirkland has plenty of female site managers maybe the smaller companies still have a thing against women on sites but same can be said about a lot of industries |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"Busy at the moment but what I’ve noticed as a joinery foreman for the company I work for is we are struggling for joiners with the correct qualifications only seem to have a level 2 and as for bricklayers we can’t get seem to be a shortage of them up our way
I'm qualified in all levels of carpentry including level 3 site carpentry. I also have my level 5 HND in construction management.
Plenty of us but unfortunately sexism within the construction industry is still rife. That attitude isn't going to help the industry. Shame I've experienced it and by senior managers no less. a lot of the blue chip construction companies I’ve worked for the Laings Kiers bowmer Kirkland has plenty of female site managers maybe the smaller companies still have a thing against women on sites but same can be said about a lot of industries "
Nope. This was from my time with Morgan Sindall and Wilmott Dixon. I've never worked for any small construction company.
How many women do you see actually running entire projects as the main CM? Down here I've seen zero. I don't mean a female QS or BS. |
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"Busy at the moment but what I’ve noticed as a joinery foreman for the company I work for is we are struggling for joiners with the correct qualifications only seem to have a level 2 and as for bricklayers we can’t get seem to be a shortage of them up our way
I'm qualified in all levels of carpentry including level 3 site carpentry. I also have my level 5 HND in construction management.
Plenty of us but unfortunately sexism within the construction industry is still rife. That attitude isn't going to help the industry. Shame I've experienced it and by senior managers no less. a lot of the blue chip construction companies I’ve worked for the Laings Kiers bowmer Kirkland has plenty of female site managers maybe the smaller companies still have a thing against women on sites but same can be said about a lot of industries
Nope. This was from my time with Morgan Sindall and Wilmott Dixon. I've never worked for any small construction company.
How many women do you see actually running entire projects as the main CM? Down here I've seen zero. I don't mean a female QS or BS."
it could be that the company’s you have been at perhaps the men above had more experience it’s not all about what qualifications you have experience counts for a lot my experience with a lot of university graduates who end up running sites are they have the knowledge but sometimes lack the practical as they have no trade background now I know you are a time served joiner which should help you but perhaps you correct in you opinion on sexism but we know it should not happen in present times |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"Busy at the moment but what I’ve noticed as a joinery foreman for the company I work for is we are struggling for joiners with the correct qualifications only seem to have a level 2 and as for bricklayers we can’t get seem to be a shortage of them up our way
I'm qualified in all levels of carpentry including level 3 site carpentry. I also have my level 5 HND in construction management.
Plenty of us but unfortunately sexism within the construction industry is still rife. That attitude isn't going to help the industry. Shame I've experienced it and by senior managers no less. a lot of the blue chip construction companies I’ve worked for the Laings Kiers bowmer Kirkland has plenty of female site managers maybe the smaller companies still have a thing against women on sites but same can be said about a lot of industries
Nope. This was from my time with Morgan Sindall and Wilmott Dixon. I've never worked for any small construction company.
How many women do you see actually running entire projects as the main CM? Down here I've seen zero. I don't mean a female QS or BS. it could be that the company’s you have been at perhaps the men above had more experience it’s not all about what qualifications you have experience counts for a lot my experience with a lot of university graduates who end up running sites are they have the knowledge but sometimes lack the practical as they have no trade background now I know you are a time served joiner which should help you but perhaps you correct in you opinion on sexism but we know it should not happen in present times "
Sorry but how patronizing of you!
I have enough experience thanks! I had enough experience to pass the first stage interview process with a large company. I was clearly told by that site manager he wanted me working for them and i would be on his team if i passed the next two interview stages.
The next stage that guy said no to the job I went for. Tried offering me a lesser job. More office based job. Lol no thanks. Funny how I had enough experience and qualifications for the actual person I'd be working alongside, but not this other more senior chap!
Well I've got my foot in the door and worked hard for it and not just sat at a desk! Shame some of males in the industry don't like seeing women climb the ladder..pun intended
Going by what you're saying there's still a difference between North and South in this industry. City and Guilds are still very much accepted within the construction industry down here. Also There's plenty of British natives working on sites around here. So much so there's a Scottish guy on here who messaged me saying he's working local for 6 months. He's not the first northerner, Scot or Irishman to travel south to work on our sites. |
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"Busy at the moment but what I’ve noticed as a joinery foreman for the company I work for is we are struggling for joiners with the correct qualifications only seem to have a level 2 and as for bricklayers we can’t get seem to be a shortage of them up our way
I'm qualified in all levels of carpentry including level 3 site carpentry. I also have my level 5 HND in construction management.
