The CITB is to invest £800,000 in a new employer network pilot to improve access to funding for training.
The pilot does not require access to the grant scheme. It will run across five locations in England, Scotland and Wales. It is open to over 3,800 levy-registered construction businesses of all sizes.
Through the support of established delivery partners, the pilot enables employers to recognise their training priorities and receive guidance on how best to find and fund the training most appropriate to them.
Because the CITB is supporting the employer network to help organise and fund training directly, construction businesses will not need to access the grant scheme.
The CITB will also relax many of the current requirements around training being “in scope.” It said this would ensure the pilots can be as reflective of the employer’s needs as possible.
The five pilot areas covered are:
- Inverness in Scotland, provided by Scottish Civils Training Group
- Norfolk in England, provided by Norfolk Construction Training Group
- Lincoln in England, provided by Lincoln Group Training Association
- South West Wales, provided by Cyfle Building Skills
- The final pilot is specifically for Civil Engineering firms in the Midlands, provided by CECA Midlands.
Tim Balcon, CITB chief executive, said: “I’m really excited about this pilot – this is about putting employers in the driving seat to identify and address their local skills challenges and how best CITB can align our funding and resources to support their skills needs.
“I would encourage employers in the pilot areas to get involved and use their voice to shape and engage with the local training provision.”
