The construction sector is breaking.
The data reveals a crisis deeper than the skills shortage everyone talks about. The numbers tell a story most people in construction education miss.
The Crisis Behind the Crisis
Industry insolvencies hit 4,287 over the past year. Up 33.2% from 2019.
Construction now leads every sector in business failures.
But here’s what the headlines miss: these aren’t just companies running out of cash. They don’t know how to manage contracts.
The UK’s £700 billion infrastructure pipeline is the largest opportunity in a generation. Most of these projects will use NEC contracts.
Yet companies are failing because they can’t navigate contracts.
The Knowledge Gap Widens
Technical skills get attention. Contractual literacy gets ignored. Result: expensive mistakes that kill margins.
The government just announced mandatory CPD requirements starting January 2025. Five surveyors have already been sanctioned since 2023 for failing to complete required hours.
Three were expelled entirely.
Professional development is now survival.
The Educational Opportunity Emerges
Infrastructure spending plus mandatory CPD creates demand for contract education.
Companies that master NEC contracts will win big from the infrastructure boom. Those that don’t will join the insolvency statistics.
The market is splitting: companies with contract expertise and companies failing.
Strategic Positioning Insights
Three factors create opportunity for education providers:
Crisis-driven demand. Companies are realizing that contract ignorance costs more than contract education.
Regulatory pressure. Mandatory CPD requirements force professional investment in continuing education.
Market concentration. As weak players exit, remaining companies need competitive advantages that specialized knowledge provides.
The education crisis creates opportunity.
The question becomes: who captures the value when companies realize they need to learn?