Angela Carney, managing director at Carney Consultancy.
Can you tell us about Carney Consultancy and your role?
Carney Consultancy is a specialist health, safety, environmental, and quality consultancy and training provider for the construction sector, offering services like fire safety, IOSH/CITB training, and ISO compliance. Based in North Shields and established in 2002, we help firms work safely and grow confidently.
As managing director, I lead strategy, expansion, and client delivery, drawing on 35+ years in construction; I’m also president of Northern Counties Builders Federation (NCBF).
A key part of my role involves social value and outreach. As schools liaison for the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) North East, I organise events to promote the industry to young people in schools and colleges. I helped relaunch initiatives like the North East Schools Wonder Challenge, connect employers with trade students and support programmes to attract diverse talent, including women and youth.
We’re passionate about apprenticeships, youth projects and giving back through charity work. I’m on the North East board of The Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity, co-chair Working Well Together North East, and actively fundraise and provide free training for those in need, reflecting our commitment to community impact and building a stronger, more inclusive sector.
Currently, we’re expanding training, launching fire risk divisions, securing further North West contracts, and targeting 250 retained clients in five years. We operate mainly in the North East, expanding into North West and Yorkshire.
When was the company established?
Carney Consultancy Ltd was established on 24 October 2002.
What projects is the company currently undertaking?
We are focused on expansion amid regulatory changes in construction. Key activities include growing a fire risk assessments and fire door inspections division, with staff completing Level 4 Fire Risk Assessment qualifications. We are expanding accredited training offerings, such as new courses in IOSH Avoiding Danger from Underground Buried Services, Legionella Awareness, and Portable Appliance Testing (PAT).
Which areas of the UK does Carney Consultancy operate within?
We primarily operate in the North East of England, with our headquarters in North Shields. However, we’re expanding our geographic footprint, including recent contracts and growth into the North West (e.g., Preston area) and Yorkshire. Our services support clients across the UK through a focus on building strong relationships nationwide.
What are the biggest challenges and opportunities facing the construction sector?
Right now, the construction sector is grappling with some serious headwinds, but there are also real openings to turn things around.
The biggest challenge is the severe skills shortage—we need another 240,000 to 250,000 workers by 2029. An ageing workforce, fewer apprenticeships, very low youth entry (around 7.8%), and post-Brexit labour restrictions are all making it harder. This is causing project delays, pushing costs up, and slowing down vital infrastructure and housing delivery. Employment is still about 10% below pre-pandemic levels and the industry’s image isn’t helping attract young people.
On top of that, costs and supply chain issues are biting hard. Material prices are 15-20% above pre-pandemic levels, inflation is squeezing margins, and disruptions keep creating uncertainty and volatility.
Regulation and the broader economy add another layer of pressure. We’re seeing major building safety overhauls, planning uncertainty, cash-flow problems from late payments, and high insolvency risks (construction unfortunately leads the UK in that area). Slow digital adoption and post-Brexit regulatory shifts aren’t helping either.
But there are genuine opportunities here. Government initiatives like Skills England partnerships and the £600m investment aim to bring in 60,000 more skilled workers by 2029, with a real push on apprenticeships, upskilling, and attracting more diverse talent—especially women and young people—through better promotion of the trades.
Digital tools are another bright spot: BIM is already used by 72% of firms, AI by 42%, and cloud collaboration by 86%. These can help optimise costs, improve efficiency, and ease some of the workforce pressure.
Finally, ambitious projects – think hospitals, airports, and the government’s “Get Britain Building Again” push – are driving demand, with forecasts showing around 1.7% output growth. Policy reforms around funding and training, plus the launch of new digital platforms, give the sector tools to modernise and stay competitive.
What can be done to bridge the skills gap in the construction sector?
To address the gap (over 140,000 vacancies and 240,000-250,000 workers needed by 2029), focus on:
· Training & Upskilling: Invest in apprenticeships (despite a 1.4% decline in starts), on-the-job training, digital learning, and retraining for net zero skills. Government funding like £600m for 60,000 roles by 2029, plus Skills England for localised vocational programs.
· Recruitment & Retention: Offer competitive pay/benefits, prioritise safety, clear career paths and tech investment. Promote the industry positively to youth (e.g., via schools) and underrepresented groups like women.
· Knowledge Transfer: Pair retiring workers (58.3% aged 36-65) with newcomers for mentorship.
· Innovation: Use AI/BIM to offset shortages; focus on retention planning for apprentices.
You are a member of Northern Counties Builders Federation. How does being aligned to a sector body support Carney Consultancy?
As President of the NCBF alignment provides networking with industry leaders, profile-raising for our services, and collaboration on training/apprenticeships to future-proof the sector. It supports our growth by fostering partnerships, advocating for members, and tackling issues like skills shortages.
What’s your proudest business achievement?
Winning the People Development award at the 2023 Constructing Excellence North East (CENE) Awards, the Commitment to Employee and Training Development award at the 2023 G4C North East Awards and receiving the 2020 Investing in Young People Award. We’ve also hit our 200-client milestone while growing our workforce by 50% and turnover significantly in recent years. The awards reflect our deep commitment to quality, investing in people development, and achieving sustainable growth even through challenging times.