Thousands of construction jobs are under threat because of a lack of skilled workers, an industry body has warned.
A study by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) found that one in 20 firms believe the problem is so acute it could put them out of business.
The survey of 300 firms revealed that one in five said a skills gap had hampered their growth plans over the past two years, while a tenth had lost contracts to a competitor with better-skilled employees.
James Wates, chairman of CITB, said: "Our report clearly shows more needs to be done to address construction's skills 'time bomb', to safeguard jobs and ensure that growth is possible.
"With major projects such as the new nuclear build programme coming online in the next five years, now is the time to start sparking the imagination of young people and harnessing their talent for the future of the industry."
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