Plenty of us but unfortunately sexism within the construction industry is still rife. That attitude isn't going to help the industry. Shame I've experienced it and by senior managers no less. a lot of the blue chip construction companies I’ve worked for the Laings Kiers bowmer Kirkland has plenty of female site managers maybe the smaller companies still have a thing against women on sites but same can be said about a lot of industries
Nope. This was from my time with Morgan Sindall and Wilmott Dixon. I've never worked for any small construction company.
How many women do you see actually running entire projects as the main CM? Down here I've seen zero. I don't mean a female QS or BS. it could be that the company’s you have been at perhaps the men above had more experience it’s not all about what qualifications you have experience counts for a lot my experience with a lot of university graduates who end up running sites are they have the knowledge but sometimes lack the practical as they have no trade background now I know you are a time served joiner which should help you but perhaps you correct in you opinion on sexism but we know it should not happen in present times
Sorry but how patronizing of you!
I have enough experience thanks! I had enough experience to pass the first stage interview process with a large company. I was clearly told by that site manager he wanted me working for them and i would be on his team if i passed the next two interview stages.
The next stage that guy said no to the job I went for. Tried offering me a lesser job. More office based job. Lol no thanks. Funny how I had enough experience and qualifications for the actual person I'd be working alongside, but not this other more senior chap!
Well I've got my foot in the door and worked hard for it and not just sat at a desk! Shame some of males in the industry don't like seeing women climb the ladder..pun intended
Going by what you're saying there's still a difference between North and South in this industry. City and Guilds are still very much accepted within the construction industry down here. Also There's plenty of British natives working on sites around here. So much so there's a Scottish guy on here who messaged me saying he's working local for 6 months. He's not the first northerner, Scot or Irishman to travel south to work on our sites. "
i wasn’t patronising you it’s just my opinion of what I’ve seen with my own eyes and I stand by my comments on university graduates with no trade background if I was interviewing for a senior role and it came down to let’s say a female who hadn’t had any practical experience but was equally as qualified as the male who had 20 years as a joiner then I’m afraid it would be him but if it was the other way round the female had the practical experience and he didn’t then she would get my vote simple as that in my opinion having the practical experience is better than not having it if that’s patronising then I’m sorry |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"Busy at the moment but what I’ve noticed as a joinery foreman for the company I work for is we are struggling for joiners with the correct qualifications only seem to have a level 2 and as for bricklayers we can’t get seem to be a shortage of them up our way
I'm qualified in all levels of carpentry including level 3 site carpentry. I also have my level 5 HND in construction management.
Plenty of us but unfortunately sexism within the construction industry is still rife. That attitude isn't going to help the industry. Shame I've experienced it and by senior managers no less. a lot of the blue chip construction companies I’ve worked for the Laings Kiers bowmer Kirkland has plenty of female site managers maybe the smaller companies still have a thing against women on sites but same can be said about a lot of industries
Nope. This was from my time with Morgan Sindall and Wilmott Dixon. I've never worked for any small construction company.
How many women do you see actually running entire projects as the main CM? Down here I've seen zero. I don't mean a female QS or BS. it could be that the company’s you have been at perhaps the men above had more experience it’s not all about what qualifications you have experience counts for a lot my experience with a lot of university graduates who end up running sites are they have the knowledge but sometimes lack the practical as they have no trade background now I know you are a time served joiner which should help you but perhaps you correct in you opinion on sexism but we know it should not happen in present times
Sorry but how patronizing of you!
I have enough experience thanks! I had enough experience to pass the first stage interview process with a large company. I was clearly told by that site manager he wanted me working for them and i would be on his team if i passed the next two interview stages.
The next stage that guy said no to the job I went for. Tried offering me a lesser job. More office based job. Lol no thanks. Funny how I had enough experience and qualifications for the actual person I'd be working alongside, but not this other more senior chap!
Well I've got my foot in the door and worked hard for it and not just sat at a desk! Shame some of males in the industry don't like seeing women climb the ladder..pun intended
Going by what you're saying there's still a difference between North and South in this industry. City and Guilds are still very much accepted within the construction industry down here. Also There's plenty of British natives working on sites around here. So much so there's a Scottish guy on here who messaged me saying he's working local for 6 months. He's not the first northerner, Scot or Irishman to travel south to work on our sites. i wasn’t patronising you it’s just my opinion of what I’ve seen with my own eyes and I stand by my comments on university graduates with no trade background if I was interviewing for a senior role and it came down to let’s say a female who hadn’t had any practical experience but was equally as qualified as the male who had 20 years as a joiner then I’m afraid it would be him but if it was the other way round the female had the practical experience and he didn’t then she would get my vote simple as that in my opinion having the practical experience is better than not having it if that’s patronising then I’m sorry "
You did patronize me. Experienced it enough to know when it done blatantly and slyly. Sorry, I'm not going to argue more about it. So let's leave it at that.
