Construction companies in the Vysočina region are lacking craftsmen, and the youth are not interested

Jihlava - Construction companies in the Vysočina region have been receiving more and more contracts lately. They are currently assisted by the unusually warm winter during construction. Due to the development of construction, the demand for quality craftsmen is rising, but there has been a long-term shortage of them in the region. Young people are not interested in apprentice trades such as bricklaying, carpentry, but also in painting or plumbing, even though some companies offer scholarships during their studies, ČTK found out. The youth is deterred by the fact that it is physically demanding work, as well as lower wages.
    According to some entrepreneurs, due to the lack of workers, large companies occasionally buy small businesses or bind them with contracts to work exclusively for them. "There is a demand for all construction trades. There is a competition for quality craftsmen," said Martin Pertl from the Vysočina Construction Association.
    In the first three quarters of last year, construction companies in the region increased their basic production year-on-year by more than 13 percent to 5.5 billion crowns, according to the Czech Statistical Office. For the entire year of 2005, construction production in the region increased by 17 percent. Residential buildings, factories, stores, and roads are being built.
    Despite this, some workers have left the construction industry. Companies with more than 20 employees employed about 7,000 people last autumn, which is nearly 2 percent less than the previous year. The average gross wage in this sector rose year-on-year by 8.6 percent to 16,380 crowns. However, at this time, it lagged behind the average wages in industry in Vysočina by 2,300 crowns.
    Of the 24,000 children currently attending secondary schools in Vysočina, about 38 percent are in apprenticeship fields. "In 1990, this ratio was reversed - there were 60 percent apprentices," stated Zdeněk Ludvík from the regional education department. He added that interest in vocational training is continually declining. Exceptions include fields such as hairdressing, cooking, serving, and automotive mechanics.
    Thanks to the large number of job opportunities and rising wages in large engineering companies, young people have recently shown more interest in previously unpopular engineering fields. Interest in construction trades remains low. "We are trying to maintain these fields even at the cost of it costing us quite a lot of money; we have classes with ten and eight apprentices," Ludvík said. Otherwise, the school would have to let go of skilled teachers. "Then we wouldn't be able to get them back," he explained.
    Construction and engineering companies have started cooperating with schools and are trying to motivate apprentices with scholarships. For example, the Žďár construction company PKS Holding offers them up to 1,600 crowns per month if they promise to work for them for four years after completing their training. Josef Košičár from the company's HR department said that it is difficult to find skilled workers even abroad. Good Slovak craftsmen find jobs at home, Ukrainians often lack the necessary qualifications, and they need work permits in the EU.
    According to Ludvík, sometimes young people are not even motivated by monetary support. Recently, only 12 out of 30 students at one engineering vocational school accepted it. "Children do not want to be tied down," he believes. Almost 40 percent of those trained seek jobs in other fields, while about half of the remaining ones continue their studies.

> Interview with the director of the company Podzimek and Sons, Jan Podzimek