Spring is a time for renewal and that’s the theme of this update. It reflects the positives we achieved with you during the last 12 months and sets out our skills and training hopes for 2023-24.
CITB’s end-of-year Performance Report includes news of a big funding increase to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).
Our £253m Business Plan shows how we will put employers in the driving seat on their skills and training needs.
The Construction Leadership Council Skills Update sets out how industry will tackle its biggest skills challenges in the year ahead.
Ofsted’s report, on the National Construction College (NCC), aligns with our own assessment and the progress we are striving to make for learners.
Performance Report: responding to the skills demand
Highlights from our final Performance report of the 2022-23 financial year include:
A 38% increase to Skills and Training Funds for SMEs. Approximately £10m was invested through the Skills and Training Fund in 2022-23, the majority of which went to over 2,100 SMEs.
The year saw a 15% rise in the number of employers accessing CITB training support. We invested over £108m in direct employer funding. A good example of CITB funding is the support to Hawkins Group, a family-run company in Oxfordshire. CITB funding enabled them to hire five apprentices.
Meanwhile, our network of 85 Training Groups distributed over £2.5m to 1,300 active members.
Our Engagement Team completed 60,000 engagements – more than doubling last year’s total.
Annual apprenticeship starts rise in England, Scotland and Wales
- The number of apprenticeship starts was 35,420, 5,000 above our target of 30,450.
I am pleased to add that our New Entrant Support Team, setup to take the hassle out of hiring apprentices, supported 650 employers in England, helping over 370 apprentices start their programmes.
- Taster opportunities figure three-times the yearly target.
We aimed to provide 4,600 taster opportunities in 2022-23. The final figure was 14,166. A good example was the trade taster sessions provided to two schools in Cornwall with the help of RG Kellow Ltd, a construction contractor in Redruth.
Construction Leadership Council’s skills update
CITB is pleased to support the Construction Leadership Council’s new skills update.
Published in April, the update focuses on four priorities: culture change, routes into construction and built environment, competence, and future skills.
CITB Strategy and Policy Director Adrian Beckingham’s blog has more details.
Ofsted’s findings on the National Construction College (NCC)
While we’ve made a lot of progress over the last year it’s important to recognise areas where we can improve. We accept Ofsted’s findings on the NCC and how they align with our own assessment.
Ofsted identified numerous areas of good practice at the college, and we are committed to return to an outstanding apprenticeship offering again.
This priority is reflected in our 2023-24 Business Plan, where we’ve made an investment of £30m to enhance our facilities and teaching capabilities.
I’m also pleased to say that we increased the number of learners trained at the NCC by 37%, and our apprenticeship completion rate of 61% is above the English average of 54%.