Construction has hit targets on recruitment and training set by Sir John Egan in 2002, despite missing others on integration.

Last week Building revealed that 13% of projects were undertaken by integrated teams and supply chains by 2007, as opposed to the 50% recommended in Egan’s second report, Accelerating Change.

However, figures released this week on the other targets painted a more positive picture. A Labour Force Survey showed that 253,731 people were recruited into industry between 2002 and 2007. Based on this the Strategic Forum estimated that the target for 300,000 qualified people to be trained and recruited by 2006 had been exceeded.

Accelerating Change also asked for a 50% rise in applications to built environment higher and further education courses by 2007. Ucas figures show that applicants to these courses rose from 6,341 in 2002 to 10,680 in 2007.

Other targets included an increase in the annual rate of apprentice completions to 13,500 by 2010. In 2007, there were 8,289 apprentice framework completions and an unspecified number of Summit Skills apprentices. The Strategic Forum said this meant the target was on the way to being reached.

Accelerating Change was published in 2002 by the Strategic Forum, which Egan chaired at the time. It followed his 1998 report, Rethinking Construction.