With the construction industry enjoying a boom period and now comfortably ahead of the hotel sector as the Island's fourth largest employment sector, the time is right for more business to link up with the Construction Association of Bermuda and enjoy a level of customer confidence and networking opportunities that will allow them to further prosper.

Small businesses in particular can benefit from being part of the CAOB umbrella, where they will respect a code of conduct which has been so successful that non of the association's 80 members has been subject to a Consumer Affairs complaint.

That outstanding record is what is needed top gain the confidence of customers and attract work the way of members who have joined together to set and maintain professional standards.CAOB president Alex DeCouto, acknowledging the strengthening of the construction sector as a major employment force (fourth behind international business, business services and public services according to 2006 Government data), is seeking to lift the construction association's profile and its membership count.

The not-for-profit association has been established for 40 years and currently represents companies who employ just over half of the people working in the construction industry.It's membership is mostly made up of smaller companies and it has its own code of conduct which has served it well. No consumer complaints lodged with Consumer Affairs have been directed at any of the CAOB members, proof of the effectiveness of having a code of conduct adhered to and applying 'best practice.

'One of the key reasons for CAOB to exist is to give its members a 'voice' within the industry. It has become one of the construction bodies that can and does speak on relevant issues, such as those affecting the labour force, with Government and other organisations from time-to-time.Running through a few of the issues that have been raised, Mr DeCouto said: "Work permits is always a hot topic. There was a ratio (non-Bermudian/Bermudian worker force) that would be increasingly difficult to achieve for the smaller companies.

"We've also spoken on the issue of truck licences. There has been a moratorium on new truck licences which went into effect in July.

"There has been an increase in trucks on the Island but there has also been an inexorable increase in cars.

"Mr. DeCouto believes Government needs to take a more pragJuly.

"there has been an increase in trucks on the Island but there has also been an inexorable increase in cars.

"Mr. DeCouto believes Government needs to take a more pragmatic look at the situation rather than adopt a blanket moratorium as a small businessman with one truck who wants to expand his business with a second truck - or even someone who wants to set up a new business - is being prevented from pursuing doing so.

One answer he feels would be to exclude 'small businesses' from the moratorium.

Each year the CAOB awards scholarships that are used to help new recruits to the industry reach a level of professional qualification to make them much sought-after employees. There are currently three scholarships on the go.The Association also works closely with the National Training Board (NTB) to co-ordinate apprenticeships.

Small enterprises should also bear in mind that through scholarships and NTB apprenticeships they can take on a employee who will be getting their training and studying paid for and is likely to show strong loyalty to their employee as a result of being given the initial chance to train on the job.

As the CAOB continues to grow Mr. DeCouto would like to see more new members join up and benefit from being part of a professional group that has an enviable reputation for consumer satisfaction and trustworthiness, as borne out by the zero number of Consumer Affairs' complaints.

Of other benefits he says: "I want to encourage more firms to join so they can see what best practice is and so they can network at our events." With everything from barbecues to golf days, the networking possibilities within the CAOB are varied.

"Business is all about networking and the people who are buying services from one another are meeting up at our events. Just to be part of that networking alone is worth being a member of CAOB," said Mr DeCouto.

"There is the consumer confidence that comes from being part of CAOB. When a customer sees our ad (with reference to the zero complaints) and the list of members they can select from that list with confidence that they are getting someone who has the code of conduct standards behind them, rather than 'playing darts' and picking a (random) company from the Yellow Pages.

"Members of CAOB can also be listed with a page link from the main CAOB website, another way to capture the attention of potential customers who are seeking a reputable company to do some work for them. On the subject of the current construction upswing, Mr. DeCouto admits the visual impact of so many high-rise cranes across the Hamilton skyline gives the impression of an unprecendented construction boom.

But he points out that in reality the level of construction is probably not hugely out of line with the past decade or two, it is just that cranes are now more widely used because of increased efficiency and are cheaper to come by."I think the construction sector is going to level off this year. There is a lot of work in 2008 that will cause an increase and give a 'bump' in the number of workers that are needed," he said.

He also pointed out that for Bermudians, who make up the majority of the construction workforce (2,574 out of a total of 3,653 last year), the sector is one of the most reliable places to secure a job long-term and this is in contrast to the same industry in other countries around the world.

The desire by employers to have Bermudians in their workforce, and to hold on to them even when times are tight, is evident. Having a Bermudian on the work team ready to set off on a project has obvious benefits compared to the time-lag and extra expense of recruiting overseas workers during boom periods.

"The number of Bermudians in the industry is static with very little job loss. Every company tries to hang on to their locals. This is a great industry to work in because of the great job security," said Mr. DeCouto.

Tomorrow - Michael Stone, head of the National Training Board, speaks about construction and meeting the training requirements for the shifting trends within employment sectors.