CONSTRUCTION companies in Suffolk and Essex are backing a campaign which aims to kick-start the region’s building sector.

The Construction4Growth campaign, an initiative set-up by industry training group CITB-ConstructionSkills, comes after research indicating that there could be as many as 10,520 local construction workers without a job and claiming Job Seekers’ Allowance.

The campaign will see local construction leaders calling on Government to invest in construction jobs and training as a route out of recession and back to growth.

Figures from CITB-ConstructionSkills’ Construction Skills Network indicate that, unless action is taken to stimulate growth,construction output in the East of England could shrink by 4% per cent this year.

Amanda Sergeant, sector strategy manager for CITB-ConstructionSkills East of England, said: “The Construction4Growth Campaign unites every sector of our industry in a drive to kick-start activity, work our way out of recession and remind everybody that construction is a major contributor to economic growth.

“The Government’s recent infrastructure announcements have the potential to deliver a boost to the industry and create tens of thousands of jobs in the long term.

“But if construction and the wider economy are to reap the maximum benefit, it is essential that we secure critical investment to deliver immediate results.

“That’s why the Construction4Growth campaign will be supporting Government in delivering its promises and lobbying for investment in repair and maintenance now to support the economy.”

Among the local firms backing the campaign are Gipping Construction Group, AC Harding and L J Anderson & Sons.