By Annabelle Tukia
The Government has guaranteed 900 new jobs by next year to help with the Christchurch rebuild.
Workers are desperately needed to fix quake-damaged roads and pipes, but with accommodation at a premium they could end up living in hostels or at homestays.
Christchurch's roads have been a bumpy mess since the quakes. There are roadworks everywhere with over 1,000km needig to be resealed and have underground pipes replaced.
It's a mammoth task that the Government says it can't do alone, and today it launched an incentive scheme to attract new workers to the city.
“Through the programme, SCIRT [Stronger Christchurch Infrastructure Rebuild Team] and the industrial providers will provide training for a range of courses between six and 14 weeks, and the people who pick up that training will be guaranteed a job as a result of their participation in the programme,” says Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Gerry Brownlee.
Mr Brownlee says they hope to have 900 people in the program by next year.
“We've got the traffic control-type work which is ideal for people who are less physical, we've got physical work - the labouring type work, there’s plant operation, there’s health and safety,” says Duncan Gibb of SCIRT.
The concern though is where the influx of workers will live and stay. With rents rising and houses hard to come by, Chamber of Commerce chairman Peter Townsend says workers will have to consider sharing accommodation.
“We need to look at housing accommodation, we need to look at hostels, we need to look at homestays, maybe look if people who've had damaged houses want to spend a little more money than their insurance money taking on a boarder,” says Mr Townsend.
With Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce committing $28 million to train builders, plumbers and electricians the race will be on for both the jobs and a place to stay.
3 News