West Midlands Mayor Andy Street has been announced as a VIP keynote speaker at UK Construction Week Birmingham (UKCW Birmingham), the UK’s largest event for the built environment, which returns to Birmingham’s NEC from 4th to 6th October 2022.
UKCW Question Time with Andy Street will take place on the main stage on Thursday 6th October, and will see Mr Street answering Midanders' major construction questions on the Future Homes Strategy; the Housing and Land Board; careers and skills; infrastructure; transport; regeneration and much more.
Officially opened by architect and Channel 4 presenter George Clarke, UKCW Birmingham is the must-attend construction event this Autumn and is expecting around 25,000 attendees.
The show will feature a wide range of UK and international speakers including Rick Wilmott, CEO, Wilmott Dixon; Ann Bentley, Global Board Director at Rider Levett Bucknall; and Mark Thurston, CEO, HS2 and include a focus on the West Midlands’ own construction sector, which in 2018 generated £7.2bn of GVA and employed 121,000 people in the West Midlands region. This equates to 6.9% of total WMCA GVA and 6.6% of jobs.
Furthermore, The Construction Skills Network 2021-25 forecast that the amount of construction work in the West Midlands is set to grow by 4.8 per cent annually, on average, until the end of 2025 - exceeding the UK average of 4.4 per cent.
Andy Street said: “I’m delighted to be taking part in this year’s UK Construction Week – not least given the important role the industry has to play as a major growth sector for our region and its immense potential to create tens of thousands of jobs for local residents in the coming months and years.
“As we bounce back from the setback of Covid and revive our pre pandemic status as the engine room of a thriving UK economy, we must redouble our focus on driving the West Midlands forward towards renewed prosperity - investing to generate high quality job opportunities, building on our traditional strong suits and also looking to the growth sectors of the future – whether it’s housing, skills training, transport infrastructure or urban regeneration, we have so many reasons to be optimistic.
“I look forward to an engaging conversation - interacting with the industry on all things construction. Together, the private and public sector can change lives for the better right across our region.”
Nathan Garnett, UKCW Birmingham’s show director, added: “We are delighted to welcome Andy Street to UK Construction Week in October. We chose Birmingham as the venue for this national celebration of construction back in 2015, given the wealth of opportunities for the sector around the West Midlands.
“Andy Street’s ambitious vision for the region is inspiring, whether that be around new jobs for offsite manufacturing, to harnessing the opportunities created by HS2, regenerating Birmingham City Centre, and creating green jobs in the construction industry. Times are tough, but Andy Street has a bold vision that the construction sector can be hugely optimistic about.”
UKCW Birmingham will celebrate culture change in construction with three days of debate and discussion from top speakers on how the industry can move forward to tackle its biggest issues, including quality, fire safety, sustainability, offsite manufacturing, mental health, and improving diversity and inclusion.
The three-day show, now in its seventh year, will see over 6,000 products on display from over 300 exciting exhibitors including Bosch, Schneider Electric, Google, Graco Distribution, Wavin, Cemex, Hanson Plywood and many more. This year, the multi award-winning show has also attracted an abundance of overseas exhibitors, including brands from as far afield as Australia, India, Norway, Turkey and the UAE.
The 2022 show has an even stronger emphasis on future development in the industry and this year’s theme is Celebrating Culture Change in Construction that will be present throughout the show, which is backed by all the industry’s leading organisations, including The Considerate Constructors Scheme, The Chartered Institute of Building, The Builders Merchant Federation, The Federation of Master Builders and the Construction Leadership Council.
Visitors will also be able to find sections dedicated to Building Materials, Digitalisation, Infrastructure, Energy, HVAC, Surface & Materials, Timber, Offsite Construction and Skills & Careers.
