The Mayor of London Boris Johnson has urged more young people to consider a career in the construction industry.

The Mayor made the call as he joined Lloyds Banking Group in launching the £1m Construction Skills fund.

The initiative will help London house builders provide improved training various businesses say the industry needs.

The £1m fund aims to address some of the skills challenges in London's construction sector by boosting apprenticeship training.

It is hoped the new generation of apprentices will play an 'integral role' in helping increase house building in the city due to a required 20% increase in skilled workers.

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In total, £95.7bn worth of construction projects are planned across the capital and south east until 2017.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: "With some of the biggest infrastructure projects in the world taking place in the capital, and thousands of new homes being built, helping young people into construction apprenticeships has never been more important. We need to do everything in our power to help more people access construction opportunities and I am working hard with Government to make sure that London's skills system works better and harder for the capital."

Many house builders are currently reporting difficulties recruiting qualified candidates for a range of skilled construction jobs.

Electricians are in the shortest supply according to over a third of the house builders in Lloyds Bank's 'Building for Growth' survey.

Many also reported difficulties recruiting site managers, project managers, plumbers, carpenters, bricklayers, and kitchen fitters.

(LM/MH)