Following the decision in June to cut Levy bills by 25% across the next two years, CITB has seen its income reduce by £166m. Despite this reduced income, CITB has accelerated Apprenticeship Grants and prioritised Apprenticeship Support and Direct Employer Funding within their Skills Stability Plan. The immediate support CITB has been able to make available, together with the ongoing impact of Covid-19, has had a severe impact to CITB’s financial position.
As the organisation moves forward, it will therefore be more essential than ever that CITB continue to scrutinise the grants provided to support areas of greatest value to industry. This will ensure they invest industry funds correctly and with restricted funding, protect priority areas. CITB is therefore making the following changes to existing grants:
- Degree-Placement Work Experience Grant: The Degree-Placement Work Experience Grant was claimed by only 108 employers last year, with half of those claiming less than £10,000. As a result, CITB are introducing a cap of £10,000 for each employer to claim for training undertaken from 1 April 2020 to 30 September 2021, with the eventual removal of the grant from 1 October 2021. Further details including deadlines to submit your application can be found here.
- Plant Additional Unit Achievement Grant: Under the 2018 Grant Scheme Review, the Additional Unit Grant was highlighted as requiring review however this was not undertaken at the time. Whilst the review has not been carried out, in the current climate CITB cannot continue to support this additional grant. This grant is therefore being withdrawn from 1 October 2020. Further information is available on the CITB website.
CITB recognise the importance of funding to the plant sector and continue to invest significant levels. The full Plant Operations VQs, short courses for plant related training, and CPCS theory and practical tests continue to be eligible for grant funding, and CITB will continue to fund Plant Apprenticeship grants.
Visit the FIS Skills Hub for further information https://www.thefis.org/skills-hub/
Proposed changes at CITB
CITB announced yesterday a formal consultation with trade unions and employee representatives over proposals to reduce staffing levels, reflecting the ongoing impact Covid-19 has had on construction and for CITB, the projected significant reduction in Levy over the next three years. The proposed changes to CITB’s size and structure will allow them to focus expenditure on directly supporting construction employers with their key needs. They remain committed to working with construction partners and to the delivery of their current Skills Stability Plan. CITB will launch a four-year strategic plan covering 2021-25 in late September.
Construction Talent Retention Scheme
Following the successful launch of the Talent Retention Scheme last month, CITB continue to work with the Construction Leadership Council and other partners to develop this initiative. To be the success the industry need it to be and secure ongoing support, CITB are encouraging as many employers and people looking for roles as possible to register on the platform.
If you missed the webinars that were hosted at launch these can still be viewed here, alongside a short introductory video.
