One third of construction firms don't train their staff

A government training body has urged construction firms to train more staff, despite the downturn in the sector.

Research by the Learning and Skills Council – conducted in late 2007 but published only this week – revealed that a third of the 79,000 employers it surveyed didn’t train their staff.

It said the lack of training led to 40% of the vacancies in the industry remaining unfilled and called on employers to use its Train to Gain Service.

Paul Holme, director of skills for employers at the Learning and Skills Council, said: "Our latest research shows that Train to Gain is helping to unlock staff potential through recommending and delivering relevant, job-specific training. I urge more organisations to follow suit and get involved and see the benefits of investing in training for the long-term."

Meanwhile a ConstructionSkills spokesman acknowledged the downturn was likely to reduce the number of unfilled vacancies but urged employers to keep investing, particularly within firms working on major infrastructure projects.

"It is vital that during these tough economic times valuable skills are not lost in the short term, while plans are developed to ensure the skills base exists to support the overall expected expansion annually between 2009 and 2013," he said.