Council hosts building summit

A new initiative is being launched to get more local people connected into careers in construction.

Building Plymouth is to be officially launched at a summit taking place on Thursday organised by the Council.

The call to encourage people into building careers is being announced in the face of a looming skills shortage in the construction industry, which is worth £246 million a year to the city.

Building Plymouth is a Council-led partnership with the local building industry which currently supports over 5,000 jobs in the wider Plymouth area.

Council leader Tudor Evans will ask the sector to sign up and work together to link local people with career opportunities in the growing construction sector as well as strengthen the industry which makes up about six per cent of the local economy.

Council Leader Tudor Evans said: “We want to grow as a city and that means more homes, more businesses and more hands to the decks are needed.

“This campaign is about telling people about the opportunities and doors that will open up to them. We want them to be part of the action. We want more Plymouth people doing the work, gaining the skills, staying here and making this city great.

“The construction industry has limitless opportunities. It’s not just about bricklaying – although that’s obviously important. This sector is also looking for educated and able young people to join them in technical and very specific jobs such as surveyors, insulation and sustainable housing specialists that until a few years ago, were unheard of.

Plymouth City Council has itself embarked on an ambitious ‘Plan for Homes’ – which involves building 5,000 homes over five years to relieve the current housing crisis, he said and added: “There would be nothing more satisfying then seeing young men and women from Plymouth on those sites or working in the design offices to make this a reality.”

Using information from the Council’s existing pipeline of building projects in the city council research indicates that 10,000 new jobs in construction will be created over the next 10 years.

It also recognises that new blood is needed with the average age of construction workers in the South West is currently 55 years old.

Industry partners who have been in talks with the Council are keen to emphasise the quality careers for a wide variety of people. Careers in the building industry offer skills which, in many cases, can take people anywhere around the world, are transferable into other jobs and that provide earnings from day one.

Salaries in this field are also tempting. Here in the South West a qualified architect can earn £830 a week, a plumber £554 a week, engineer £544, electrician £625 and bricklayer £494 a week

Anyone interested in finding out more should visit Building Plymouth website www.plymouth.gov.uk/buildingplymouth for a wide variety of career and training advice.

Over the summer the Council has been going out to the estates to build interest in construction. Marquees popped up at community events for young people to build walls and try plastering as well as getting pointers about where to get more information in construction.

Taster sessions were held in Barne Barton, North Prospect, at MTV Crashes, Flavour Fest, in the city centre and a series of future events are planned; including more taster sessions, a careers’ fair, a 1000 Club meet the employer event and the SW Skills show are all planned between September and March 2015.