And  18% of firms are planning to scale back training even further in 2011, according to new research published by CITB-ConstructionSkills.

The Employer Attitudes and Motivations to Learning and Training survey asked over 1,500 construction employers how the economic downturn impacted on their training provision last year.

Job-specific training was hardest hit, with 16% of all employers cutting back. Health and Safety is also suffering with 8% of employers reducing programmes while management training only dropped  among 2% of employers.

Mark Farrar, Chief Executive of CITB-ConstructionSkills said: “As a cost cutting measure in times of economic hardship, training budgets are sadly often the first to suffer.

“Although recognition of the importance of staff skills is high, the research shows that training levels could fall further still.

“For these reasons, CITB-ConstructionSkills will be doing all it can to help and support construction employers in continuing to up-skill and train their workforce – ensuring that they have right skills, in the right place and at the right time.”