THE Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has revealed it will invest more than £100 million in grants this year to help train construction workers.
From 1 April 2023, CITB revealed it is doubling grant rates for short courses to help businesses offer more training and support employers delivering core skills training to their teams amid rising costs.
Grants up to £240 will be available to support employers with their training needs, including leadership and management courses. Last year, CITB paid over £15 million in grants for short courses to employers, with mental health and asbestos awareness courses being the most popular.
CITB added that it is also increasing the grant rates for specific supervision and management qualifications. The aim is to support individuals impacted by the Industry Accreditation card withdrawal. For Industry Accreditation card holders to continue to work onsite, completing a qualification might be needed, so grants for supervision and management qualifications will be increased from £600 to £1,250 and £1,500 respectively.
Tim Balcon, CITB chief executive, explained, “During this challenging time for the economy, the finances of businesses and workers are under pressure. Our increased grant rates address rising costs and support employers to secure high quality training to upskill their workforce.
“This uplift in grants is our response to feedback from employers, who told us increased costs are making it more challenging to invest in the training they need. We know investing in training can bring competitive advantage helping businesses to retain and attract more workers and to ensure they have an upskilled workforce to win new work.
“We’ve listened to their concerns and responded by doubling our grant rates for short courses and increasing our grant rates for specific short qualifications.”
