Chloe Smith, MP for Norwich North and Cabinet Office Minister for Political and Constitutional Reform, visited the National Construction College in Bircham Newton this week along with Peter Hansford, Government Chief Construction Adviser, who overlooked the Government Construction Summit in July this year.

Henry Bellingham MP for North West Norfolk was also in attendance and the joint-visit focused on the work CITB and the NCC in Bircham, are doing to deliver a 21st Century construction industry.

Chloe Smith MP and Peter Hansford toured the Bircham site visiting new facilities and student accommodation blocks. They also took the opportunity to try out the newly installed construction plant simulator and held discussions about the way that CITB and the NCC are supporting the industrial strategy and developing modern construction skills training to meet the current and emerging needs of the industry.


Chloe Smith MP said: "A modern, skilled workforce is at the heart of our plans to reform the construction industry and help Britain get ahead in the global race.

"It is great to come to the National Construction College in Bircham to see the ground-breaking work being done here to ensure that we have the skills in place to meet the challenges that lie ahead and to continue to drive the sector's growth.

"The world-leading NCC will help to equip the industry with a range of modern skills that encourage more efficient, collaborative ways of working, including Building Information Modelling, to ensure we are identifying waste and reducing the cost of major construction projects."

(CD/JP)