Ranil Jayawardena MP visited a huge local leisure centre redevelopment last week, to meet the next generation of construction talent and experience what it’s like to work in the industry.

Mr Jayawardena visited the Hart Leisure Centre, a £23m project constructed by Willmott Dixon in Fleet, Hampshire.

More workers are urgently needed in the industry, as CITB predicts over 230,000 new construction jobs will be created in the UK over the next five years.

Ranil Jayawardena, MP for North East Hampshire, said: “I thoroughly enjoyed my visit. It just proves how successful and rewarding a career in construction can be. After experiencing this first-hand, I would encourage everyone to consider a career in construction.”

Hayley Coe, CITB Partnership Manager, said: “Site visits like this are an excellent way of inspiring more people to consider a career in construction. It is a great opportunity to showcase just how rewarding a career in the sector can be.

“There is no better time than now, with over 8,500 new construction jobs expected to be created over in the South East over the next five years.

“Anyone interested in pursuing a career in construction should visit the industry website – Go Construct.”

The Hart Leisure Centre site recently opened its gates to the public as part of Open Doors 2016 – a joint initiative between the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and Build UK.