Firms in the struggling construction sector are increasingly turning to training in a bid to come out of the recession stronger than before, new research suggests.

Indicia Training, one of the UK's leading business skills and IT training firms, has reported a 55% year on year increase in the number of training courses being booked, many of which are from companies in the Scottish construction sector.

The news comes following recent figures from the Scottish Building Federation's latest quarterly research, Scottish Construction Monitor, which shows almost two-thirds of the industry’s firms were less confident about their prospects for the next 12 months compared with the previous year.

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Indicia Training's General Manager Howard Teale says that research from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) which shows companies that invest in training are two and a half times more likely to survive the recession, has spurred a lot of firms into taking action.

He said: "Companies in the construction industry have been among the worst hit in the economic downturn. But despite that, many of those firms which have been battening down the hatches to survive the recession are realising that in order to continue competing, they now need to take action.

"Companies in this sector are continuing to invest in their staff to not only improve quality of service and sales, but boost morale and increase results giving credibility over competitors."

Indicia Training, which now employs six office based staff and a core of 15 freelance trainers, has seen turnover rise by 36% over the past two years to £550,000 this year.

They are the only training company in Scotland to be awarded the Novell Gold Partner status – a much sought after industry accreditation - and can now count the likes of the Scottish Government, the NHS and Mars among its impressive client list.

The company's courses are proving so popular that overseas firms have even flown in delegates from as far away as Russia and the Middle East.

(GK/BMcc)