Almost half of Britain's construction consultants have problems with a lack of staff skills, according to a survey by the Construction Industry Council.
The study found that about half of firms have been unhappy with their staffs' command of management skills, literacy and client handling.

A similar percentage of the 927 companies consulted said significant skills gaps were evident, especially in IT and procurement strategy – despite the fact that nearly three-quarters of the workforce was qualified to HNC level or beyond.

Two out of three respondents said they had found it hard to recruit properly trained staff in the past 12 months.

Graham Watts, chief executive at the CIC, said: "These results will help to identify employment patterns and the training and skills needed for this hugely important part of the industry."