It's been a slow-moving year for construction, but things look as though they're about to get better for and skilled tradesmen as industry experts have been putting their heads together and lobbying the government for support - and are seeing some great results. Until now, the construction industry has been deeply affected by the recession and industry experts haven't seen the level of recovery they were hoping for. To help, skilled tradesmen and construction alliances from all over have been calling for action from the government to help stimulate growth and promote a speedy recovery. Now, their efforts are beginning to pay off, and there are some exciting new prospects on the horizon. The Construction Products Association (CPA) has been pulling together ideas about how to stimulate growth, and has been one of several industry groups lobbying the government for support in the last few weeks.Chief executive Michael Ankers said: "We think the government was right to get on top of the deficit, but we're looking now at something more subtle. Can the government bring infrastructure spending forward?"The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) echoed the CPA's demands and has also been working with government officials to try and encourage them to kick-start the industry and commission larger scale projects. Good news finally came when Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg pledged to help by accelerating 40 high-profile infrastructure projects to help create more work and kick-start the industry. He said: "We're going through the nation's capital spending plans to hand-pick up to 40 of the biggest infrastructure projects, the ones most important to growth, which will be given new special priority status."Where we need to get investors and developers in, we'll do so. Where local conversations need to happen, we'll make them happen. Whatever the problem is - regulation, funding, procurement, planning - if we can help unblock it, we will." High-profile infrastructure projects will bring a welcomed boost to the industry and provide skilled tradesmen with new job opportunities in a range of construction projects in everything from plumbing to electrical, carpentry, bricklaying, plastering and renewable energy. At Able Skills, we can help give you the cutting edge. Train or retrain with our skilled professionals who provide hands on learning. Our range of comprehensive courses will get you first out of the gate and help you hit the ground running as these exciting new projects start to crop up all around the UK.