The CITB is ramping up efforts to kick-start industry training by making £30m extra available in grants. The training body has been left with a surplus after demand for training fell by 60% because of the recession.
Half of the £30m will be made available to incentivise employers under the 2012/2013 grants scheme and half in the following year’s grant scheme.
Kim Leonard, grant product manager, said: “The fall in grant being claimed since 2008 is a clear reflection of the health of the industry. When the industry was at its peak, we saw a boom in training as more people were required and more apprentices were being recruited – therefore more grants were claimed.
“Obviously, since the construction industry has been hit by the recession, this has reflected the number of training grants being claimed. It will fluctuate with the state of the economy and as the economy begins to repair, we would expect more training grants to be claimed and more employers claiming them.
“Our CSN stats predict that output in the industry will not return to peak levels until at least 2022, so there is still a long way to go. However, we hope that the changes we have made to the Grants Scheme and the decision to inject £30m into the industry through exceptional grants will incentivise industry to get training.
The following changes will also apply to the 2013/2014 Grants Scheme from August:
- The continuation of the £50 per day for Training Plans and Short Duration will run for Training Plans taken out in the 2013/2014 Grants Scheme and for Short Duration training from 1 August 2013 until 31 July 2014.
- Reduction of the Short Duration training period from the current one day to half a day to allow small and micro employers greater access to the Grants Scheme support.
- An additional training day allowance will be granted under a Training and Development Plan for scaffolding contractors to allow them to claim for Construction Industry Scaffolding Record Scheme (CISRS) separately from other training.
- All Technical and Professional attendance grants will be paid at £50 per day, an increase from £30 per day for some courses. The new Construction ILM qualification in Construction Leadership and Management Skills will be eligible for Technical and Professional attendance and achievement grant support.
“CITB’s aim is to invest the industry’s levy back into industry skills and training to make businesses competitive, now and in the future – we anticipate that the changes we have made will begin to kick-start training within the industry again.”
The additional grant will be based on a percentage of all grants claimed by employers (excluding the supplementary payment).
The percentage, which will be determined after the Grants Scheme closes on 31 October, is likely to be 12-15 % of grants claimed with a minimum payment of £250 for each year, for all grant claimers.
Employers will not have to claim the exceptional training grant – it will be paid automatically to eligible employers (normal Grants Scheme rules apply) in December 2013 and 2014.
Judy Lowe, deputy chairman of CITB and chairman of the Training Committee, said: “The aim of this cash injection is to incentivise training and to reward those who have continued to train, despite the economic downturn.
“Since the recession, we have seen a substantial drop in training but we hope that this money will kick-start the industry into upskilling and investing in their employees. Ultimately, CITB’s aim is to invest the industry’s levy back into industry skills and training to make businesses competitive, now and in the future. We believe this announcement will provide a welcome catalyst.”
Ian Dickerson, who sits on the Training Committee as an industry representative and is head of new entrants & funding at Kier Group, said: “The decision to pay this additional funding straight away will be welcomed by employers of all sizes.
“Businesses need funds to enable training to be carried out, so releasing this funding at the earliest opportunity will help to stimulate additional training within the industry, whilst rewarding those businesses that have continued to develop their employees during the recession.”
