Skills drive launches in north-east

03/04/2008 10:21:21

A new initiative designed to help construction firms improve their productivity has been launched in the north-east, it has been revealed.

According to the Evening Gazette, employee development firm Assessment North East is reaching out to the industry in a bid to persuade it to pay more attention to providing training to those employed in construction jobs.

It is hoped that this could help firms retain staff and boost the efficiency of their operation.

Robert Macleod, the managing director of Assessment North East, said: "Specific challenges such as recruitment and retention, combined with the challenge of how to remain competitive in a fiercely margin-focused industry, mean that the role of employees in determining business success is higher on the agenda than ever."

He added that if the training needs of employees are not addressed, "businesses will see their bottom line suffer as a result of poor productivity and inadequately skilled workers".

According to Skills North East, the construction sector in the region is expected to require 14,000 new workers by 2011.

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