The construction industry is set for a jobs boost as work begins on the UK's biggest council house building programme in almost 20 years. The development of 2,000 new homes, in response to growing waiting list pressures, will generate 5,000 new jobs, starting this week in Tyneside but eventually spreading throughout the country. This is part of a £141m drive by the government to build 20,000 new affordable homes in the UK. In addition, the investment will aim to help housing associations and restart work on sites that were stalled during the recession, creating 45,000 further jobs and 3,000 new apprenticeships in the industry.
Unemployed young people in Greater Manchester are being offered new roles that aim to benefit local communities, reports the BBC. The first set of employees are already hard at work cleaning up and improving cemeteries in the area and 1,500 similar roles are set to appear in the next 18 months including opportunities at the Zion Arts Centre in Moss Side and at the Royal Exchange Theatre. The roles are part a £52m government investment in Greater Manchester that will ultimately aim to create 8,000 new jobs in the next few years.
A £17m investment at a paper mill in north east Wales has been announced, generating hundreds of new jobs in the region, reports the North Wales Daily Post. When fully operational, the materials recovery facility at UPM Shotton paper mill will provide 160 jobs, with an extra 150 people employed during the site's construction. The project is to begin immediately with the aim of being fully completed in January 2011.
