JOBLESS youngsters need to get off the couch and on to the building site, the Education Secretary says.
Bridget Phillipson warned the housing crisis was being made worse by a lack of construction workers.
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And she added that Brits, rather than migrants, must fill the shortage.
She will today announce £100million in funding for technical colleges to train 40,000 brickies, roofers and electricians by 2029.
Labour’s pledge to build 1.5 million homes by the next election hinges on plugging 35,000 vacancies in the sector.
Meanwhile, 12.5 per cent of all 16 to 24-year-olds — around one million — are not in education, employment or training.
Ms Phillipson welcomed The Sun’s Builder Better Britain campaign for “putting construction on the map” as we bang a drum for the industry.
And she added: “If you’re an out-of-work young person or looking for a career change, get up, get skills and get building.”
She said training homegrown talent was the best way to build the homes, schools and hospitals Britain is crying out for.
The Department for Education last night said the ten new technical excellence colleges would help end the reliance on overseas construction workers.
It said: “Britain cannot and should not rely on foreign labour.”
David Hughes, chief executive of the Association of Colleges, said: “Today’s announcement is very positive news for people wanting good jobs, for the construction employers looking for skilled people and for the Government’s ambitions to build 1.5 million new homes.”
