Open Doors 2024 is now just over a month away and will see hundreds of events taking place across Great Britain from Monday 18 – Saturday 23 March.

Open Doors is a unique chance for students and career changers to see construction in action and learn more about the 180 careers available across the industry. You can now book your visits across all types of construction sites, as well as training and manufacturing facilities, depots, offices, virtual reality and online events.

Construction needs to recruit almost 50,000 new entrants per year just to maintain current output, with staff shortages affecting multiple areas of the industry, and promoting Open Doors is your opportunity to contribute to the recruitment of the next generation. Logos and promotional graphics are available to download, alongside the key messages for sharing with your networks.

We currently have over 200 sites across Great Britain and over 2,000 bookings, but are keen to maximise these numbers before the week itself. Open Doors is run in partnership with CITB and therefore we would really appreciate the help of the Training Group network to promote visit opportunities.

Scottish Apprenticeship week is fast approaching.

Apprenticeships.scot has lots of useful resources available and more information on events in the area and how you can get involved.

visit their website at www.apprenticeships.scot/events/scottish-apprenticeship-week

End of year update on the planned changes to the plant standards and grants which will standardise training and testing requirements across the construction industry.

It is now estimated that the changes will come into effect in Spring 2023. We need to allow enough time for the necessary training delivery and quality assurance to be put in place ahead of roll out in this safety critical area.

Excellent progress has been made and we can confirm that the first set of new plant training standards are ready and have been developed in collaboration with industry working groups made up of employers, providers and federations. As these new standards are more detailed than any CITB have produced previously and represent a real change in the way that plant training and testing is delivered, we need to ensure that the changes that industry have asked for are fulfilled properly.

A further update about the progress and planned launch date of the new standards will be shared in the new year.

Further information on the planned changes can be found on the CITB website: Plant Standards and Grant

Aled Hughes
Plant Project Manager

Today we are publishing our comprehensive study on new approaches to recruitment in the construction industry. The report highlights the opportunities for industry to increase the number and diversity of the people it recruits. Additionally, the research provides a view on the attraction of a career in construction and explores the perceptions and image of the industry from those working inside and outside the sector. Click below to read the report.

rethinking-recruitment-constructing-a-more-attractive-industry-january-2022

 

I hope everyone is enjoying their week so far. Today’s email details the publication of our business plan, the reinstatement of our plant grant, the Construction Leadership Council’s People Survey, and a reminder to have your say in our Levy consultation.

Business Plan

This week we have published our Business Plan, and with it practical solutions to support people into our sector while retaining talent, ensuring access to the  training that is needed across the industry, where it’s needed.

We’ve listened to your views and will use your Levy money to focus on fewer initiatives, making sure they deliver the greatest value and impact. By focussing on these areas, we’ll enable a wide range of people to choose construction, and to develop their skills throughout their career, making sure employers can access they skills they need. We’ll be investing the equivalent of 94p from every pound of Levy we collect next year through direct funding, or other services that benefit construction businesses – turning your Levy in, into the right skills.

Next week we’ll release our Nations Plans, which go into more detail about the priority activities in England, Scotland and Wales.

You can read our full business plan by clicking here.

Grants Scheme and Additional Plant-Related Vocational Qualification Unit Grant reinstatement

Our Grants Scheme for this year begins Thursday 1 April and all Grants Scheme rates remain the same as last year.

Following discussions with you, we have reinstated the Additional Plant-Related Vocational Qualification Unit Grant, withdrawn in September 2020 as part of our response to the impact of Covid-19. When the scheme opens, you can apply for £600 for each full qualification, (up to a maximum of four per level, per individual), with a further three plant related qualifications at £300 each available at Level 2.

Applications for last year (from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021) must be submitted by Wednesday 30 June. We will also be working to identify applications that were received while the grant had been removed to ensure no one is disadvantaged. You can find out more about available grants and how to apply here on our Grants and Funding page.

Construction Leadership Council’s People Survey

The Construction Leadership Council has launched its latest industry-wide People Survey which will measure the impact of coronavirus on the construction sector and its workforce one year on. Previous surveys helped to secure a range of support for the sector, including funding for the Construction Talent Retention Scheme.  Your views make a difference, and will help CITB and others direct support effectively, so please spare just ten minutes to complete the online survey. The deadline for responses is Friday 16 April and all information provided will be confidential with no company details required.

