Construction contractor numbers 'could be boosted by green bank'

Date: July 02, 2010

Category: Contractor Industry News

The number of new positions being created for contractors in the construction industry could be increased by the proposed green investment bank, an expert has suggested.

Phil Higgins, director of engineering and the technical sector of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), has suggested that this could wind up "breathing a bit of life" into the industry.

He said that any investment into the industry is likely to lead to job creation and emphasised the importance of putting the country's existing resources to this use.

Mr Higgins stated: "We do have some transferable skills in the UK – mainly from the manufacturing industry – where money could be invested in re-skilling for future green developments."

In addition, he emphasised the importance of engineering being shown as a valuable career from a much earlier stage, suggesting that the education system could do more to show off its benefits.

Earlier this month, Forum of Private Business spokesman Chris Gorman claimed that a £1 billion Regional Growth Fund announced by the government could be good news for UK companies.

Posted by Daniel Frost