BUILDERS used to be able to hang a notice on the outside of the construction site to recruit staff. Now they have to resort to texting teenagers.

The South East construction industry training board (CITB-ConstructionSkills) is trying to recruit 17,280 more professionals by 2008, and that is where texting comes in.

More than 10,000 18-year-olds in Kent and other parts of the South East are receiving text messages as their exam results are published.

The campaign aims to attract the best students to the industry.

Nicola Thompson, CITB-ConstructionSkills communications and marketing director, said: "There are fantastic opportunities for graduates ranging from traditional degree courses such as architecture and surveying to lesser-known courses such as building project management or urban and environmental planning."

The construction industry in the South East wants 17,280 extra people before 2008