A CONSTRUCTION company is tackling the industry's skills shortage by recruiting a record number of apprentices.

The MMP Group, of Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, has taken on ten apprentices this year through its Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) programme, taking the total number of trainees at the company to 40.

Chairman Michael O'Connell said: "Trainees are the lifeblood of our industry, as they are the people that will keep the important trades going for the future. At MMP, training for the future is something that we are committed to, hence we launched our training division."

The North-East needs more than 2,000 recruits in the construction sector every year to avoid a major skills shortage.

Last month CITB-Construction Skills - the sector skills body for the industry - warned that the 2012 Olympics in London would be an extra drain on resources and put efforts to revitalise the region in jeopardy.

Simon Murray, CITB's regional strategic advisor, said: "What MMP is doing is what all proactive employees should be doing to invest in their companies' future. If businesses want to grow they should be recruiting now because apprentices take at least three years to train."