| By :
Martin Hofschroer
More needs to be done to encourage people onto vocational courses in order to combat an impending skills shortage. James Wates, the deputy chairman of Wates Construction, said that the industry is facing a bleak future if an increasing number of people do not receive appropriate training during the current economic climate. Mr Wates called for more investment to support younger people into the construction sector as the industry may suffer from not having the next skilled generation of workers to replace an aging workforce. People can boost their chances of finding work in the construction industry by taking plumbing courses, commercial gas courses and green energy courses as they will learn the abilities to help plug the skills gap. Mr Wates, speaking at an event in Leeds, was reported by the Yorkshire Post as saying: "Employment and training took ten years to recover from the skills shortages created by the early 1990s recession and we're heading in the same direction. "As the numbers of older workers increase and young workers decrease, more and more demographic pressure is being put on the industry and this is something we need to address now." Mr Wates stressed that it was the responsibility of businesses to safeguard the future of the construction industry by ensuring that young workers have the appropriate skills and abilities. "Employers in this region and throughout the UK need to take greater advantage of the opportunities that exist to train our future workforce. It is our duty to look beyond building and invest in the industry of tomorrow," he added. Mr Wates went onto say that public spending cuts would harm construction projects but he believed that the industry would see sustained growth in the near future as Britain emerges from the recession. It is expected that the construction sector will experience average annual growth of 1.7 per cent between now and 2014, according to Mr Wates. BBC News reported how Allan Alexander recovered from redundancy to become a successful plumber after completing the necessary plumbing courses. Mr Alexander told the news provider: "It's one of the best things I've ever done. I've worked as a postman and in printing for several years before this, but as a plumber, business is fantastic. There's just so much work out there, they need qualified people." Ruth Hounslow, from recruitment agency Manpower, told the BBC that it is easy for employees in their forties to undergo retraining for a new career.
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