BURY and the North West as a whole will share in thousands of new construction jobs during the next five years.

That's the prediction from the CITB (construction industry training Board) which has published a report forecasting the regional jobs windfall.

The CITB is starting off the New Year with a major campaign to attract more young people into the industry.

It predicts that in the North West, 33,700 new recruits will be needed over the next five years, amounting to 6,740 per year.

Major building projects in the North West include preparations for the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester and the new Imperial War Museum for the North at Salford Quays. The occupations with the biggest recruitment requirements over the next five years in this region will be carpenters and joiners (6,600), managers (3,450), electricians (2,800), clerical staff (3,050), bricklayers (2,550) and plumbers (2,300).

To help attract new talent, the CITB is investing an extra £2.8 million in 2001 on top of the £4 million already being spent on its recruitment and education work.

Paul Sykes, CITB's North West area manager, said: "The report confirms that the construction industry is a really good career choice for graduates and school leavers offering long term employment prospects and great career advancement opportunities.

"At the CITB, we can help anyone interested in moving into construction to find training, either at a college or on-site as an apprentice."

For more information, surf the CITB's web site on www.citb.co.uk.