The event, co-hosted by Dundee & Angus Chamber of Commerce and Dundee City Council, attracted industry experts and local construction businesses keen to see sustainable growth in the local construction industry.
Around 130 people attended the event, which included a session on unlocking the skills potential and an overview of the opportunities and challenges in the construction sector nationally.
Delegates heard there was huge demand from young people to get into the construction industry which offers more than 100 different roles, but more work needed to be done to achieve greater gender balance and connect young people with the jobs the sector offers.
Keynote speakers included Robin Blacklock, Chair of the Scottish Property Federation, Allan Rae, Land Director for Kirkwood Homes and Steven Smith, Development Manager for Scottish Water and Calum Murray, Director, CCG (Scotland) Ltd.
Attendees heard of the need for the industry to change, and build in a way that looks to future construction methods as well as adhering to current building standards.
The need to develop a culture of partnership working was also addressed, with construction firms urged to develop relationships inside the sector beyond individual projects, as well as closer working relationships between the public and private sectors.
Alison Henderson of the Dundee and Angus Chamber of Commerce said: “The event has been a huge success, not just in terms of the number of people who attended, but also the very positive feedback organisers had received.
“A lot of ground was covered, including the role of the sector in the circular economy and the move towards carbon neutrality and how construction firms can help alleviate the issue of flooding for example;
“The construction industry is hugely important across the region and today’s conference very much underlined that.”
A stakeholder group will now be formed which would take forward the issues raised during the conference and invited businesses and individuals to join.
She said: “It is early days for the stakeholder group, but I would invite anyone interested in joining to get in touch as we move forward.”
Thanks to Jim Miller, Mhairi Edwards and the Courier for their coverage of the event
Next steps:
The event attendees will be invited to share feedback on the day and note their interest in joining a new cross-sector stakeholder group to address local barriers and unlock potential. If you are interested in this group, please email us on info@dundeeandanguschamber.co.uk
The event was held during Tay Cities Business Month - if you would like to see what else is on during February, visit www.taycitiesbusinessmonth.co.uk
Dundee City Council
Dundee draws skilled workers from a 60-minute catchment population of 640,000 and has a local population of over 140,000. The availability of a large pool of highly skilled labour is a key feature in the Dundee economy. Flexibility in the labour force is currently more prevalent in Dundee than in Scotland as a whole. All forms of labour market flexibility - part-time, temporary employment, self-employment and shift work - are widely operational within the city. Labour force stability in the city is excellent, enabling companies to plan with confidence. Labour turnover levels are less than 5% and absenteeism averages 2%.
Dundee & Angus Chamber of Commerce
As the leading business membership organisation in Dundee & Angus and part of the worldwide long-established Chamber of Commerce brand, we help local businesses to connect, communicate and develop for business benefit.
