CITB Big Six Initiative

Posted on August 5, 2019

CITB have set up their ‘Big Six’ initiative where they attempt to tackle 6 skills challenges for the construction industry. These are:

Make construction an attractive career to a broader range of recruits.
Developing a ‘site-ready’ workforce.
Get more construction learners to join the industry.
Grow number and diversity of apprentices.
Help smaller firms invest in training that can transform their business.
Boost the number of assessors for vocational qualifications.

Some of the steps they have already taken to tackle these issues are with nationwide careers campaigns, which have the aim of highlighting the many fantastic and well-paid career opportunities available in the construction industry.

CITB have stated that Britain requires 168,500 skilled workers to enter the construction industry over the next 5 years to meet the demands for new homes and investment in infrastructure. The ageing workforce means that Britain needs to ensure that young workers are brought in and trained properly to retain its skill set so we don’t have a shortage of skilled workers.

They have also set up a skills and training fund which aims to encourage small construction companies (those that have less than 100 employees) to train employees using construction industry training industry courses, which align with the CITB grant scheme and any other related construction courses and NVQs.

CITB-registered employers can apply for funding related to how many direct employees they have:

Employers with 1 to 49 directly employed staff can receive up to £5,000.
Employers with 50 to 74 directly employed staff can receive up to £7,500.
Employers with 75 to 99 directly employed staff can receive up to £10,000.

The skills and training fund is open from 1 April 2019 to March 2020. Click the link below to download the application form and find out more information about how the grant scheme works.

https://www.citb.co.uk/levy-grants-and-funding/grants-funding/skills-and-training-fund/