EU workers a short-term fix for skills gap

Access to more foreign workers through the expansion of the European Union is not a long-term fix to the UK's skills shortage, CITB-ConstructionSkills has warned.
With just three days to go before 10 more states join the EU, CITB-ConstructionSkills director of training strategy Sheila Hoile told CJ: "We must be mindful that the expected influx of foreign workers could be a temporary solution to the skills gaps in this country. Many of the countries will receive significant investment in the coming years, which may encourage workers to return home to find employment.
"Employers mustn't depend on this perceived increase in labour from foreign countries to fill their vacancies long-term," she added.
National Federation of Build-ers (NFB) spokesman Paul Kend-rick said EU expansion represents a major opportunity to help plug some of the skills gaps, but language skills must be addressed.
"The government - whether UK or European - should talk to the CITB to ensure the appropriate language training is provided, as well as ensuring basic literacy and numeracy skills," he added.
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) echoed the NFB's stance. It wants the industry to provide basic English lessons for immigrant workers. "A fluent workforce would be a safer and more productive one," an RICS spokesman said.