Don’t forget to have your say on our Levy proposals

A reminder that our consultation on the Levy Proposals 2022-25 is open until Sunday 11 April. CITB registered employers can have their say on the way we raise the Levy for the next three years, and give feedback on our plans for supporting construction recovery at www.citb.co.uk/levyconsultation

Best wishes and stay safe everyone,

Sarah Beale

Chief Executive

Good afternoon,

I hope everyone is enjoying their week so far. Today’s email details the launch of our Levy consultation, an overview of Scottish National Apprenticeship week, and how next week we’ll be celebrating women in construction.

Have your say on our Levy proposals

Monday saw the opening of consultation into our Levy proposals, in which we’re suggesting a return to pre-Covid rates in the way we raise the Levy for the next three years. We’re asking for your feedback on our plans to help get our sector back on its feet and play a leading role in the country’s economic recovery.

Following our decision to apply a 50% Levy rate for this year, we’re now proposing returning to 2019 levels from 2022. CITB will support smaller employers even further this year by increasing the threshold, making an extra 5,000 of them exempt from paying the Levy. You can get full details on our proposals by clicking here.

CITB Levy registered employers can take part in our consultation, which runs until Sunday 11 April, by clicking here. You can also register for one of our virtual events explaining our proposals by clicking here.

Consensus will take place from Monday 14 June to Sunday 15 August, with more information available by clicking here. As we’re in a Census year, it’s also worth nothing that our CITB Consensus is in no way related to this year’s national Census.

Scottish Apprenticeship Week

This week is Scottish Apprenticeship Week, with a variety of events and engagement opportunities taking place throughout the country to encourage young people into our industry.

If you’ve got any examples from your business, we’d love to hear them. It was great to share this news of a 21-year-old painter/decorator who followed in the footsteps of his boss – and his boss’s boss – to be a Drumchapel business’s third nominee for Apprentice of the Year at Glasgow lyde College’s Anniesland Campus in the West End! Please do let us know of similar stories, so we can share the great examples of where apprentices are helping your business.

You can get involved by downloading campaign resources by clicking here, and using the #ScotAppWeek21 and #BusinessBackingTalent on your social media stories. You can share your businesses apprenticeship opportunities by clicking here.

Women in Construction Week

Next week we’ll be joining the industry in celebrating the contribution of women to our sector as part of Women in Construction Week. The focus is on highlighting the contribution women make to our industry, and raise awareness of the opportunities available as we look to give construction employers a wider pool of potential recruits to choose from.

We’ll be sharing case studies and asking you to get in touch with any that you may have. Role models are a great example of showing young women that construction can be the industry for them.

A reminder…  

CITB’s COVID-19 Urgent Messages page is refreshed regularly and includes updates on the full range of our work. You can also read the range of support measures made available to UK businesses and employees by the UK Government.

 

Best wishes and stay safe everyone,

 

Sarah Beale

Chief Executive

Highland Construction Training Group would like to invite prospective Company’s to tender for the Group Training Office role within HCTG.  Could you please express an interest via our email info@hctg.net before 12:00 on 19^th March 2021

The pandemic continues to dominate the news, so it’s good news that each country’s roadmap away from lockdown is becoming clearer and we have the positive news about the vaccine rollout.

In this week’s bulletin you’ll find information about the launch of consultation into how CITB raises its levy, including how to register for virtual events. There’s also a summary of what happened during National Apprenticeship Week (England and Wales) and a preview of next week’s Scottish Apprenticeship Week (1-5 March).

Have your say on how the levy is raised

CITB are the custodians of the Industry’s Levy. We collect this from all but the smallest construction employers and use it to invest in the skills and training construction needs – both right now and what will be needed in the future. We work closely with government to influence funding and policy, and partner with industry to prioritise our work; providing funding direct to employers and a range of other services to help attract new talent and retain and skill construction workers.

