The Construction Industry Training Board has today announced that its 2024-25 business plan will launch four sector-specific skills partnerships, including repair and maintenance.
The new sector plans are designed to support the training needs of employers and will cover the repair and maintenance, commercial, public and industrial sectors, and will join existing plans for residential construction and infrastructure.
Overall, the business plan covers investment of £267 million over the next year, bringing more trained people into the industry, providing training and developing the skills of existing employees. We focus on three main areas:
Tim Balcon, CEO of CITB, said: “We are committed to working with employers from the smallest to the largest to ensure we can deliver high-quality training to meet the training demands of the construction industry.” said.
“Changing the skills landscape is no easy task, and it won’t happen overnight, but this year’s plan is an important step forward.”
Among other new measures, CITB will design, develop and test a new Training Needs Analysis (TNA) service for small and medium-sized businesses.
The New Entrant Support Team (NEST), launched in 2023-2024, will further expand alongside the Board's Industry Impact Fund, which provides funding for employers to design and test new solutions to talent recruitment and retention challenges. It is scheduled to be expanded.
CITB's Go Construct platform continues to provide free, accessible, self-service digital career information. Encourages newcomers to consider careers in construction and the built environment.
By 2025, CITB aims to increase the number of employers supported to train and upskill their employees by 14% and the number of individuals supported by 13%.
The business plan also sets out how CITB will invest £30 million in buildings, infrastructure and planning for the three National Construction University sites.
More detailed analysis will follow…
