HUNDREDS of people will be trained to fill gaps in the booming North-East construction industry, after a £1.2m grant was announced yesterday.

The cash will go to the Building Tyne and Wear scheme, which plans to train 800 people over the next two years so that they are qualified to fill vacancies in the building trade. Newcastle City Council will be the lead authority for the project.

Councillor Danny Marshall, cabinet member for development and transport, said: "It may seem hugely ironic that in an area with high levels of unemployment, the construction industry is finding it difficult to recruit properly qualified workers.

"However, this situation could create very real difficulties in attracting investment to the region and prevent increased employment opportunities for every sector. "

The amount of construction work in the region has soared over the past few years, increasing the demand for skilled construction workers at all levels.

Among projects under way at present are the Ouseburn and Newcastle Great Park developments in Newcastle, extensions to the Gateshead MetroCentre and to the Quayside in Gateshead.

There is also work on the Pennywell and Hendon estates in Sunderland, the new Tyne Crossing and the Riverside in North Tyneside and Monkton Business Park and the Market Dock in South Tyneside.

Construction firms in the region are already finding it difficult to recruit enough skilled workers to fill all the vacancies they have and it is estimated that there will be a need for about 12,500 new entrants into the industry over the next four years.

The scheme aims to help the region's colleges meet the needs of the industry and raise awareness of it as a career among 11 to 19-year-olds.

It will also help older workers with qualifications outside the Construction Skills Certification Scheme to gain recognition for their skills.