This paper explores questions of labour reproduction and skill development under different contract arrangements within the UK construction and civil engineering industry. The central concerns of the paper relate to the ways in which skills shortages within the sector have impacted upon recruitment practices, training provision and the use of contract alternatives in terms of both direct and non-standard labour. The argument primarily draws upon data from a national postal survey conducted in 2002, covering firms of all sizes within this key economic sector. The paper reveals some interesting findings regarding recruitment and training practices, which despite some encouraging headline figures on the existence of training reveals an over dependency on contingent labour and low levels of apprenticeships particularly amongst the numerically dominant small firms. This suggests that the recognised problems of labour shortages within the sector are ongoing and the aim of attracting new workers into the industry remains unrealised.