Builders to text A-level students

Builders are hoping to recruit more highly skilled workers

More than 100,000 A-level students are to receive text messages from the building industry as they find out their results on Thursday.

ConstructionSkills, which runs training for the profession, said young people should consider a career in it at the end of university in a few years' time.

There were "fantastic opportunities" available for graduates, it said.

The building industry needs another 23,500 highly skilled workers by 2008, ConstructionSkills said.

'Wider demands'

Spokeswoman Nicola Thompson added: "There are fantastic opportunities for graduates in built environment roles.

"Those range from traditional degree courses, such as architecture and surveying, to lesser-known courses, such as building project management or urban and environmental planning.

"The industry has wider and more varied demands of its employees these days than young people give it credit for."

ConstructionSkills' campaign aims to make future graduates aware of the technical and professional roles the industry has on offer.

Some 600,000 people will be employed in these by the end of this year.

Ms Thompson said: "Using mobile phone text messages to reach students getting their A-level results means we are can get relevant information to them when and where they are making big decisions about their future."

About 265,000 students receive their A-level results on Thursday.