According to a new study, the majority of polled young Britons were unable to correctly identify differences between various sectors within the construction industry. ‘Welders’, ‘Glaziers’ and ‘Dredgers’ were revealed as the roles in the construction industry which Britons had the biggest problem identifying.

New research conducted by a leading business insurance website in the UK has revealed how well-known different trades within the industry are. Looking to uncover the levels of awareness of the construction industry amongst the general public, the survey revealed that the majority of young Britons today are not sure what different roles entail.

The team at www.constructaquote.com polled a total of 2,039 participants, all of whom were aged 18-35 years old, for the purposes of the study. There was an even gender divide amongst respondents and, in order to collect a set of valid results, each individual taking part had never worked within the construction industry themselves.

Respondents were given a list of ten trades within the construction industry and asked to summarise in one or two simple sentences what each trade entailed. The trades, ranked in order of the amount of participants correctly able to give a correct description, were as follows:

1. Lorry/van driver – (99%) (% of respondents who could correctly describe the trade)
2. Carpet layer- (96%)
3. Plumber- (93%)
4. Plasterer- (90%)
5. Electrician- (83%)
6. Labourer- (78%)
7. Mason- (61%)
8. Welder- (51%)
9. Glazier- (48%)
10. Dredger- (39%)

Of participants taking part in the study, almost half claimed that they had never heard of a welder, a glazier or a dredger.  Furthermore, of the 7% of individuals unable to give a correct definition of an electrician, almost one fifth (19%) believed that this was a job linked to the entertainment industry i.e. electronic music.

When asked if they had ever realised that there was such a vast amount of trades within the construction industry, the majority (67%) admitted that they hadn’t. A further 18% revealed to researchers that they would make an active effort to look into the opportunities available in the construction industry as a young person.

Lyndon Wood, CEO and Creator of constructaquote.com, made the following comments regarding the findings of the study:

“I think it’s really important to highlight the fact that such a huge proportion of young Britons polled in our study were unable to correctly describe various construction trades which, 50 years ago, would have been a hell of a lot more commonplace in the UK.”

He continued:

“If schools put a tenth as much emphasis on teaching their pupils about the wide array of options available in the sectors as overlooked as construction, then I would hazard to guess that there would be a lot less 18 year olds leaving school totally clueless and stuck for what to choose as a career path!”