Latham warns that attracting new recruits won't be easy

Encouraging industry recruiting figures were reported by Sir Michael Latham, chairman of the Construction Industry Training Board.

The CITB chief recalled that the board's whole sector workforce development plan suggested that the industry needed to attract 380,000 new people over the next five years - or about 76,000 a year. That meant additional 11,000 new entrants aside from those recruited to replace the 65,000 who retire or otherwise leave the industry each year.

Sir Michael said: "That is not going to be easy to achieve year on year, although it was achieved last year. About 64,000 left the industry last year and about 84,000 joined.

"If we are to keep up that demanding progress over the next five years, we need to make construction a much more attractive industry to young people and their families. That means a full commitment to the Respect for People initiative.

"It means much safer sites and much cleaner and tidier ones as well. It also means recruiting more people into the industry from backgrounds who do not normally seek to join it - women and ethnic groups. In effect we are ignoring over 50% of the population in our recruitment policies."

The CITB chairman added: "If we are going to attract young people into the industry at all, we need to talk to them in language which means something to them."