THE Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) has announced that engineering construction companies have overwhelmingly backed its proposed levy rates for the next three years.
The employer-led skills body has published the results of its levy consultation, with 85% of levy-paying employers, representing 98% of the industrial training levy paid, voting in favour.
The result is slightly higher than the record response the ECITB received in 2022 when 85% of levy paying employers, representing 97% of the industrial training levy paid, voted in favour.
The vote followed consultation on the ECITB’s five-year strategy, Leading Industry Learning, published in September. The strategy identifies key workforce challenges and sets out priorities to address skills shortages in the engineering construction industry (ECI).
The ECI spans sectors that focus on the construction, maintenance, and decommissioning of heavy industry, including oil and gas, nuclear, power generation, renewables, chemicals, carbon capture and storage, hydrogen, and water treatment.
The ECITB board proposed that levy rates should remain at 1.2% of gross labour emoluments for site workers and 0.33% for offsite workers between 2026 and 2028.
Andrew Hockey, CEO of the ECITB, said, “I am delighted that industry has again emphatically backed our levy proposals. The positive response represents another significant vote of confidence in the ECITB and I would like to thank our employers for this.
“We consulted with employers throughout the development of the strategy and this result shows that our plans correctly identify the key workforce challenges and set out the right priorities to support industry. It is now up to the ECITB to deliver on this strong mandate, building on our successful track record of driving skills improvements throughout the industry. We are committed to delivering positive, long-term outcomes for our levy payers, the wider workforce and the UK.”
