The government is to earmark £200 million to try to fill skills gaps in growth areas such as science and engineering, John Denham, the secretary of state for innovation, universities and skills, is to tell employers.

Denham will announce at a meeting planned with business leaders next month that he is willing to allocate specific training funds for strategic sectors of the economy, such as science, engineering, finance, construction and IT. He will promise to set aside the sum in capital spending over the next three years for specialist training facilities.