Bid to create 110 construction jobs

Mar 12 2009 By Christopher Knox, The Journal

ONE of the region's biggest construction and engineering companies is looking to grow its turnover by almost £80m and create around 100 jobs with the help of a number of major public-sector contracts.

Gateshead-based Volker Stevin said that although it was currently experiencing tougher trading conditions, it was expecting to continue its growth next year and believes it can increase its sales from £85m to £140m in five year’s time.

Paul Roebuck, managing director at Volker Stevin, said: "I’d be lying if I said that the recession hadn’t affected us as this year will see our turnover stay roughly the same.

"However, we have a strong pipeline of contracts that will help us to grow after that and that will mean creating jobs in the North East."

The business, which is owned by Dutch parent Volker Vessels, has benefited from a number of public-sector projects over recent years and was the main contractor on the installation of Gateshead Millennium Bridge – a contract worth £17m.

It has since added a number of public works and is currently putting the finishing touches to three sections of the second road tunnel under the River Tyne, the New Tyne Crossing, which it will begin to submerge later this year.

It is huge projects like these that have helped the company to increase the size of its North East workforce year-on-year and it now expects it to grow from 220 to over 300 by 2012.