Plan to train 12,000 construction workers unveiled

Mayor Richard Parker, pictured with apprentices Fiona Watkins and Jake Fereday, said the region was "heading into a construction boom"

A £75m package to train more than 12,000 people over three years to help tackle a "shortage of construction workers" has been announced.

It aims to train workers in jobs such as bricklaying, engineering, design, plastering and painting, West Midlands Combined Authority said.

Research had found about 4,000 new workers would be needed annually over the next few years with the region primed for a construction boom, it added.

Funding for West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker's skills package is being drawn from an authority settlement and a government fund for construction.

Parker said the region was "heading into a construction boom that will power new jobs, new homes and new opportunities right across the West Midlands".

But he added growth would only last "if local people have the skills to deliver it".

The mayor stated: "That's why I'm backing investment in training and apprenticeships - so people here get the first shot at the good jobs being created and businesses can draw on local talent with the latest skills and technology."

The announcement was made as the mayor visited the CAT (Construction Apprenticeship Training) Centre at Dudley College of Technology

Parker said he announced the £75m skills package to train more than 12,000 people "to help tackle the region's shortage of construction workers".

The authority said research by the Construction Industry Training Board found about 4,000 new workers would be needed every year.

There were plans for more than 12,000 new homes across the region each year, said the authority, adding there was also a £160m retrofit scheme to make thousands of homes more energy efficient.

Tuesday's announcement followed news the mayor was on target to fund a record number of almost 5,000 new homes this year, it added.