Billy Price, Managing Director, Field Services
Every trades business has a Dave. The one who every other team member goes to when something’s unclear. Dave knows which pipe ran under the old extension, which customer prefers a call over a text, which jobs always run over and why, and which supplier always gives you a good deal.
After 27 years in the business, he’s not only a skilled labourer that produces good work, he also knows every other detail that speeds things up and keeps your customers happy.
But when Dave retires, all that knowledge leaves with him.
The retirement crisis trades businesses haven’t planned for
There’s lots of conversation in the UK trades sector currently about the skills crisis that’s impacting businesses. According to the Construction Industry Training Board’s 2026 report, too few people are entering the sector, and too many skilled, experienced workers are leaving. Of course, a lot of the conversation is around the fact that not all apprenticeship places are being filled and completed. The latest CITB report shows that apprenticeship starts would have to almost triple to meet upcoming labour demands.
But arguably, the biggest hit that businesses will take is the loss of their more skilled and experienced workers. Around 24% of construction workers were over 55 as of 2023 – that’s a substantial portion of the sector set to retire in the next 5 to 10 years. And when they go, they inevitably take all the practical knowledge with them that just can’t be replicated by junior staff.
What really leaves with your best tradesperson
Have you thought about what you really lose when your most experienced tradesperson leaves? What is it that lives in their head but is never captured on job sheets?
Here’s just a few things you may miss:
- Which supplier will take a call at 7am when you need materials fast
- The jobs that always overrun, and the red flags that tell you before they do
- How long something really takes versus how long it gets quoted for
- The client who says yes in the meeting and disputes the invoice every time
- How vans are best routed to local jobs to avoid wasted time spent in traffic
- The subcontractor who’ll help you finish a job because of a favour five years ago
- Which team members work well together on complex jobs, and which ones need more supervision
If you haven’t thought about capturing these details that help your business run smoothly, it’s time to set a new standard. You need to record the detail before your skilled team members are set to retire.
How to hold onto what your most skilled tradesperson knows
Chances are, you’re already using some form of job management system to keep on top of scheduling and assigning jobs to your team. That’s a start. But you may be using it at a fraction of its full potential.
Here’s some of the ways you can capture years of knowledge as part of your everyday job management processes.
Log materials and site notes
Use your platform to log exact materials used, quantities required, and site-specific notes in real-time. Over time, this will build a searchable history that anyone in the business can access, reducing reliance on someone’s memory, and preventing future mistakes that slow jobs down.
Record how long jobs take
Job estimates are often shaped by experience. Without that insight, jobs can be underpriced or overrun. By tracking time on tasks within your job management platform, you’ll see how long jobs really take. This will help you standardise pricing, improve scheduling accuracy and gives your newer team members a benchmark they can trust.
Track vans for faster routing
Again, your most experienced tradesperson just knows the quickest routes to take, and how to plan their day in the most efficient way possible. Fleet tracking in your job management platform will capture this behaviour and identify the most efficient routes for your entire team. Over time, this will help you to reduce fuel costs and help less experienced staff work as efficiently as your most seasoned team members.
Capture key suppliers and inventory
Long-standing relationships with your suppliers often live in the heads of your senior team members – who to call, what to order, and how far in advance. By using your job management system to record supplier details, pricing, lead times, and order history – coupled with inventory tracking – you can ensure stock levels are accurate and materials are always available when you need them.
Note staff skills and expertise
Whether it’s a specialist skill they’re trained for or just a knack for certain types of jobs, this knowledge is invaluable for both scheduling and ensuring quality control. Recording staff skills and qualifications means the right people are assigned to the right jobs even as your team changes over time.
Log customer preferences
This is one that can’t be taught – it’s simply down to experience. From access instructions to personal customer preferences, your more experienced tradespeople will often remember these small details so that your customer service is exceptional. Capturing customer notes gives you consistency and helps you maintain good customer relationships regardless of who’s on the job.
By recording everyday insights from your most experienced team members, your job management platform will preserve all the knowledge that keeps a trades business competitive.
Remember: recognition costs less than recruitment
You may also want to consider involving your senior tradespeople in building out these processes. By including them in structuring job templates, documenting jobs correctly, and training your apprentices to a high standard, you’re also giving them an incentive to stay for longer. It will add more value to their role beyond just getting the job done – meaning you could retain them for longer while also setting up your business to retain their valuable sector knowledge for years to come.
At ClearCourse, we work with field service and trades businesses across the UK to help them get more from their job management, scheduling, and operational software.
