IDE President urges demolition industry to rethink recruitment

Adrian McLean and Stephen McCann of the IDE.

Speaking at the IDE’s autumn seminar in London, attended by over 100 demolition professionals, McLean said the industry faces the same challenges with retaining young talent as any other industry.

He argued that too many young people are being pushed into university rather than entering practical roles, where they can gain experience and progress into management or start their own businesses.

“People have looked down their noses at careers like construction and demolition for too long,” McLean said.

“It’s going to be a huge part of our nation’s economy for the next generation and we need to encourage our young people into work, to learn responsibility and become decent contributors to society.”

The seminar also featured presentations on innovation, technology, and safety in demolition.

Highlights included James Simpson and Nic Matheson from McGee on façade retention for historic structures, Rory Kilpatrick from Tender Mole on AI in tendering, and Tim Lohmann of Keltbray on low-carbon opportunities.

Meanwhile, Wayne Bagnall MBE discussed asbestos and demolition challenges in heritage buildings, and Laurance Mosley from Bath-based YourEco discussed the DC current risks when decommissioning solar installations safely.