<p>The Home Builders Federation (HBF) has voiced its support for a range of government measures skills secretary John Denham has announced to meet skills shortages in the current market and following market recovery. As well as pledging to create 42,000 apprenticeships by 2012, Denham stated that a new clearing house would be established jointly with ConstructionSkills to ensure that apprentices risking redundancy would be matched with employers seeking staff; a construction task force would be set up to consult with government on longer term concerns such as boosting skills levels and expanding construction apprenticeships; and the government would take more steps to use government contracts, ensuring that firms which use them are training and skilling more staff.</p> <p>The skills secretary also unveiled an initiative - Energy Efficiency Employment (EEE) – to create employment opportunities such as insulating homes for skilled workers who had been made redundant. John Slaughter, head of external affairs for the HBF, commented that the measures followed discussions between HBF, government and ConstructionSkills on skills in the current market climate: “We asked the government and Construction Skills to look at the current circumstances for skills and we’re pleased that John Denham has set up a group to …