Reaction to national media on scaffolding shortages

The Construction Industry Scaffolder Record Scheme (CISRS) would like to respond to recent media speculation on the impact the shortage of skilled, trained scaffolders might have on the UK economy and ambitious targets for housebuilding and other major construction projects. 

Many of these reports, including an article in the Telegrapgh that quoted from an interview with NASC and CISRS Group CEO, Clive Dickin, claimed there are 34,000 scaffolders in the UK. 

This figure did not come from NASC or CISRS and is not one that either organisation recognises. There are some 68,000 CISRS cardholders in the UK (more if you include BASE cardholders, although these are not realistically able to be counted as trained, skilled scaffolders) and we are far from a situation where all working scaffolders in the UK have up-to-date CISRS cards. A more accurate estimate of the number of working scaffolders in the UK is therefore well over 100,000. 

Speaking about the erroneous statistic, Clive Dickin, NASC and CISRS Group CEO, explains, "I don't know where the 34,000 figure comes from. We know the skills shortage from direct research among members and we know from our CISRS data that the real number of working scaffolders is far higher that the figure quoted. It doesn't detract from the fact that there is a severe skills shortage today and the risk of a more dramatic cliff edge as older scaffolders retire.

"We all know that more needs to be done by government to recognise the importance and contribution of scaffolding and access. The industry is working hard on reforms that will help to boost the quantity of scaffolders, but training takes time and there are no safe shortcuts when you are working at height."