The group, called Change The Face of Construction, was scheduled to have its first meeting yesterday under the chairmanship of John Hobson, the head of the DETR's construction directorate.
The group also includes Construction Industry Council chief executive Graham Watts and Construction Industry Board chief executive Don Ward, as well as representatives from the Construction Clients Forum.
Watts said: "Nick Raynsford [the construction minister] has talked about the issue of respect for people in construction, and the fact that the DETR is funding this, and that John Hobson is involved, is a practical demonstration of Raynsford's commitment to put the issue of equal opportunities at the top of the construction agenda."
The group also includes Helen Stone, chair of the CIC equal opportunities taskforce; and Sandi Rhys Jones, former chair of the CIB's Working Group Eight that first looked at the under-representation of women and ethnic minorities in construction last year. Stone and Rhys Jones will be responsible for the day-to-day organisation of the group's work.
The taskforce intends to set up a database to allow surveys of the progress of all under-represented groups working in the industry, and to assess the numbers and status of ethnic minorities and women in construction.
It is understood that the taskforce will also establish a benchmarking programme, along with key performance indicators, monitoring construction companies and consultants and the progress of women and ethnic minorities in the industry.
CIB operations manager Derek Rees added: "The group is looking at how we can attract women and ethnic minorities, and retain them. This could include better conditions on site, but the overall culture of the industry needs to be addressed.
"Woman are also under-represented in consultants' offices. We really need to change the adversarial nature of the way the industry operates."
Other members of the taskforce include Sports Council architect Kay Hughes, and Harry Nobbs from the Confederation of Specialist Contractors.
The launch follows the publication of a Construction Industry Training Board report in April, which said racism was rife throughout the industry, and that black workers and managers felt they were discriminated against. The group will liaise with the CITB as well as with other bodies outside construction, including Race For Opportunity and Women into Science and Technology.
