An army of new “engineers, brickies, sparkies, and chippies” will be trained to address the country’s chronic housing shortage. Up to 60,000 people will gain construction skills by 2029 in a race to tackle skills shortages.

New workers are needed to deliver the goal of 1.5million more homes. New “technical excellence” colleges, apprenticeships, placements “skills bootcamps” are at the heart of the plans with more than £600million invested over the next four years.

There are more than 35,000 job vacancies in the construction sector. Employers have warned more than half of jobs cannot be filled due to a lack of skills.

A new “construction skills mission board” will be co-chaired by Mark Reynolds, the executive chair of construction giant Mace.

He said: “Understandably, construction firms across the country are looking for certainty of pipeline before they commit to investing in new jobs and skills – but this investment by the Chancellor will be critical in giving them the confidence they need. There is now no excuse – industry must embrace the Government’s growth mission and match their ambition.”

Tim Balcon, chief executive of the Construction Industry Training Board, said: “This package will provide vital support, where it is needed most – it will cut straight to the heart of the construction industry being able to address the challenge of building 1.5 new homes for people that desperately need them. As an industry, we now need to grasp this opportunity and play our part in delivering it.

“I genuinely believe this is a once-in-a-generation chance to us to recruit and train our workforce – equipping more people with the skills they urgently need now and in the future.”

Of the new funding, £100million will go towards 10 new Technical Excellence Colleges; £165m will help colleges deliver more construction courses. Another £100million will go towards boosting the skills of new entrants, existing workers and returners in the construction sector.

A further £20million will support partnerships between colleges and building companies, with £40million funding “foundation apprenticeships”. Employers will be provided with £2,000 for every such apprentice they take on and retain in the construction industry, with training costs funded through the new growth and skills levy.

Another £100million of Government funding, alongside £32million from the Construction Industry Training Board, will support more than 40,000 industry placements each year. This is to get learners “site-ready”.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “We are being held back by the large-scale skills shortages in the construction sector which is a major barrier to the delivery of the growth mission. These measures will break down barriers to opportunity for thousands of young people, helping them to thrive in – and build – their local communities.”

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said: “We are determined to get Britain building again, that’s why we are taking on the blockers to build 1.5 million new homes and rebuild our roads, rail and energy infrastructure. But none of this is possible without the engineers, brickies, sparkies, and chippies to actually get the work done, which we are facing a massive shortage of.

“We’ve overhauled the planning system that is holding this country back, now we are gripping the lack of skilled construction workers, delivering on our plan for change to boost jobs and growth for working people.”