It's all a bit of a puzzle. When the Home Office's Migration Advisory Committee last month published its new list of shortage occupations under the proposed 'points based immigration system for non-EU residents, it included veterinary nurses, dancers, sheep shearers -and managers in construction and quantity surveyors.rnWhile the arrival of skilled new recruits is always welcome - albeit mistimed in the middle of a credit crunch - the industry's skills and training bodies were left wondering just how the MAC concluded the industry had a high-level skills gap.rnConstructionSkills explains that it only gave the MAC detailed evidence about how construction skills and qualifications should be assessed, and the nature of shortages. Its spokesman said: 'No evidence was submitted that allowed the MAC to conclude that any construction occupations should be included onthe shortage occupation list at this time.'
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