Community-based initiatives will be at the heart of a building company’s celebrations to mark 40 years in business.

About 200 industry decision makers and influencers came together to celebrate the official launch of Chase Norton Construction’s anniversary year.

But, alongside these formal celebrations, work is already under way with schools, local communities, clients and industry partners on a series of initiatives. These will touch on various industry-related issues including sustainability, community awareness and the enduring problem of the skills shortage.

George Marsh, chairman of Chase Norton Construction, said: "Although widely reported in the press, the issue of the skills shortage is still not going away. The West Midlands alone needs over 3,000 new entrants each year so recruitment, training and retention must form the vital ingredients of any construction company’s strategy.

"Forward looking companies are working closely with the Learning and Skills Council and our sector skills councils to ensure that college provision, specialist diplomas, the skills academies and foundation degrees really reflect the needs of industry."

He added: "The sector is dominated by small/micro employers, with 92 per cent employing fewer than ten staff, so it is important that the larger companies, such as Chase Norton, support and collaborate with their supply chains to evolve clear programmes of action to help encourage the promotion of skills."

One project, to help encourage greater intake to the industry, has seen Chase agreeing to sponsor Barrs Hill School in Coventry to help achieve its ‘Specialist Schools (Construction) Status’ – one of just a handful of such schools in the Midlands.

In addition, Chase Norton used the 40th birthday party as a platform for ‘Protege 2007’, a recruitment competition by construction and property consultancy, Bucknall Austin.

Protege 2007 is a recruitment initiative that mirrors the popular TV series The Apprentice. The consultancy will put a group of undergraduates through a series of technical and business tests and will invite only the best performers to start work with the company in September 2007.

George added: "Our anniversary event was the perfect opportunity to test the graduates’ networking abilities. Our industry relies on teamwork and relationships, which are built up on the project but also through industry and networking events.

"Networking is consequently a key skill to develop in order to build professional relationships, actively foster contacts and to climb the construction industry career ladder."

He concluded: "We view our fortieth anniversary not only as a time to celebrate what we’ve achieved to date but as an opportunity to build on our experience further and use our expertise to support continued growth of the industry.

"What must be made clear is that each of the skills, community and sustainability-related activities that we’re planning this year will not stop in 12 months but will serve to form the foundations for nurturing skills, to develop sustainable communities and to share best practice with our industry peers."