Attraction of youth to the construction sector The example of Under Construction III Plenary Meeting of Sectoral Social Dialogue in Paper industry Brussels, 12th October 12th October 2012 Riccardo Viaggi Secretary General European Builders Confederation The Voice of Construction Crafts and SMEs in Europe

Established in 1990  22 members & partners - 17 MS  Exclusively SMEs and crafts  2 millions construction crafts and SMEs  Takes part in sectoral social dialogue

The EU Construction Sector The Voice of Construction Crafts and SMEs in Europe 3 million enterprises 92% < 10 employees 80% of the turnover 67% of the employment

Under Construction III  2 goals to adress the demographic challenge  Find ways to keep construction workers longer in employment and act in term of active ageing Attract young people to the sector 1/2

Under Construction III2/2 Support from DG Employment + Thrid project of a series since 2007 TOOLS Theorical : High level conferences to gather ideas through Europe Enhance Social Dialogue to support enterprises of the construction sector to attract young workers Strong interaction and Exchange of best practices between the participants Practical Participation in Wordskills Europe  idea of proximity and detail : for training and Excellence of apprentices Skills competition EuroSkills which is about competences and exchange for young workers

Lack of interest from the young : Causes  Physical difficulty of work  Lack of career paths  Poor quality Training  lack of help and training from elder workers  Lack of involvement of social partners in training (some MS)  Poor image of the construction sector  Lack of communication and information from sector ECONOMIC CRISIS – little help from the government

Lack of interest : Consequences  Ageing of workers  10% of employee between 25 and 29 in 2020 !!  Raise of dependency ratio* (from 30% today to 52% in 2060)  Job losses  Impossibility for craftsmen to sell their business Dangerous fall in productivity of the sector

Possible solutions / 1  Promote the sector among young workers  Mentoring to help young workers insert  Cooperation with training operators and SP  Better apprenticeship programmes  Use European mobility as an additional attraction Skills competition to develop Excellence

Example of EuroSkills  Skills competition towards Excellence  European Competition of young workers  Because today’s apprentices are tomorrow’s craftsmen and workers  Brings great value to training schools, enterprises, and young workers  Factor of motivation and attraction for other young people  Develop mobility in the sector

Possible solutions / 2  ENTREPRENEURSHIP  Supporting Business transfer & business creation  Remove financial and administrative barriers  Social dialogue and role of paritarian institutions  Improve working conditions and health awereness

The Voice of Construction Crafts and SMEs in Europe Riccardo Viaggi Secretary General EBC