Future is bright for construction says Midlands Mayor
The future is bright for those in the construction industry, according to the Mayor of the West Midlands.
Andy Street said there were plenty of opportunities for people to get involved in a growing, mission critical sector which he said was so important to the region.
Mr Street was speaking at the UK Construction Week Birmingham at the NEC on Thursday, a trade exhibition bringing together construction and industry leaders and firms from across the country, and said he felt the industry had the potential to become massive in the region.
He said: "We have around 20,000 businesses, 200,000 jobs and it's worth around £8 billion, so it's a sector which is going to grow and we're looking at 30,000 jobs over the next three or four years.
"I really think there is an opportunity for the Black Country to lead in the whole question of the modern methods of construction that had been used in the area, particularly in the housing industry, so it's an area where we want a leadership role."
Mr Street said he was keen to see more investments and projects for the sector to grow and said he was looking at two areas.
He said: "We've done a lot around skills today and, for me, it's about both young people seeing their careers and also people who are retraining from one sector to another and this is an area where the career prospects are really good.
"You can start with a really clear training path, maybe to an apprenticeship, and end up in a big area of responsibility, so the progression is really strong in this sector."
Mr Street also spoke about the construction projects completed in the last year, including the work done for the Commonwealth Games and spoke about the virtuous circle of the works.
He said: "You have the Commonwealth Games and HS2 structures and the housing schemes building up around the city and we've got lots of city centre redevelopments and local transport schemes going on.
"These help to create the demand that actually helps the companies grow and it's also virtuous as if you build a strong construction sector, then you're able to bid for projects.
"Part of my job is making sure we win those big investments now, with L&G coming to Wolverhampton for the development of Canalside and the Metro developments in Dudley.
"We have a huge amount of optimism and positivity around the region and I think the capability we have will stimulate and make our businesses even more competitive."
