Following an extensive consultation process with members, Build UK has submitted its response to CITB Consensus confirming support for the Levy. Build UK received a response from all Contractor members that are liable to pay the Levy, as well as all Trade Association members with Specialist Contractors that are liable to pay the Levy, and the majority agreed that the Levy proposals are necessary to encourage adequate training in the construction industry.
Build UK highlighted that the Levy is just one part of the overall skills system that is required by industry and it should not be viewed in isolation. Alongside our response, we submitted an updated version of our ‘Levy In – Skills Out’ proposal, which sets out the core elements of the skills system needed to recruit, train and retain the talent the industry needs, along with what members expect in return for paying the Levy. In order to commit to investment in skills, employers require certainty of pipeline and the 10-year Infrastructure Strategy, due to be published by the Government later this year, should give them the confidence to make that investment, and the industry will need an effective skills system in place to deliver the capacity required to meet the UK’s homes and infrastructure needs.
CITB is expected to confirm the outcome of Consensus next week. If it is achieved, a new Levy Order will then be made by the Secretary of State authorising CITB to collect a Levy from in-scope employers until 2029.