Recent weeks has seen construction on the front pages of all the national press because of political debates around house building, the Green Deal and HS2. In Wales we have seen news about new projects such as the Circuit of Wales in Blaenau Gwent and improving house building prospects in North Wales.

The Estyn Report into training in construction highlighted that whilst there is good training available, it doesn’t always match the specific needs of local communities or projects. A key message comes out of the report: Welsh construction is good for the people of Wales and Welsh people continue to regard it as a popular career choice.

Clearly, what we have to do as an industry is work with Government, private clients and the supply chain as well as the training colleges to ensure we are equipped for the recovery that appears to be slowly creeping up on all of us. If we can do that, then local people as well as industry will benefit from a sustained recovery.