Indeed, new figures have revealed that an average of just under 1,300 new skilled construction workers will be required in Greater London alone every year through to 2019 in order to fulfil the industry’s order book.
In lay terms, that’s some 6,450 new workers in total over the next five years.
It’s a major problem and to tackle it £2 million of funding has been committed to a new programme designed to “address an increasing shortage of construction skills in the capital by providing training, work placements and the support to help 500 unemployed construction workers get back into work,” the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), said in a statement.
The new programme, a partnership with the London Enterprise Panel, will provide skills and training activity tailored specifically to meeting the needs of the construction sector in Greater London.
And not that Boris Johnson is the gospel for all things good, but here’s what he had to say: “Cranes can be seen on the skyline of every corner of the capital and the construction industry needs thousands of new workers every year to keep pace with demand.
“It is a fantastic time to start work in that sector and we intend that this scheme will help provide Londoners with all the necessary skills to do so.”
The latest Report on Jobs from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and KPMG shows that construction workers were the most in-demand employees, for both permanent and temporary roles during July.
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