THE CITB has confirmed that all levy-registered construction employers will be eligible to benefit from an expanded apprenticeships support service.
The organisation currently offers employer and apprentice support for 7,000 contracted apprenticeships – about a third of the total marketplace.
Under the plans, CITB will offer a support service to all employers with apprentices, on an employer demand-led basis. To facilitate this, CITB revealed it will migrate direct, funded delivery of apprenticeships in England to existing providers. While funded apprenticeship support will continue in Scotland and Wales, the demand-led, wider offer will also apply in those nations.
Support for employers will include help accessing grants, choosing the right apprenticeship standard and training provider, and building partnerships with colleges and training providers.
Deborah Madden, CITB head of apprenticeships, said, “Apprenticeships are central to the way industry trains the workforce it needs for the future, and we know that employers value the support we provide, particularly smaller firms. In 2017 the Government and industry made clear that the way CITB provided services had to change, and these changes deliver on that commitment. The aim is to make it as easy as possible for construction employers, particularly SMEs, to take on and manage apprentices, and to improve the chances of those young people achieving their qualification.”
CITB will no longer actively recruit for new starts beyond April 2021, with prospective candidates and their employers instead referred to alternative training providers. All current CITB apprentices will continue to be supported through to completion.
