New figures from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) forecast SW output growth at an annual rate of 3.1% from 2017- 2021, almost double the UK’s average of 1.7%. Over 20,000 new jobs will be created in the region.
The prime growth driver will be Hinkley Point C nuclear power station, the largest construction project in Europe. This will help infrastructure in the region grow by a massive 70% across 2017 and 2018.
Public housing is the other main area of growth, which is expected to buck the UK trend and grow at 3.7% to 2021, according to CITB’s Construction Skills Network (CSN) forecast.
There will be jobs aplenty across traditional trades, with 1,800 carpenters, 1,300 plasterers and 1,200 bricklayers needed. There will also be 1,900 senior and executive roles created and 950 construction process manager jobs
Commenting on the forecast, CITB Partnerships Manager Leif Tarry said: “The CSN figures show that the outlook in the region is one of stability and huge opportunity.
“CITB is working with contractors, colleges and local enterprise to facilitate job opportunities in the South West.
“With major projects like Hinkley and the new towns of Sherford and Cranbrook in Devon, there’s never been a better time to get into construction.”
Other projects in the area include:
- The MetroWest project, a package of proposed rail improvements to enhance commuter transport in the Bristol area.
- The Army Basing Plan – the relocation of units currently based in Germany by 2019 – Includes significant works at Larkhill Barracks on Salisbury Plain, among other venues.
- The first-ever Garden Villages in England. Fourteen new garden villages were announced by the Government in January, including Culm in Mid Devon and West Carclaze in Cornwall. A garden town in Taunton, Somerset was also announced.
- Construction of a £337m storage facility at Ashchurch, Gloucestershire for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation in 2020.
- The A30 Carland Cross to Chiverton upgrade in Cornwall which is estimated to cost between £100m and £250m and scheduled to start in 2020.