Last year employers made it clear that we should focus on supporting them through the pandemic and postponed the Consensus exercise. This year employers will be assessed at a reduced rate, whilst we continue to maximise the support we provide to employers.

From your feedback we know now is the right time to proceed with running Consensus. We’re looking forward to talking with businesses from across the sector to understand their views, and explaining how we’ll use their money to provide the training and the skills that the industry needs.

While views are sought on the draft Levy Proposals, CITB has also assessed the areas of greatest need for developing skills in the sector and will be testing the top 10 that our evidence suggests. CITB will enhance funding and support to these areas, which include skills gaps, jobs shortages, and the industry’s environmental impact.

Consensus and the Levy: virtual events for employers

Levy registered employers can take part in the consultation from Monday 1 March to Sunday 11 April at www.citb.co.uk/levyconsultation. Employers can register for virtual events at www.citb.co.uk/spring2021events.

Once feedback on the draft Levy Proposals is in, the Consensus exercise will take place from Monday 14 June to Sunday 15 August, with more information available at:

www.citb.co.uk/consensus2021.

National Apprenticeship Week: raising awareness of the construction industry

The construction industry will need to create the equivalent of an estimated 350,000 new roles by 2028 if the government is to meet its target of achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. It is essential that the sector attracts, trains, and retains the workers it needs to ensure growth, which was one of the aims behind National Apprenticeship Week (8-14 February).

42,590 users engaged with the new Go Construct website, of which 4,725 were sent on to jobs and apprenticeship websites. We also had 25 industry organisations reference Go Construct as an information source for potential recruits. Visit the Go Construct website to read and watch some inspiring apprentice case studies!

Business Backing Talent: Scottish Apprenticeship Week (1-5 March)

Now excitement turns to Scottish Apprenticeship Week 2021 which will run next week (1-5 March). This year’s theme is Business Backing Talent to showcase the great benefits of taking on an apprentice. Of 30,000 apprentices learning in Scotland almost a third are in construction, even though the sector represents just 8% of all jobs.

CITB have worked with Developing the Young Workforce to create Build Your Future, a suite of virtual career resources, launching 1 March to coincide with Scottish Apprenticeship Week, and in support of International Women’s Day. Throughout the week, you can access helpful career insight covering innovation, trades and apprenticeships, women in construction, professionals in construction, and collaboration in construction.

Educators and parents/carers can choose to work through all of the resources in the pack, insert them into lessons, or support their young people to learn about the industry in bite-sized chunks. You can get involved and find the resources on the DYW website.

A reminder… 

CITB’s COVID-19 Urgent Messages page is refreshed regularly and includes updates on the full range of our work. You can also read the range of support measures made available to UK businesses and employees by the UK Government.

Best wishes and stay safe everyone,

Sarah Beale

Chief Executive

I hope the recent snow and freezing temperatures haven’t caused you too much disruption.

Today I would like to update you on the result of a recent consultation and subsequent new approach to funding for Training Groups, along with a COVID-delayed £1 fee increase for the Health, Safety and Environment (HS&E) test. There have also been updates to Short Duration Standards, meaning new codes must be used.

Funding for Training Groups

In November last year we launched a consultation on Training Group funding and received nearly 600 responses. I’d like to thank everyone who participated, the views and evidence provided were very useful. It was clear from the majority of respondents that the Training Group model of support and network is highly valued by employers that access it.

As a result, CITB has now developed an updated funding model for Training Groups along with clear performance measures that focus on value for money, training quality and accessibility. The new Training Group grant will be provided to all Training Groups from April. Specialist Training Groups will be reviewed separately, with discussions beginning shortly.

To find out more about how Training Groups are supporting employers in your area, please get in touch with your local adviser.

Health, Safety and Environment (HS&E) test prices

On 1 April 2021 we will be increasing the price of the Health, Safety and Environment (HS&E) test products by £1.

This price increase was delayed by a year due to COVID-19. It will ensure that we can continue to invest in the test, so that it remains up to date against the expanding H&S requirements of construction and that delivery is accessible and trustworthy.

The new prices will be £22.00 for the test, the CITB HS&E revision test app will be £6.99 and mobile testing will cost £31.00.

