WITH housing developments popping up all over Hampshire and homeowners inspired to enhance their homes by TV makeover shows - it's no wonder the construction industry is growing at twice the rate of the rest of the economy.

However, skills shortfalls are starting to threaten the industry's economic performance and, since the government's introduction of identity cards for qualified construction workers, training has become even more important.

IBP Training and Employ-ment are therefore running the Southampton and Eastleigh Employment in Construction (Seecon) to build up an adequate pool of suitably trained and experienced local people to fulfil local construction contracts.

Larry Darmanin, a director of IBP said: "In the past, the industry has not been particularly proactive at training. It has traditionally attracted young males with fewer qualifications, who are often given informal, on-the-job training.

"Increased government regulation now means that construction workers need to prove they reach a minimum skill level of NVQ 2 - which is approximately equivalent to a GCSE A-C grade."

Only once a worker has achieved an NVQ in construction are they able to apply for a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card. These identify trained and qualified members of the workforce, helping to combat cowboy builders. Many customers will only employ building firms whose staff are CSCS cardholders, limiting the employment options for anyone without a card.

However, gaining qualifications at this level can be quite daunting. Larry said: "For some older workers, who have the skills but not the piece of paper to prove it, it may have been decades since they last tried to gain qualifications of this sort. IBP therefore now offers construction training for both existing employees and the unemployed, as well as a new style of on-site assessment, where practical ability is assessed in the workplace, removing the need for written exams."

"For anyone looking to break into the industry, getting the qualification which leads to the CSCS card, opens the door to a wide range of potential work.

"It's time that the construction industry came in from the cold and realised the advantages of developing its workers," concludes Larry.

* For more information on the NVQ construction training and assessments run by IBP Training and Employ-ment, contact Claire Blakeman on (023) 8065 2562.