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A future Labour government would reinstate rules requiring housebuilders and housing associations to take on apprentices on all publicly-funded housing projects.

Shadow housing minister Emma Reynolds said the Homes and Community Agency rules, which were brought in in 2008 by Labour but abolished in 2010 by the coalition government, would be reintroduced by a future Labour government as part of a bid to tackle low levels of training in the industry.

Reynolds said: 鈥淩emoving the guidance was a mistake. The HCA has got such great leverage over the industry, central government should reintroduce this . Where the government is giving grant, we need to be getting bang for our buck, and that means apprenticeships, training and skills for local people.

鈥淥therwise there is a real fear that construction jobs that are created won鈥檛 go to local people.鈥�

Reynolds added a Labour government would look at whether to introduce similar rules around public land disposals, meaning housebuilders building out former public sites would also have to meet training targets.

Her comments follow a policy review by Labour on the issue of training, published in the autumn, which found that a future government should focus on encouraging more longer 鈥渓evel three鈥� apprenticeships such as those in construction, and should use public procurement to achieve this.

Speaking to the Home Builders鈥� Federation annual policy conference yesterday, Reynolds said there had been a 鈥渓ongstanding underinvestment鈥� by the industry in skills and training and that the industry was in danger of a 鈥渓ooming skills shortage.鈥�

Her announcement follows chancellor George Osborne鈥檚 commitment in last week鈥檚 Budget of an additional 拢170m for small businesses to support over 100,000 new apprenticeship places in the next two years. 

It also follows  by a cross-party group of MPs that slammed the construction industry for its 鈥減athetically dismal鈥� number of apprentices, after the number of completed apprenticeships last year fell to 7,280, just half the figure for 2008/09.

Reynolds added that there was 鈥渁n issue with how the industry is perceived by young people鈥� and that it needed to do much more to attract women and ethnic minority groups in to the sector.

Reynolds said Labour supported chancellor George Osborne鈥檚 efforts to back the new build sector through extending the Help to Buy equity loan scheme, but fell short of saying a future Labour government would continue the scheme exactly in its current form.

In particular she said Labour would review the current 拢600,000 ceiling for purchases that can be helped by the scheme, saying Labour was 鈥渟hocked鈥� at the level when it was announced.

Housing minister Kris Hopkins, speaking at the same conference, criticised Labour in government for having been 鈥渙bsessed with university careers鈥� and said the government was looking to send a message to young people in the construction industry that 鈥渨e treasure what you do 鈥� and it鈥檚 a long-term sustainable career.鈥