Costain, ConstructionSkills, Beard, Partners in Construction, Hanson, and the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board will meet ministers to sign up for the initiative.

The companies will join more than 150 employers from across England to make a public Skills Pledge to train all their staff. More than 1.7 million private and public sector employees will be covered by a Skills Pledge.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown will be among ministers at the event.

The employers will make a public and voluntary commitment to support all their employees to develop basic skills, including numeracy and literacy, and work towards relevant qualifications to at least Level 2 (the equivalent of five GCSEs at A to C grade).

Employers that make a commitment to the Skills Pledge will have access to a Skills Broker, part of the Learning and Skills Council’s Train to Gain service, through whom they can access free literacy and numeracy and first full Level 2 qualification courses. The Skills Broker can assess the company’s training needs and help the employer produce an action plan that will set out contributions from the state, the employer and the individual.

Andrew Wyllie, chief executive of Costain, said:  "Achieving a basic skill level is an essential pre-requisite to accessing the industry leading training programmes that are run by the Costain Group. Basic skill levels have an impact on business performance in all areas, safety being a prime example. Supporting our employees in achieving level 2 is therefore not only essential for the success of the business it is also essential for an individual's career development."