Category: news

CITB Update – Levy Suspension

Good evening,

I hope you’re keeping well.

This is my latest update on CITB’s work to support the construction industry during the COVID-19 crisis. To see the support packages CITB has already introduced for employers please visit our COVID-19 update page.

Today my key message is on the CITB’s decision to suspend industry levy collection.

CITB’s board met yesterday (March 25) and gave final approval to suspend the issue of its levy bills, due for payment in 2020, for an initial period of three months.

The bills will subsequently be issued for the full year. The delay will provide immediate financial relief to construction employers during the coronavirus crisis. In normal times CITB assesses and sends out levy bills each April in accordance with legal requirements. CITB levy bills are usually due for payment in May, but CITB will not seek collection on the suspended bills until August, or later if possible.

Everyone in construction is facing extreme pressure at the moment and it’s right that we provide the financial relief we can to protect employers and ensure that the industry is as prepared as possible for the economic recovery that will come when the crisis lifts.

CITB is reviewing all of its work to respond to the rapidly changing skills needs of industry. We are continuing to re-evaluate our services, funding and grants to adapt them to meet industry’s changing priority needs.

CITB will provide employers with further detail as soon as it can. We understood the need to provide early information, even before all details are available.

Notes
All levy bills, raised before 2020, should have been paid by this point. Employers in arears should contact CITB to discuss payment options.

We are talking now to the UK Government to influence support for the construction industry, including seeking a financial grant for our work building critical industry skills.

To see my video explaining CITB’s suspension of levy collection please click here.

CITB’s COVID-19 updates page is being refreshed daily and includes information on a range of subjects including Grants, Funding and the NCC. Please click here to view it.

To read the range of support measures made available to UK businesses and employees by the UK Government please click here.

Kind wishes,

Sarah Beale
Chief Executive

CITB Daily Update

Good evening,

I hope you’re keeping well under the extreme circumstances we find ourselves in.

As you know, I am issuing daily updates on CITB’s work to support the construction industry during the COVID-19 crisis. To see the support packages CITB has already introduced for employers please visit this link on our COVID-19 update page.

Today my key messages are on how employers can claim apprenticeship grants in advance and sharing signposting information for employers.

Claiming Apprenticeship Grants in Advance
As announced, CITB is making available advanced payment of apprenticeship attendance grants for apprentices in their second and third year of apprenticeship programmes (full press release here).

The payments will be available from 6 April for apprentices already receiving CITB grant support and who are currently in the second or third year of their apprenticeship for the remainder of the year.

To request the advance grant payment please register your details on the form here.

Signposting Information for Employers
UK Government and Build UK have made useful information available for employers.

To access the Government page please click here. To see Build UK’s signposting information page please click here.

Finally, a CITB Board meeting will take place this evening, we will update you with news from the meeting during this week.

CITB’s COVID-19 updates page is being refreshed daily and includes information on a range of subjects including Grants, Funding and the NCC. Please click here to view it.

To read the range of support measures made available to UK businesses and employees by the UK Government please click here.

Kind wishes,

Sarah Beale
Chief Executive

HCTG Contact

Due to the current situation with the COVID-19 virus HCTG will be working from home.  If you need to contact us please email us on info@hctg.net or phone 07824559093 and we will try to get back to you as soon as possible.

CITB Urgent Message re CORVID-19

Dear colleagues

With changes to advice to keep us safe changing daily, it highlighted to me just how difficult things are, and will get, in the coming days – these really are unprecedented times. With that in mind, I hope you are all keeping well personally, as families and as businesses.

At CITB we are focused on skills and training and during this time we will be doing all we can to support the industry to protect those skills for when things return to normal, hopefully in the not too distant future.

We have been both implementing existing plans and putting in place new ones to keep our business running during this period – doing our best to ensure that grant payments continue and that we maintain delivery of our essential products and services. Together with other industry bodies we will ensure that we provide our customers with regular updates on our supporting activity on a specific page dedicated to coronavirus on our website: https://www.citb.co.uk/urgent-messages/ and on our social media platforms.

My Executive and Leadership Teams are actively gathering information from industry at this critical time. Initial analysis of the feedback to date is that CITB should focus its efforts on the following areas:

Support for apprentices – having provided support for apprentices in previous crisis situations and during Carillion’s collapse, we are assessing what practical support may be required now and in the coming weeks and months to ensure we secure the future for any impacted apprentices. There is no need for you to take any additional action on apprenticeships at this moment.

Signposting for employers – we are collaborating with federations and employer bodies to compile an agreed a list of the best support agencies who are available to assist employers, their workers and supply chain with advice on staff issues, and other business support including sick pay. Once completed this will be circulated widely and be available on the dedicated website page and our social media platforms.

Guidance for keeping sites working – as we develop good practice for running sites in these conditions,  we will publish Toolbox Talks and other learning materials that will help employers keep sites running during this pandemic.

Time bound qualifications and cards – card schemes are urging site managers to show appropriate lenience to those with cards expired from mid-March and have relaxed renewal windows. CITB has waived some of the fees for rescheduling or cancelling HS&E tests and for the duration of this crisis we will  accept SSSTS and SMSTS renewals beyond expiry.

 We remain committed to protect the construction industry as best we can and we are working closely with our industry partners and Government to make sure construction’s voice is heard and listened to at this extraordinary time. If you have any specific suggestions that you don’t believe are covered by the above or areas that you believe should be top priority please let me know or another CITB representative.

Wishing you well at this tough time,

Sarah Beale

Chief Executive

CITB Site Safety Plus – SSP Centre Update – COVID-19

Preventative measures
1. Ask the candidate to wash hands upon arrival at your centre, in the bathrooms provided. This follows the guidance from the World Health Organization and will help to keep your hands clean and prevent potential contamination.
2. If the candidate would like to use a medical face mask this can be permitted. Masks need to be removed for identification checks and/or where candidate photographs need to be taken.
3. Provide hand sanitizer throughout the centre, encourage applying before they enter the classroom.
4. Kleenex/Hand tissue should be available. Please cover the nose and mouth in case of sneezing or cough.
5. At frequent intervals clean each work area with disinfectant products to ensure a clean & hygienic environment for candidates.
6. Regular cleaning of the reception areas and waiting areas with disinfectant products.
7. Introduce distancing measures increasing the distance between candidates to a minimum of six feet, additionally you may wish to restrict the number of people attending a course at one given time. You may wish to apply the same distancing measures in your waiting areas too.
8. Stagger refreshment breaks to avoid congestion in waiting areas and toilets
9. Regularly clean any tools or training equipment once it has been used with disinfectant products

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