Former soldiers enticed into construction

CITB-ConstructionSkills has launched an initiative to attract former soldiers into the construction industry.

The training body said the industry could benefit from soldiers’ “transferrable skills” and an influx could help the sector meet projected demand for 46,240 new workers by 2016.

The initiative has been launched in partnership with the Ministry of Defences’ Career Transition Partnership and is designed to better inform ex-Service personnel of career opportunities in the sector.

As many as 18,500 Service leavers join the civilian job market every year.

MOD’s Career Transition Partnership managing director David Duffy said: “This initiative will open up a pathway of job opportunities within the construction industry for service leavers, who bring with them a wealth of transferrable skills to match the needs of employers.

“There are leavers across all services who are trained to a high standard during their military careers in artisan skills such as carpentry, bricklaying and metalwork and in addition, they bring a strong work ethic which will be an asset to the industry. 

“We are keen to work with employers to recruit ex-Service personnel into their organisation and promote their job opportunities directly to the pool of talent leaving the military.”

Andy Walder, director of CITB-ConstructionSkills’ training arm, said: “By tapping into this new pipeline of talent, we can ensure that we are not only bringing new blood to the industry, but also reducing burgeoning skills gaps.