Call for training as building jobs at risk

SIPTU has called for an urgent shift in the country’s training and educational programmes in light of claims that 80,000 construction workers are at risk of long-term unemployment because of their lack of educational qualifications.

However, the Construction Industry Federation has said doomsdayers predicting a major slump in the industry are completely misreading the situation.

The Higher Education Authority yesterday warned thousands of young men will face long-term unemployment if a decline occurs in the building sector as they have only second-level education or have not reached that level in the system.