workers, with work on the mammoth Prospect secondary school project set to begin in January.

It will signal the start of two good years of improved employment in the industry, on the heels of sluggish construction activity during the last few years.

Government was expecting to get bids in for the site preparation work for the new school on Friday. Also last week, the bids went out to tender for the structural steel and for the foundations.

Works Minister, the Hon. Leonard Gibbons said: "We would anticipate activity to start to generate in the first part of the year and continue to build.

"I would expect that the work will begin in January. We expect bids to be in, which will be assessed, before the people will be awarded the contract over the next couple of weeks. Obviously, they will gear up for a start right after Christmas.'' The Minister said he expected there will be a gradual increase through the first quarter of the year.

"It will not reach its height, in terms of activity and employment, for six to eight months, but it will stay up there for two years,'' he said. "We are doing a lot of work up at the site right now. There is construction going on up there in the Prospect area, the roads and infrastructure.

"We are due to hand over the school in June of 1997.''