THE North-East construction sector needs to attract 2,500 new people each year to meet Government building programme targets.
That was the message from Sir Michael Latham, chairman of the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB).
He was in the region this week to acknowledge the progress made by local companies in training and skills development.
Sir Michael said: "The construction industry has clearly played a considerable role in the resurgence and redevelopment of the region.
"With a growing industry and an ageing workforce, recruiting larger numbers of school leavers and mature job changers needs to be among the key priorities for local companies.
"But it's not just about recruiting more people - we have to recruit more high quality people."
The North-East construction industry turns over nearly £3bn a year, or eight per cent of regional gross domestic product.
During his visit to the region, Sir Michael hosted a CITB awards event to mark the growing numbers of companies and individuals successfully involved in training and workforce skills development.
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