Construction: a career built for an AI-driven future
For decades, the construction industry has faced a persistent challenge in addressing workforce and skills shortage. At the same time, the nature of work is changing rapidly. Artificial intelligence is already transforming industries around the world, reshaping roles and creating understandable questions about what the future of employment will look like.
Which jobs will change? Which roles will disappear and what skills will still be valuable in ten or twenty years’ time?
Construction is, of course, embracing AI advances too. AI and other technologies have the potential to improve everything from design and planning to project management, safety and productivity.
But there is another side to the story: the construction industry still depends on practical, hands-on skills and the ability to apply technical knowledge in complex, constantly changing physical environments.
That is particularly true in specialist areas of construction such as structural repair, waterproofing and infrastructure maintenance, where experience and practical judgement remain critical.
AI can’t climb inside a reservoir and work out why a joint is leaking.
It can’t expose a section of deteriorating concrete and adapt the repair methodology based on what it revealed.
It can’t replicate the judgement that comes from years spent understanding how structures, materials and repair systems behave in the real world.
In construction, the question isn’t simply “Which jobs will AI replace?”, but whether practical skills and hands-on experience are about to become even more valuable.
The value of learning on the job
Conversations on site can be revealing when it comes to understanding what motivates people. One of the things we consistently hear, both from our own teams and from people working alongside us, is a desire to keep learning and broaden their skillset.
There is often genuine enthusiasm about gaining the next qualification or ‘ticket’, whether that involves plant operation, specialist installation techniques or certification in a particular method. For many people, a career in construction offers a clear opportunity to keep developing.
At TSM, that applies to people at every stage of their careers. We support people across the business to continue learning, developing their skills and gaining experience. Whether someone is relatively new to their career or has spent years working in the industry, there is always an opportunity to broaden their knowledge and develop their capabilities as the work we undertake becomes increasingly technical.
The range of skills involved in our work reflects that. Our teams undertake training in areas including confined-space entry, slinger/signaller operations, IPAF MEWP use, PASMA tower certification and 360 excavator operation. They also develop specialist competencies in areas such as hydrodemolition and specialist coating applications, alongside the broader technical knowledge required for structural repair, waterproofing and asset protection.
These qualifications are valuable in their own right, but they also provide a foundation on which people can continue to build their careers.
Formal qualifications are only part of what makes someone effective on a specialist construction project. Some of the most valuable knowledge comes through experience and is developed gradually by working alongside other people and dealing with the realities of site conditions.
A project rarely unfolds in precisely the way it was envisaged on paper. Conditions can be different from those expected, access can be difficult, existing structures can reveal unexpected problems and a method that works perfectly in one environment may need to be adapted in another.
Knowing how to respond to those situations is part of becoming an experienced construction professional. It involves understanding the technical requirements of the work, but also being able to assess a situation, adapt a method where appropriate, recognise potential problems and work safely when circumstances change.
That knowledge is not necessarily represented by a certificate, but it is every bit as important to the successful delivery of a project.
At TSM, our teams have the opportunity to develop both. They can gain recognised qualifications and specialist competencies while accumulating the practical experience that comes from working on real projects. The combination is particularly valuable in specialist infrastructure work, where technical knowledge and practical judgement need to work together.
Importantly, those qualifications and skills stay with the individual. People are building their own careers at the same time as they are helping us to build TSM.
Infrastructure needs people to maintain it
There is another reason why this is an interesting time to consider a career in construction, particularly within infrastructure.
Construction is not immune to economic headwinds – not least a housing market which is currently experiencing a significant slowdown. However, the UK has an enormous amount of infrastructure that will need to be maintained, repaired, upgraded and protected for decades to come. The scale of investment planned over the coming years is significant.
The water sector is a particularly good example. Ofwat’s AMP8 settlement supports around £104 billion of expenditure across England and Wales between 2025 and 2030, making it the largest investment programme the sector has seen. Much of this is not simply about constructing new assets. It includes maintaining and upgrading existing infrastructure, improving resilience and environmental performance, and ensuring the continued operation of treatment works, reservoirs, networks and other critical assets.
Water UK estimates that the investment programme will require around 50,000 recruits across the sector over the five-year period, including approximately 15,000 additional supply-chain jobs.
For people developing specialist skills in construction, that represents a substantial and sustained area of work. Infrastructure does not simply disappear when a construction project reaches completion. It has a working life, and maintaining that infrastructure requires people with the right knowledge and experience.
The same principle applies beyond water. England’s strategic road network is entering another major period of investment, with the RIS3 programme providing £27 billion between 2026 and 2031. Significantly for companies involved in infrastructure maintenance, £8.4 billion of that is specifically allocated to renewals, including major structures and road surfaces.
Rail is another example. Network Rail’s current CP7 settlement provides £43.1 billion for the operation, maintenance and renewal of Britain’s railway between 2024 and 2029, including investment in core assets such as structures and earthworks.
For TSM, these are important markets because they align closely with the specialist capabilities we are developing within the business. Concrete repair, cathodic protection, waterproofing, joint replacement, strengthening, protective coatings and other forms of asset protection all have an important role to play in extending the life of existing infrastructure.
You can’t build capability without investing in people
That long-term perspective also influences how we approach employment at TSM. We directly employ our operatives and invest in developing their skills because we believe that building capability within the business is a much better model than simply finding labour when a project starts and allowing that workforce to disappear when it finishes.
Coming to TSM is therefore not about joining us for one contract or one investment cycle. We are building a business around markets where specialist skills will continue to be required, and we want the people who join us to have the opportunity to develop alongside the business.
TSM is still a relatively young company and we are continuing to grow. As the business develops, new roles are being created, teams are becoming larger and opportunities are emerging for people to take on greater responsibility.
There is no single route through the business. Someone joining as an operative can develop into a skilled specialist, supervisor, works manager or contracts manager. Others may find opportunities in different areas of the business as their experience and interests develop.
What matters to us is not that everyone follows the same path, but that people have the opportunity to progress if they have the right attitude, are willing to learn and take pride in what they do.
Building careers alongside infrastructure
The construction industry will undoubtedly continue to change. Technology will change the way projects are designed, planned and delivered, and some roles will evolve as a result.
But there will continue to be a need for people who understand materials, structures and construction methods, operate equipment safely, and who can apply their knowledge when conditions on site are not quite as expected.
That creates opportunities for people, too. They can gain qualifications, develop specialist expertise, accumulate experience and take on increasing responsibility, while working on projects that contribute to the maintenance and improvement of infrastructure that people and businesses rely on every day.
For anyone considering their next step, construction – and particularly the specialist infrastructure sector – offers the opportunity to keep learning, keep developing and build a career around skills that will continue to have real-world value.
Human qualities will always matter
One final thought: at TSM, we appreciate personal attributes and values just as much as skills and experience.
Earlier this year, one of our young site operatives, Will Lewis, typified the values that we believe in. While driving back from a project in Skegness, Will spotted an elderly man stranded at the roadside with a flat tyre. Numerous cars had already passed without stopping, but Will pulled over, rolled up his sleeves and helped the gentleman get safely back on the road.
Will is a very self-effacing lad and would no doubt be a touch embarrassed to be named, but his caring nature and selfless spirit are qualities that matter enormously to TSM. They also remind us that, as AI becomes an ever-growing part of our lives and industries, there are certain very human qualities that remain irreplaceable – nowhere more so than in construction.
