Covid-19: CITB chief exec update – 1 July 2020

Good afternoon, 

Today’s email includes information on a deadline extension for applications to the current Grant Scheme Year; an update on our advance apprenticeship attendance grants; and news of an extension to the Construction Skills Fund (CSF) scheme, funded by the Department for Education (DfE) and delivered by CITB.  

The CSF extension is great news as the fund forms a key part of our Skills Stability Plan (PDF, 163KB) to help industry recover. Last week we announced that the Levy payment holiday will continue until September for employers, after which they can opt to pay the 2020-21 Levy spread over the following 12 months. CITB will propose a 50% discount on the 2021-22 Levy, meaning employers pay 18 months out of 24, a reduction of 25% across two years. 

Construction Skills Fund extension 

This successful scheme that trains learners on live building sites is being extended by 12 months, with an additional £7.5m to be invested, after 14 of the CSF on-site hubs were successful in their bids to CITB. 

All training must be completed by 31 March 2021 with 6,000 individuals being trained to be employment- and site-ready and 3,000 in sustained jobs by September 2021. 

Since launching in 2018 more than 13,200 learners have passed through CSF learning hubs across the country, emerging employment- and site-ready. A total of 90% of learners were unemployed when they joined the hubs, demonstrating the positive impact being made by CSF. 

Advance apprenticeship attendance grants 

In March, CITB enabled payment of apprenticeship attendance grants as a short-term measure to help employers with cash-flow issues. Since then this has seen more than £3.7million paid to 1,842 employers, supporting 4,197 apprentices.  

This was one of CITB’s first interventions to support the industry, and has played a key role in supporting apprentices and their employers during this difficult time. We are pleased with the response we received to this initiative, which after three months is now closed to new applications. 

Grant Scheme Year extension 

Given that many employers have either only started to return to work or remain on reduced capacity, we are extending the deadline for grant claim applications for the Grant Scheme Year 2019-20, from 30 June to the end of November 2020. We hope this will ensure employers have every opportunity to access much-needed support for the training they have invested in. 

CITB’s COVID-19 Urgent Messages page is refreshed daily and includes updates on the full range of our work. 

You can also read the range of support measures made available to UK businesses and employees by the UK Government. 

I would like to wish you, your colleagues and family a safe and pleasant week ahead. My next update will be on Wednesday 8 July. 

Kind wishes 

Sarah Beale 
Chief Executive