Olympic bonanza for jobs

[richard]

Tens of thousands of jobs will be created on building projects for the 2012 Olympic Games in London, a new report has predicted.

Recruitment and training body Construction Skills said 33,500 posts will be created over the next seven years, including builders and craft workers, architects, surveyors and administrators.

Skills strategy director Sheila Hoile said: "We believe that this analysis is the most accurate and realistic forecast available at this stage of planning.

"Building the Olympics needs to be seen in the wider context of the current massive demand on the UK construction industry. In the wider South-east and Greater London alone there is £34bn worth of projects of over £100m each in the pipeline.

"So the Olympics represents a huge construction programme, with the work involved accounting for nearly 10pc of the total picture in these regions.

"With major projects currently on site such as Heathrow Terminal 5, the Channel Tunnel Rail Link and Wembley, Britain is well-equipped for the task ahead.

"However, the years 2008/10 are critical for London, with the number of workers on site at any one time in the South-east area expected to peak in 2010. Good workflow management and effective leadership are vital to long-term success."


Source
Helen Logan,
Evening Gazette
icteesside.icnetwork.co.uk