The chief executive of the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) Adrian Belton has resigned.
He will step down at the end of this month, with chief financial officer and corporate performance director Sarah Beale becoming acting chief executive.
Belton was named permanent chief executive of the body in January 2014 after nearly six years as head of the Food and Environment Research Agency.
He took over from interim chief executive William Burton, who came in after Mark Farrar stepped down following seven years with the training board.
His resignation comes after Robert Halfon, minister for apprenticeships and skills, appointed former chief construction adviser Paul Morrell in October to review the UK’s industry training boards, including the CITB.
Acting chief: Sarah Beale
Also in October, Cast boss Mark Farmer’s report, Modernise or Die, called for a radical overhaul of the CITB.
CITB chairman James Wates said: “In the past three years, Adrian has led the development of key organisational reforms that have enabled and shaped CITB’s future offer to industry. Now that a plan has been delivered to the board, Adrian has decided the time is right to leave CITB and pass on the baton for a successor to deliver on that plan.
“CITB is now moving onto the next phase of its reform, which is engaging with industry on how it will support, delivering the required change and consulting on a new Levy Order. This includes reforming the Grants Scheme to ensure that levy funds are invested in the skills most needed by our industry.
“Sarah Beale will step up to be acting chief executive, in accordance with established succession arrangements. She has excellent knowledge of the organisation and our industry, and a practical, hands-on approach that will be needed for this next phase of engagement and delivery.
“As chairman, I will take a more direct role in engaging with industry during this time, and providing support to Sarah and the rest of the executive team, in whom the CITB Board and I place our full confidence.”
One recipient of a grant for projects said that the state of the CITB “is creating a level of uncertainty that makes it hard to plan ahead in terms of putting in bids for project grants”.
Comments
Comments are closed.
Nothing changed here then. We pay a levy which is just another tax whilst a barrow load of fat executive cats live high on the hog and sit around for another decade pontificating.
This dreadful and top heavy organisation should be stopped dead in its tracks in my opinion, and training provision targeted to the industry ‘in real time’ not perpetual CITB manyana time.
I have had 40 years of experience of CITB in the Scottish Highlands, as Head of School of Construction and Forestry at Inverness College UHI. This experience tells me that CITB is invaluable and irreplaceable in creating and supporting apprenticeships for the construction industry. This is not the time for making drastic changes.
A look to the past !
1998 – (Egan J. Rethinking Construction) “there is a crisis in training. The proportion of trainees in the workforce appears to have declined by half since the 1970s, there is increasing concern about skill shortages, too few people are being trained to replace the ageing skilled workforce.”
1994 – (Latham M. Constructing The Team “ Of the 200,000 construction firms as at 1992, 95,000 of those were private individuals or one person firms. Of the 200,000 firms only 12,000 of those firms employed more than 7 persons” (i.e. 88% of employ 7 or less persons). “The total value output of the whole industry was £46.3 billion. (large construction firms employing 80 people were responsible for 40% £18.5 billion, and the small firms £27.8 billion). That is, the one person firms, and those employing less than 7 persons.
1994 – (Construction Industry Education Council) “Since 1989, almost half a million jobs have been lost in the industry, training has fallen by over 50% and over 35,000 small businesses and companies have become insolvent (CIEC 1994 report to Constructing the Team).
1994 – (SECG report to Latham Review) “Training in the industry is provided mainly under the auspices of the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB). Certain specialist sections of the industry are not within the scope of the CITB, and have their own training schemes.” The SECG, in their final report to Latham Review in 1994, made it clear that it had no wish to return to the CITB, and “since withdrawal from CITB, there has been a dramatic increase in training awareness and activity.”
2014 (CIOB; Skills shortages still a concern for faltering construction industry) “The 2013 skills audit from the CIOB indicate that the construction industry is still suffering from skills shortages. 82% of construction professionals who took part highlight the lack of skilled domestic construction personnel. Respondents cite the scarcity of high quality training and investment from both government and industry as being responsible. The 2013 report centres on the prevalence of skills shortages…. and whether the industry is ready for new skills in initiatives.”
In Reality Time. So then, in the 22 years, over two decades since Latham, factually it’s still the same tune. To repeat my original comment:-
As already said, “Nothing changed here then. We pay a levy which is just another tax whilst a barrow load of fat executive cats live high on the hog and sit around for another decade pontificating. “ Have a look at CITB executive salaries and pensions, and how small firms struggle (1-7 employees in all weather) who personally pay for that. Same tune, just different tuners.
“Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” (Sir Winston Churchill).”
“Off with their heads.” (The Queen of Hearts, Carroll L. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland)