Persimmon plans to build soldiers into bricklayers

HOUSEBUILDER Persimmon has launched a scheme to train hundreds of former military personnel in joinery and bricklaying to address a skills shortage.

Persimmon, skilled tradesman shortage, skilled workers shortage, Soldiers as builders, Soldiers trained as tradesman,ALL CANADA/GETTY

The plan will see Persimmon build 20 per cent more houses than last year

It aims to build about 20 per cent more homes than last year but has warned that a lack of bricklayers and joiners is holding back the number of properties it builds.

Coming out of any recession, there is a always a skills shortage

Chief executive Jeff Fairburn

Chief executive Jeff Fairburn said: “Coming out of any recession, there is a always a skills shortage.” He hopes to have 200 ­people trained within a year through the scheme.

Reporting trading between July and November, the UK’s biggest housebuilder said it fully sold up in 2014 and has £696million in forward sales beyond 2014, a 12 per cent increase on the year. It built just over 11,500 homes in 2013 and is expecting to build more than 13,000 in 2014.

However it flagged up concerns over planning, highlighting that “opening new development sites without undue delay continues to be one of the industry’s main concerns”.

Persimmon is expected to report an operating profit of around £450million in 2014, compared to £333million last year.

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