Women in Construction Anglia and Suffolk’s Chamber of Commerce are backing the government’s plans to boost construction worker numbers by 100,000 a year.
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner last week attended the first Construction Skills Mission Board along with industry CEOs, launching an industry commitment to support the growing need for workers in the sector.
It comes as the government pledges to build 1.5 million new homes each year by the end of parliament.
Earlier this year, Women in Construction Anglia (WICA) and Suffolk Chamber of Commerce entered a partnership aiming to encourage more women into the industry and bridge the gap between education and the construction sector.
Clare Friel, founder of WICA, said: “The government’s pledge to increase construction worker numbers by 100,000 a year is great news for the industry and an opportunity to help get Britain building again.
“The construction sector does have a skills gap and this will help boost numbers in the industry and meet the need for skilled workers.
“WICA would particularly like to see more women take up construction roles. We hope this new initiative will give them more opportunities and open more doors to a career in the sector.”
The government has pledged £625m to construction skills training, with a further £275m through its Industrial Strategy.
This will be alongside a further £120 million from the government and a £32 million contribution from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) to create more than 40,000 industry placements.
John Dugmore, CEO of Suffolk Chamber of Commerce said: “A flourishing construction sector is key to driving the UK’s economy, and will play a huge role here in Suffolk with large infrastructure projects such as Sizewell C being built in the county.
“It is great to see the government putting extra funding towards closing the construction skills gap and supporting people to take on a career in the construction sector.
“We welcome the government’s announcement and will be keeping a close eye on how the initiative progresses in the future.”
For more information on WICA see here. For the latest news from Suffolk Chamber of Commerce, see here.