Lancaster-based AccessPlanit software predicts that the UK construction industry could be annually wasting as much as £77 million by the year 2010 through inefficient training management

The figures assume that the industry will fail to get to grips with spiralling costs due to inefficient training management and administration associated with legal compliance.

AccessPlanit believes that the impact of inefficient monitoring of CSCS card legislation alone could cost the industry an additional £19 million a year.

The figures have been calculated using the company's detailed statistical research into construction industry companies as part of the two year development of Access Planit's new training management software programme called 'Accessplan Construction'.

For AccessPlanit managing director Bill Evans said: "Training management is just one of the many hidden cost the construction industry has been forced to bare during the last decade of more and more new legislation.

"The task and cost of maintaining adequate records and ensuring that training is up to date and revised as dictated by legislation can be substantial - especially in an industry where employment mobility is so high."

AccessPlanit's new construction industry training management software has been developed from an already-successful software package used extensively in the public sector.

More than 25,000 users of their system are already saving more than 1,200 companies an estimated £3.5 million. And it is hoped that the new construction version of the software will have a similar impact.

AccessPlanit has created a solution that notifies construction companies of employees' training status without staff needing to trawl individual employee records.  And the system goes beyond legislation compliance giving construction companies the ability to develop training budgets, plan for the future and comply with the CSCS card requirements.

It has been designed to be a complete training, budgeting, workforce management tool that can slash the cost of training compliance.

AccessPlanit's development research also revealed that whilst the costs of maintaining up to date training records are increasing, the cost of not doing so could be even higher.

Bill Evans adds: "Failure to meet training requirements goes far beyond lack of workforce
competency.  Up to date health and safety training reduces absenteeism and keeps organisations away from tribunals.  It's not difficult to imagine a scenario where our new software could even save a life!"