THE construction industry is set for a huge surge, with experts predicting the creation of thousands of jobs in the South West over the next five years.
Figures from the Construction Industry Training Board (CIBT) indicate there will be nearly 26,000 construction jobs by 2021, with sector employment reaching record highs of over 257,000. The biggest rise will be in opportunities for logistics workers, architects and construction managers.
Following a recent slow down in 2014, growth in the sector is expected to return this year, and increase by an average 4.4 per cent annually over the next five years. This is due to a strong expansion in infrastructure projects – with the new Hinckley Point C nuclear power station in Somerset leading the way.
The proposed construction of Avon power station, a gas fired power facility, could add£1.4bn to construction output and the Government road building programme should contribute a further £2bn. CITB is working with the construction industry to create a jobs website to showcase the number of opportunities available.
Roger Stone, CITB sector strategy manager for the South West, said: “We can’t build the Britain we want without apprenticeships and the careers they lead to.“That’s why we want these new statistics, showing solid, sustained growth, to inspire more people across the South West to start apprenticeships, and more construction firms to take them on. “We also want to attract workers who have left the industry to return, and upskill those in it, so we can deliver major projects and new housing faster and better.”
To find out more about a career in construction, visit www.goconstruct.org.