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Such groups, comprising like-minded people who get together to solve problems, have been dubbed ‘innovation circles’. They are the latest idea for bringing about change in the industry and there are around 40 in the UK.

‘Everybody drops their corporate identity and competitive approach at the door,’ explains Roy Casey, continuous improvement director at building services consultancy Foreman Roberts, and a member of the migrant workers circle. Unlike a working group, there’s no chair and no agenda. Instead, a facilitator helps the group work towards their objective.

The migrant worker circle, which combines contractors, recruiters and trainers, has come up with six areas it aims to produce guidance for by the end of the year, including working out the best route for verifying foreign qualifications against UK ones and how to obtain a CSCS card for a foreign worker. Between eight and 10 people from a group of 15 attend the bi-monthly meetings.

The innovation circle is one of five run by London South Bank University under the auspices of the government-funded Construction Knowledge Exchange (CKE) which was set up to encourage links and collaboration between industry and academia.

CKE funds a facilitator for the group, providing it can show it will produce a measured outcome which will benefit the industry.

The University of Salford runs 30 innovation circles with input from ConstructionSkills. Wolverhampton has four circles.

Companies with a problem which they think others could share and help solve should apply for funding through one of the CKE universities: South Bank, Wolverhampton, Salford, West of England, Central Lancashire and Leeds Metropolitan.