ilke Homes said it is suffering because of the exodus of eastern European construction workers caused by Brexit, and an ageing population of British bricklayers.

The company makes 2,000 two and three-bedroom homes a year from its 25,000 sq m warehouse in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire.

The ilke Academy will hire people from all walks of life, including school-leavers, military veterans, ex-offenders and women.

The company will hold recruitment days at Wealstun category C men’s prison in West Yorkshire, and Askham Grange prison near York, as well as at some local secondary schools.

About one in three bricklayers in London comes from eastern Europe, according to the Office for National Statistics — and about 10% in Britain as a whole — and these workers have been drifting away from the industry since 2016.

Experts have warned of a further outflow after Britain leaves the EU.

Thousands of construction workers are said to be retiring every month, with 700,000 of the two million people in the industry said to be aged over 50.

Ilke said that with the sector producing 15,000 homes per year and forecast to treble in five years, its academy would offer the specific skills that people needed to build houses in factories.

Dave Sheridan, executive chairman of ilke Homes, said: “We have a responsibility to help people from all backgrounds find employment and for too long, the construction sector has sat on its hands while the skills shortage has hit crisis point. Creating local jobs and helping get more women and young people into the sector have to be priorities. The government has ambitious targets to build new homes and only through investment in factories will this realistically happen. Investment will only flow if the right skills exist – and that’s why we are keen to collaborate with everyone in the industry.

“Offsite manufacturing gives people a genuine, clear career path together with the opportunity to play a part in disrupting UK housebuilding. Anyone, be they a school-leaver seeking their first full-time job or a reformed offender, should have the chance to be trained – not least when they can help end the housing crisis by building beautiful, high-quality homes.”