Construction Job Boom For South Yorkshire

Edited by the Buildingtalk editorial team Sep 29, 2003

Over 600 jobs are set to be created across Sheffield thanks to an unprecedented boom in the city's construction industry.

As the South Yorkshire region continues to enjoy a major regeneration effort more than ?660m of building projects are set to create hundreds of construction-related jobs in Sheffield alone over the next few years.

In celebration of the industry's predicted growth in the region, Don Valley stadium plays host to the biggest ever construction event to be in held in South Yorkshire as companies large and small join forces to promote their industry.

The South Yorkshire Construction Industry Exhibition 'Celebration of Success' will feature demonstrations, exhibitions, seminars, recruitment and training information as the region's construction workers showcase the industry during National Construction Week.

Launched by a mystery celebrity guest the event on Tuesday October 14th is expected to be attended by top name stars from the industry.

The event at Don Valley aims to demonstrate the diverse range of skills, expertise and experience acquired in the industry.

It will also be used as an opportunity to showcase career paths in construction in a bid to attract people from all sections of the community.

The industry is particularly keen to attract more women, people from Black and minority ethnic communities and people with disabilities.

The event will also provide a networking opportunity for those already working within the industry and the city's subcontractors will be able to visit local authority stands to find out when and how they can bid for forthcoming tenders.

Born out of an idea by the South Yorkshire Construction Training Group to stage an event, the show will feature a cross section of companies from household name building firms to small independent businesses.

Michelle Wood of Construction JobMatch, a public-private partnership which aims to maximise employment and training for local people in the construction industry, said: 'We are very excited about the event which is the largest of its kind ever to take place in South Yorkshire.

With all the regeneration work that is currently taking place in the region the opportunity to work in the construction industry has never been so good.' She added: 'This is the perfect opportunity for those working within construction to come together and challenge some of the common misconceptions and stereotypes about the industry.

We want to tell everyone about what is going on in construction, the career options available and the training on offer.' The event is free to attend and will feature a disaster challenge game organised by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) where school students must build a vessel to transport water from one location to another.

Paul Atherton, Manager of Human Resources and Continuous Improvement at Wath-based Bramall Construction and Chairman of the South Yorkshire Construction Training Group, said: 'This is an opportunity for us to make the most out of the boom in construction that is currently being experienced in South Yorkshire.

The event will provide a focal point to help people from both within and outside the industry understand the depth of opportunities available and share in the numerous best practice activities that we are engaged in.' Demonstrations will be given by Sheffield Rebuild, Llite, and Troika Architectural Mouldings on topics from brickwork to joinery.

There will also be a series of seminars addressing issues such as Health and Safety, Business Improvement, Inland Revenue and Careers.

The event takes place from 8am-8pm and is open to anyone in the industry and the public.

Anyone requiring further information about exhibiting or attending as a delegate, should contact Helen Eshelby or Sam Woodhead at diva on 0114 221 0378.