Archie Robertson, CEO, Highways Agency

The management of infrastructure is a long term game. That’s the view of Archie Robertson when asked what issues would be affecting his organisation in 2008.

Whilst demand in major transport infrastructure only increases on average 1%-2% a year in the UK, this incremental growth does eventually translate into major investment over the long term, especially when you consider the sheer size of the projects undertaken.

Short term influences like oil prices may make it more expensive for motorists to travel, but this has yet to translate into less use of the road network and so it is unlikely that oil price inflation will have any significant impact on the Highways Agency.

However, Robertson confirms the global war for talent has had an impact on the Highways Agency. “A new generation of skills are now needed as our organisation becomes more customer-centric” he says. An ‘intelligent client’ approach, where good engineering is combined with sophisticated project planning, is being rolled out across the organisation.

With rapid economic growth in developing regions the demand for infrastructure in the UK has been outstripped by that seen globally. As a result, the career opportunities presented by globalisation have left a dearth of skilled engineers and project planners in the UK.

As with the private sector, Robertson has had to cast his net wider for the best talent “the EU can be a good source of skilled talent for us, although as the demand for skilled civil engineers continues to grow in the new economies it is likely that we will have to search ever further for the best people.”

Looking to the future Robertson would like to see the Government promote the civil engineering profession in a more positive light. “Perception has a lot to do with the worrying skills gap for good engineers in the UK. I think many young people who look at working with infrastructure see it as less glamorous than roles such as banking, law or designing computer gaimes.”

To steal a phrase from the infrastructure industry, the ‘stock’ of next generation engineers, i.e. those currently choosing their A-levels and degrees, is still high quality.

The key will be outlining the benefits of a public sector infrastructure career to them. Such benefits include the superior pension deals and the intent by organisations like the Highways Agency to keep salaries competitive with private sector roles and provide development opportunities.

With the global demand for skilled civil engineers only likely to increase, perhaps the most persuasive argument for young people considering their career options will be ‘pick civil engineering and see the world’.

http://www.highways.gov.uk/