Construction recruiters are going to have to help their clients "wake up and smell the coffee" and overcome their belief that the skills shortage will ease when Terminal 5 and Wembley projects end, according to NES director Simon Gerrard.

Gerrard told Recruiter: "We, as recruiters, know who will be available, and we need to effectively communicate this to our clients. The workers will have to be subsidised by overseas personnel. They need to be made aware there is no candidate who would be 100% correct for the job, we don't want them to lower their expectations, just to be realistic and more flexible."

Gerrard believes there needs to be more scope for mentoring and training. "At the moment I hear so many hirers demanding candidates who can hit the ground running - that's going to have to change," he said.

The company has recently set up a pipeline for foreign contractors. "We get bombarded with CVs from across the world. A reasonable number are OK and clients are increasingly willing to take overseas workers. They are beginning to understand that migrants workers will need training and they cannot be deemed as cheap labour.

"We are trying to create a live database of candidates coming over and track their progress in the UK."

The company also has created a job of immigration commissioner. That person is qualified to provide candidates and clients with information on gaining visas.

Meanwhile, NES has rolled out a monthly pay initiative for its contractors to replace a weekly system. "It's the way forward, we've had a good response from our contractors, and it has improved the cashflow of the business," Gerrard said.

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