You can book a test here, and if you would like more information regarding this price change, please contact the HS&E testing service team at hsetestdev@citb.co.uk.

Short Duration Standards update

As part of our continued improvements to the Construction Training Directory (CTD) and Construction Training Register (CTR) there have been a number of updates to Short Duration Standards. These updates can be found in the CTD section of the Urgent Messages page.

When standards are updated codes also change – you can find the most up to date list of Short Duration Grant codes here.

A reminder… 

CITB’s COVID-19 Urgent Messages page is refreshed regularly and includes updates on the full range of our work. You can also read the range of support measures made available to UK businesses and employees by the UK Government.

Best wishes and stay safe everyone,

Sarah Beale

Chief Executive

I hope everyone is enjoying their week so far. Today’s email details what we’re doing this National Apprenticeship Week, and some of the findings following the publication of the annual Migration Survey.

It’s National Apprenticeship Week!

Young people in England and Wales are learning how they can pursue a rewarding career in construction this National Apprenticeship Week (NAW), with events and conversations taking place across the country as our sector takes a leading role. With a quarter of a million new workers needed in the industry by 2025, and our Migration Report (more details below) showing that 16% of companies will look to provide more apprenticeships in response to the challenges of Covid-19 and Brexit, it’s a great time to be talking about apprentices and engage young people in the process.

What can you do?

Taking on an apprentice or utilising the new Construction Traineeship initiative is a fantastic opportunity for your business, although we do appreciate that many of you face challenging times. We’re asking you to post details of apprenticeship opportunities (details below), while our website has a range of tips and advice on how you can look at taking on apprentices. Young people looking to learn about becoming an apprentice can get some great information from Go Construct. Scottish Apprenticeship Week will be taking place from Monday 1 to Friday 5 March.

As the Government looks to our sector to be a trailblazer in leading Britain’s economic recovery, there are great opportunities and incentives for you to start getting new talent into your business and the industry. Up to £2,000 is on offer for each new apprentice an employer hires by March this year, with 19,000 applications for this fund received already. There’s also currently a £1,000 boost to help companies taking on new trainees, while CITB continues to provide funding and grants to support the industry.

CITB is spreading the word about construction and apprenticeships, highlighting real stories being shared by real apprentices. We’re holding a number of virtual sessions for aspiring construction workers across the country, explaining to young people, students and those looking for a career change why they should choose construction, and how setting off on an apprenticeship or traineeship can be the first step of their career.

We have activity taking place across our social media channels (Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube) using #NAW2021 and #BuildTheFuture, directing people to the GoConstruct.org website. We’ve already had some great content submitted this week, and you can still take part by:

• Posting your apprenticeship opportunities on the National Apprenticeship Service websites England by clicking here, and on Welsh Government Apprenticeship Vacancy Service by clicking here;
• Reposting content from Go Construct on your own social channels, using the tags, and;
• Sharing your apprentice stories tagging @GoConstruct so we can see and share your posts.

This week is an opportunity for the construction sector to talk openly with young people and those looking for a career change about the opportunities they have to pursue a rewarding career in the sector, while also attracting new talent where people may be looking for a career change. CITB is committed to getting more learners from further education into jobs and apprenticeships, while also increasing the number of apprentices completing their training.

Publication of CITB’s annual Migration Survey

Our latest annual Migration Survey was published last Tuesday, with key findings showing that while a third of construction companies expect to provide more opportunities for British workers, uncertainty remains following Brexit. While there are challenges ahead for the industry, there are also opportunities, and we’re here to support companies to make the most of them.

With companies set to hire more British workers and take on more apprentices, the next five years will see CITB facilitate 28,000 taster experiences of construction and 19,000 on site experiences to help prepare students. We’ve also been working with government on a new construction traineeship to get more learners into jobs and apprenticeships, while increasing the number of apprentices completing their training.

A video explaining some of the key findings of the report is available to view by clicking here, with our news story explaining the report fully online here.

A reminder…  

CITB’s COVID-19 Urgent Messages page is refreshed regularly and includes updates on the full range of our work. You can also read the range of support measures made available to UK businesses and employees by the UK Government.

Best wishes and stay safe everyone,

Sarah Beale

Chief Executive