Richard Beresford, chief executive of the National Federation of Builders (NFB), said: “The Construction Skills Mission Board (CSMB) is a recognition that construction and government must work together to tackle the skills crisis and achieve its growth ambitions.

“The CSMB’s focus on demand acknowledges that unless the regulatory environment enables work pipelines, existing workforces cannot be sustained, and new workers cannot be added in any serious numbers.”

Mark Reynolds, co-chair of the Construction Leadership Council, will chair the CSMB. The board will focus on five key areas to drive increased recruitment:

1. Confidence to employ and invest 
2. Clear new entrant pathways
3. Access to provision and support to train
4. Funding that works 
5. Reliable and rewarding careers

The Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Rt Hon Angela Rayner MP, will attend the first meeting.

The Government has also announced a partnership between Jobcentres and the industry, which will better equip more people with the skills they need to start or discover fulfilling careers.

Rico Wojtulewicz, head of policy and market insight for the NFB and House Builders Association (HBA), said: “For too long, it was assumed that training workers guarantees a job. The reality is that while 8 in 10 construction apprentices start their training with SMEs, these businesses only build 9% of homes, are struggling with procurement, and many are leaving the industry due to the broken planning system. As a result, many learners fail training because there isn’t anyone to train them to retain them.

“The missing ingredient has always been government intervention. If the Government can unlock project certainty and pipelines, particularly for SMEs, we will see more workers trained and more will be taken on as direct employees. This means greater job security and clear, long-term career pathways.”