TALKING TO… ENDA MCGUANE

Ireland’s construction industry needs an additional 100,000 workers. The new President of the Society of Chartered Surveyors outlines how we can scale up employment over the next decade

As SCSI President, what issues will you be addressing?
One of the most pressing issues is a shortage of skills. It’s one of the main constraints on the country’s ability to address the housing crisis, as well as key infrastructural and commercial developments. Over 100,000 workers are needed in the Irish property, land and construction sectors over the next decade and that includes thousands of surveyors. A report carried out by the SCSI recently found that if the economy grows by 4% per annum, there’ll be a shortage of almost 1,100 chartered surveyors between now and 2026.

What needs to be done to increase employment in the sector?
Education is key. A priority for me in my role as SCSI President is enhancing the Society’s role in education and exploring how it can improve the built environment’s performance from a sustainability perspective. The SCSI puts a huge focus on education, on developing people’s skills through lifelong learning but also giving them the option to change careers. On a very practical level, the SCSI goes into schools to help young people understand that there’s a whole new raft of construction-related jobs out there, roles that didn’t exist 10 or 15 years ago. New ways of building, such as modular construction, are changing the types of roles that are required in construction today. The Society currently encompasses all surveying courses run across several third-level institutes in Ireland. I want to build on those relationships and grow the numbers of young people who choose surveying or indeed construction as a career. At the moment, we’re working on a number of apprenticeships to provide people with the experience of earning while you learn. The SCSI also runs a mentoring and leadership development programme to support women in surveying, which aims to raise awareness and broaden access to the profession.

What are some of the other challenges facing construction firms today?
Inflation and rising interest rates remain challenging. I think the use of MMC also needs to be pushed across the sector. We’re providing companies with the information they need to adopt modular construction as a means of delivering projects, and housing in particular, in a more efficient, faster way. In most instances, when you talk to a construction professional they’ll tell you it’s not so much the financial savings associated with modular construction, it’s the savings in terms of programme time that really make the difference. I think if we create a more open dialogue and get that message across, we’ll see a more widespread adoption. When it comes to our planning system, I think everyone is well aware that challenges exist. What we need is consistency, open engagement and additional resourcing for planners and I think the steps that have been taken to overhaul the system are very positive.

As Asset Management Lead at the Land Development Agency, what does your role entail?
I’m responsible for cost rental housing as well as land and site management. I’ve also been working on Project Tosaigh, an initiative that’s aimed at accelerating delivery of housing on sites with full planning permission that aren’t currently being developed by private sector owners. By the end of 2026, the project will deliver up to 5,000 affordable homes for purchase or rent. However, we’re not just focused on Project Tosaigh; we’re investigating a number of ways we can support the industry.

Before joining the LDA, where did you work?
I held the role of Managing Director at Winters Property Management in Galway. WPM is the largest residential letting agency outside Dublin, managing more than 800 residential properties with approximately 2,200 tenants. It’s also one of the largest operators of student accommodation in the country. I was also an army officer for 15 years and took part in deployments to Lebanon and East Timor. That’s actually where I was first introduced to surveying as part of an artillery training course. There are, surprisingly, a host of similarities between surveying and working as an army officer – project management skills are a must, as is data driven analysis and the ability to make decisions in a timely manner.

You and your family recently moved from Galway to Dublin. How is the transition going?
It’s going well. It was a big decision but very much a family one. Thankfully, we’re all settling in. People have been very welcoming and open. In my younger days I played football with Clare and am now really enjoying coaching hurling and football with Kilmacud Crokes. Going through the moving process and experiencing the market directly definitely gave me a greater understanding of the challenges that young people are facing. In saying that, I acknowledge that it’s a far easier process for someone like me that’s established in their career, as opposed to someone who’s starting out and trying to get a place to rent or planning to get on the property ladder.

At the end of your year-long term, what would you like to have achieved?
To increase awareness around the fact that we need 100,000 additional people in the construction sector and to ensure we’re supporting our education providers with the right type of courses that will allow us to scale up. We’re also focused on continuing to do what we’ve always done and that’s providing data-driven analysis, based on detailed research, that provides context for discussion on where we are in the industry. I’m also committed to supporting our members; we have over 6,000 members across 12 practicing disciplines and we’ll continue to support them through challenging times.

It’s important that through our work, we instil confidence across the three sectors we cover and send out the message that Ireland is open for business. I think it’s important that all professions within the construction industry work together to create well-functioning construction and property sectors that will help us deliver long-term sustainable jobs and homes.

________________________________________________________________

Michael McDonnell Managing Editor of Irish Construction Industry Magazine & Plan Magazine

Email: michael@irishconstruction.com    WWW.MCDMEDIA.IE         WWW.IRISHCONSTRUCTION.COM