You also assumed I didn't have enough practical experience. You could of just asked. Sounds like you could do with working more around women. Or maybe not as some of said they receive enough grief from their woman at home! 
You know I even had a chippie say to me he couldn't take me on because his wife wouldn't like it! Lol. You may be really open-minded towards women on site (and all the site chippie lads I've worked with were lovely towards me), I'm afraid the senior managers around age 50+ aren't so open-minded. One such manager totally blanked me during a site meeting. I prefer working in a suit then my cargo trousers and polo shirt .
Attitudes within our industry has to change. |
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"Busy at the moment but what I’ve noticed as a joinery foreman for the company I work for is we are struggling for joiners with the correct qualifications only seem to have a level 2 and as for bricklayers we can’t get seem to be a shortage of them up our way
I'm qualified in all levels of carpentry including level 3 site carpentry. I also have my level 5 HND in construction management.
Plenty of us but unfortunately sexism within the construction industry is still rife. That attitude isn't going to help the industry. Shame I've experienced it and by senior managers no less. a lot of the blue chip construction companies I’ve worked for the Laings Kiers bowmer Kirkland has plenty of female site managers maybe the smaller companies still have a thing against women on sites but same can be said about a lot of industries
Nope. This was from my time with Morgan Sindall and Wilmott Dixon. I've never worked for any small construction company.
How many women do you see actually running entire projects as the main CM? Down here I've seen zero. I don't mean a female QS or BS. it could be that the company’s you have been at perhaps the men above had more experience it’s not all about what qualifications you have experience counts for a lot my experience with a lot of university graduates who end up running sites are they have the knowledge but sometimes lack the practical as they have no trade background now I know you are a time served joiner which should help you but perhaps you correct in you opinion on sexism but we know it should not happen in present times
Sorry but how patronizing of you!
I have enough experience thanks! I had enough experience to pass the first stage interview process with a large company. I was clearly told by that site manager he wanted me working for them and i would be on his team if i passed the next two interview stages.
The next stage that guy said no to the job I went for. Tried offering me a lesser job. More office based job. Lol no thanks. Funny how I had enough experience and qualifications for the actual person I'd be working alongside, but not this other more senior chap!
Well I've got my foot in the door and worked hard for it and not just sat at a desk! Shame some of males in the industry don't like seeing women climb the ladder..pun intended
Going by what you're saying there's still a difference between North and South in this industry. City and Guilds are still very much accepted within the construction industry down here. Also There's plenty of British natives working on sites around here. So much so there's a Scottish guy on here who messaged me saying he's working local for 6 months. He's not the first northerner, Scot or Irishman to travel south to work on our sites. i wasn’t patronising you it’s just my opinion of what I’ve seen with my own eyes and I stand by my comments on university graduates with no trade background if I was interviewing for a senior role and it came down to let’s say a female who hadn’t had any practical experience but was equally as qualified as the male who had 20 years as a joiner then I’m afraid it would be him but if it was the other way round the female had the practical experience and he didn’t then she would get my vote simple as that in my opinion having the practical experience is better than not having it if that’s patronising then I’m sorry
You did patronize me. Experienced it enough to know when it done blatantly and slyly. Sorry, I'm not going to argue more about it. So let's leave it at that.
You also assumed I didn't have enough practical experience. You could of just asked. Sounds like you could do with working more around women. Or maybe not as some of said they receive enough grief from their woman at home!
You know I even had a chippie say to me he couldn't take me on because his wife wouldn't like it! Lol. You may be really open-minded towards women on site (and all the site chippie lads I've worked with were lovely towards me), I'm afraid the senior managers around age 50+ aren't so open-minded. One such manager totally blanked me during a site meeting. I prefer working in a suit then my cargo trousers and polo shirt .
Attitudes within our industry has to change."
no I clearly stated that your joinery experience should of been an advantage but sometimes if your face don’t fit male or female or your not mate of a mate then your not going to get the job we all know company’s have to advertise the job and sometimes it’s already been appointed but I wasn’t patronising you |
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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I work for myself plastering in Newcastle it's slow at the minute but getting calls so looks like it may be picking up I just work for public by myself worked for big companies but money wasn't good enough |
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"It's busy again now can't believe how much it changes in the space of a week "
It's always quiet in the building trade just after the Christmas break (has been for the 20 odd years I've been in it anyway). Having said that though I've only had 3 weekdays off with no work since Christmas.
New housing estate being built in Cannock and a new multi store shopping centre being built in Cannock too.
I don't work building sites though, more domestic housing and council housing work with some private jobs in the mix, ticking over pretty well at the moment.  |
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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I only work for general public find it's better money and always get recommendations so usually I'm chocka just this January was slow but looks fine now |
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