IDE on global growth, skills crisis and the future of demolition

Established to recognise demolition engineering as a specialist discipline, the IDE was created in 1976 by members of the National Federation of Demolition Contractors (NFDC) in the UK.

The two bodies still exist in harmony today with the NFDC serving its company members, while the IDE represents individuals and expertise. Adrian McLean, who is operations director at Armac Group, took over as president in 2024, vowing to increase membership across the UK and the world, while “maintaining our high standards of excellence.”

“The IDE was set up by a group of forward-thinking professionals who recognised that demolition engineering should be acknowledged as a distinct discipline because of the broad range of expertise and cross-sector experience it requires,” he said.

Increasing international reach

As the only organisation in the world that champions demolition engineering, the IDE has recently taken a major step towards its goal to grow across the globe by setting up its first international chapter covering the Asia-Pacific region.

This is currently led from Australia by Scott Chalmers from demolition contractors Demex as chair, with Philip Whitting from RVA Group as vice chair and Oli White (also Demex) taking on the role of secretary.

“We set an ambitious target to grow membership by 10% year on year, but with around 500 existing members in the UK, that would mean recruiting an additional 50 members in the first year alone and increasing further each year after that,” explained Stephen McCann, managing director of Perses Group.

“So, to achieve sustainable growth at that scale, we recognised we needed to look beyond these shores. Australia was a natural fit for expansion, given its Commonwealth ties, English-speaking market, similar legislation and the strong presence of British professionals already working there.”

But the ambition doesn’t stop there. The broader vision is to push growth in Asia and then potentially establish a chapter for that region, separate to Australia and New Zealand. The IDE is also looking to South Africa, North America and mainland Europe, as membership in those countries is also increasing.

International reputation of excellence

One of the reasons behind the expansion is the excellent reputation of the UK demolition industry. It is viewed internationally as highly regulated, technically advanced and competitive, with British Standard BS 6187 heavily influencing international standards.

“Britain is still considered to be at the cutting edge. It remains the most competitive and tightly regulated demolition market in the world,” commented McCann. “What really surprised me when I started working internationally was how much other countries admire and look to the UK as the benchmark.”

International demand for this expertise is growing with UK consultants and engineers increasingly working on projects overseas. This is particularly noticeable in sectors such as petrochemical demolition, offshore decommissioning and wind energy infrastructure.

IDE president Adrian McLean, seen here at the EDA 2026 convention, in Dublin (Image: EDA)

“Clients are realising the value of employing a demolition engineer and that’s spreading worldwide, whether that’s in the Middle East, the Far East or the USA and Canada. And the IDE is the only organisation offering this in the whole world. There’s nothing else like it, we’re unique,” added McLean.

Labour issues and image problems

However, despite its excellent reputation, the industry faces severe skills shortages and a growing recruitment crisis, a situation viewed by the IDE president as critical.

McLean has spoken at length about the problems faced by the demolition industry in attracting young people into the field, making it his mission champion proper training and development to make it a more attractive career path.

The same issue can be observed across construction and most other physically demanding industries, but why is it so difficult to recruit for demolition engineering jobs specifically?

“Demolition is a highly skilled but poorly understood trade with an image problem. It is physically demanding work with workers expected to handle a huge range of tasks, from all types of equipment and machines, asbestos removal and structural dismantling to temporary works, concrete and steel operations,” explained McCann.

He declared, “In fact, demolition is the most multi-disciplined game in the business, it’s like the special forces of construction.”

But while demolition operatives are some of the most skilled people in the entire construction bracket, but that not how they’re perceived publicly. Howard Button highlighted that the problem persists even within the building industry itself where demolition engineers are still regarded “as the lowest or the low.”

The obvious reluctance of some young people to enter any job in construction or demolition is another hurdle, said McCann: “They simply don’t want to work in physical trades anymore. Instead, they want to be YouTubers, influencer or gamers. But that’s across the board: it’s hard to find mechanics, it’s hard to find bricklayers.”

Training and education needed

The absence of formal education and persistent funding issues are further compounding a difficult situation.

One of the core pillars of the IDE is professional education, and the institute believes that creating clear training pathways will be essential if demolition is to attract the next generation of engineers.

Too often young people are encouraged into higher education, often without equal consideration being given to technical careers and apprenticeships, said McLean, explaining that demolition offers rewarding, highly skilled careers, but these opportunities are most often overlooked.

The organisation has developed a Demolition Diploma at HNC/HND level, designed to provide a recognised technical qualification while creating a route into higher education. The longer-term ambition is to establish a clear pathway from vocational training through to postgraduate study.

Those plans have, however, have faced delays. A proposed university master’s degree in demolition engineering has been pushed back until 2027 following curriculum revisions and university scheduling issues, although the IDE is continuing discussions with universities both in the UK and internationally.

Funding also remains a significant concern. Rising apprenticeship costs and ongoing shortages in training funding are limiting opportunities for employers.

Rising technical demands

Alongside the recruitment crisis, new technical demands placed on demolition engineers continue to increase.

The growth of renewable energy infrastructure, changing waste streams, increasingly complex hazardous materials, recycling requirements and evolving environmental legislation all require broader engineering knowledge than before.

Solar panel recycling, petrochemical decommissioning and offshore structures are just some examples of sectors creating new technical challenges for contractors, said McLean adding that “more issues are coming to the fore all the time”.

With these developments in mind, the IDE alongside the NFDC has been asked to help revise the BS 6187 Code of Practice for Full and Partial Demolition – last revised in 2011 – and review the UK Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) guidance notes on demolition.

Demolition engineering is evolving into a globally recognised specialist profession, but while demand for UK expertise remains strong, workforce shortages threaten its future, and image problems persist.

The industry must improve its public perception, modernise recruitment methods and find more training pathways to attract the next generation of specialists.

“The IDE is at the forefront of demolition engineering. We’re acknowledging the problems in the industry, and we’re trying to look at them, adapt them and overcome them through our various initiatives and industry engagement,” concluded IDE president McLean.