THE Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has announced a series of changes it is making to the funding and grant system.
The organisation said the changes are designed to ensure it can deliver the ‘greatest value for the greatest number of employers’ and maximise the value of the levy for industry.
Due to the success of initiatives like Employer Networks and the New Entrant Support Team (NEST), CITB revealed it has seen a 36% increase in demand for its services over the last four years. Over this same period, it has not raised the levy rate, meaning it needs to support more employers with the same amount of levy.
Consequently, at current levels, CITB claimed demand for support will exceed its levy income and risks a scenario where the organisation is unable to support any of these programmes.
Some of the funding and grant changes will come into effect from January 8, 2026. These include:
- Removal of short course training grant, with Employer Networks as the main replacement funding route and a small number of courses to still be grant funded.
- The scope of what is funded by Employer Networks is changing, as well as a reduction of the rate to 50% match funding.
- Funding for level 7 qualifications and attendance grant from long qualifications will be stopped.
- All non-apprentice achievement grants will be £600.
The remaining changes will come into effect from April 1, 2026. These are:
- Large employers will be moved to a single large employer funding offer.
- Large employers will no longer be able to access Employer Networks.
Tim Balcon, chief executive, CITB, said, “First and foremost, we want to apologise for the short notice for some of these changes. This was done to avoid surge claiming that will put our ability to support employers at risk. We had planned to transition our funding model gradually, giving employers time to adjust. The pace of demand growth means we need to act faster than we intended – and faster than we would have liked.
“While it is good news that there has been an increase in demand for our services, we have maintained the same levy rate. This balanced against the increased demand means it’s necessary to bring forward changes to ensure we’re delivering the greatest value for the greatest number of employers.
“We appreciate this is a change for employers at a challenging time. We want to assure you we are here to support you – to find out how, please visit the CITB website or contact your local CITB engagement advisor.”
To find out more about these changes, visit the CITB website.
