Construction industry skill shortage looming as the CITB is to end all direct training in 2020

A blog post from Chief Executive Sarah Beale to her staff revealed that the CITB no longer plans to provide training directly and will rely on other training providers to provide training services.

“The plans are to exit all direct training by the beginning of 2020, with the intention to sell these activities ideally as a going concern, wherever feasible…if we cannot sell these activities, then there is a risk that we will need to discontinue and close some business areas.”

Many are concerned that they will not be able to access the high-quality training elsewhere as the CITB has unique facilities at Bircham Newton that can store large machinery needed for construction training including cranes and tunnelling equipment. 

Sale of the training services may prove to be a difficult task as loss making courses are subsidised by other profit-making activities. If the loss-making training services are sold there is a possibility that the quality of training will be sacrificed in an attempt to make the service profitable. If the CITB do not manage to sell their services, it could create a skills shortage in the construction industry.

Aspire Comment

Many companies who have to pay the levy will question how they will be able to arrange effective training of their workforce in light of the end of CITB direct training.  It will be vital that new training suppliers are carefully monitored to ensure the quality and value of the training that they provide. 

This is one measure coming out of the process for reform of the CITB with the board aiming to become a ‘commissioner of outcomes’ rather than a product led organisation.