The Department for Education has published a report into the review, originally conducted in 2023 and finalised in 2024
The report on the Industrial Training Board review emphasises the need for, and vital work done by Industrial Training Boards (ITBs) within both the construction and engineering construction industries.
It also states that ITB levy-grant models should be kept, and that ITBs should have a more important role with more strength.
The Industrial Training Board review report says ITBs are needed to address market failure
The report further says that both the CITB and ECITB are both critical to addressing the needs of the skills shortage in both industries, as well as the market failure in training provision, increasing skill levels, and incentivising training.
Baroness Smith of Malvern, minister of state for skills, personally supported many of the recommendations for the ITBs in the report, including keeping the levy-grant models.
One of the recommendations proposes that the CITB and ECITB should join into one entity, however, there are currently no plans to bring this about. A steering group is intended to be put into action to consider this and all the other recommendations and their implementation.
Smith has requested that, until the decision is made to join the two bodies or not, that the two ITBs work together more closely for certain aspects such as British infrastructure, increasing the number of trainers, clean energy jobs, and skills passporting.
“There is significant benefit in both ITBs collaborating more closely”
Tim Balcon, CEO of CITB said: “Importantly, the report recognises the significant skills challenges facing the construction and engineering industries and the vital role that the ITBs play in helping address these. Further, it asserts that the best way of doing so is to retain the ITB model and industry-specific levies.
“Grant funding for apprenticeships and new entrants is vital, with more than two-thirds of apprenticeship starts in the construction industry being employed by companies of fewer than 50 employees.
“We are already well advanced in improving our engagement with employers and learners, such as the nationwide rollout of our Employer Networks and the significant improvements at our National Construction Colleges.
“Additionally, we’re addressing many of the areas identified within the report through our strategic plan. We are working with industry and all our partners to develop a training and skills system that works now and in the future. A system that supports industry in training its workforce and helps bring skilled and diverse workers into industry.
“We already work in close collaboration with ECITB on some key areas and we will expand this into a more formal collaboration where it offers value to the sector.
“We must move at pace to work together to tackle the joint needs of industry without the delay and disruption that legislative or structural changes would surely bring and that would inevitably be detrimental to industry success. We need to be laser-focused on addressing industry needs by providing standardised levels of competence, alternative routes into industry and making it easier and cheaper to access high-quality training.”
Andrew Hockey, CEO of ECITB, said: “The report highlights the value that both the ECITB and CITB make to our respective industries. It cites the ECITB’s work on Connected Competence, our programmes to grow new entrants and our Regional Skills Hub initiative as good examples of what needs to be done, and what can be scaled up.
“We welcome closer collaboration with the CITB, particularly in the area of infrastructure skills where there is the most commonality between the ITBs’ respective footprints.
“As the review acknowledges, there is significant benefit in both ITBs collaborating more closely on infrastructure; nuclear new build being a clear example where workers in both civil construction and the engineering construction industry (ECI) work alongside each other.
“We are already working with the CITB and EDF on strategic skills planning for Sizewell C with a view to developing whole-career training pathways and interventions that span both the civil and ECI phases of that project.
“Formalising this approach for nuclear and other key infrastructure projects – such as those centred around the decarbonisation of the UK’s industrial clusters – will be highly beneficial and should strengthen delivery and impact.
“We have started the process of scoping the recommendations and developing plans to implement them, which will involve consultation with industry and government. We are already addressing many of the structural skills challenges highlighted by the review and will further build upon these as we develop our new strategy, which will be published later this year.
“In the meantime, we will continue to deliver our mandate from industry to lead industry learning. This includes attracting new entrants, expanding the entry pathways into industry and supporting high-quality training provision.”
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