Apprenticeships: engineering matters

Moreover, organisations need to create space for people with these skills, because this isn’t always the case at the moment.. It’s also important to acknowledge the work that is already being done in this area.

The purpose is to examine how we begin to design for automation, as well as to determine what level of automation is appropriate on-site.We’ve also been exploring automation in construction at component level.

This is done via our work with Landsec and Easi Space at our Construction Platforms Research Centre in Ropley.This would include approaches like laser cutting components, and the use of autonomous reach stackers to place components.. As we move forward with automation in construction, we won’t need as many people on site.The operatives who are there will be working much more safely, with greater productivity.

They are likely to be part of multi-skilled gangs, trained with the know-how to assemble a whole range of components, as opposed to each individual having a single trade.These teams will be able to build a hospital one day, a school the next, and a set of apartments the day after.

Each project will use the same, standardised components.

We hope that giving people the skills to perform a range of tasks, versus one repetitive task, will also lead to greater job satisfaction and productivity, as it has in the manufacturing industry..Adopting more open source methods, perhaps akin to Wikipedia, could offer a solution.

For example, Highways England is currently transforming the.Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB).

into a new form, aiming to set the standard for engineering documents in the digital future.This could present an interesting model.. Another example where UK construction has excelled in this regard is with BIM.