Train up or pour concrete, British workers warned

British workers face being sidelined with manual work as foreigners take the plum engineering jobs, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has warned.

The body said that unless action is taken to train young people as engineers and scientists, British workers would be left “pouring the concrete”.

CBI director general Richard Lambert said foreign workers would lead the industrial renaissance expected as major work begins on the 2012 Olympics and Crossrail.

He told the Times: “The question is whether our fellow citizens will do more than just pour concrete. There are big opportunities to be grasped.”