Subscribe to our Construction Newsfeed
UK Construction Directory
Search our 157,512 companies....

Construction News

11/07/2017

Govt Ministers Maintain Support For CITB

Construction News Image
The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has been reassured by Government Ministers that they will continue to back the organisation.

A letter, co-signed by Skills Minister Anne Milton, Housing Minister Alok Sharma, and Industrial Strategy Minister Lord Prior, was written to CITB Chair, James Wates CBE, telling him they support the organisation.

However, the Ministers added the CITB must continue its programme of reform.

The letter outlines support for the CITB continuing to have Levy-raising powers and why employers should back the new Levy proposal in the ongoing Consensus vote.

It said: "Having reviewed the options for making sure that the construction industry has the skills it needs, we have concluded that the CITB should be retained.
-- Advertisement --
hss



"As Mark Farmer set out starkly in his report last year, the construction industry faces some very significant challenges over the coming years, including improving productivity, increasing house-building, and making sure it develops the workforce with the skills it will need in the coming decades.

"We support his conclusion that the CITB has an important role to play in supporting the industry to meet those challenges.

"We also have to acknowledge…concern across the industry about the effectiveness, efficiency and responsiveness of the CITB.

"CITB [is] now embarking on a major reform programme to reduce the size of the organisation and make it more focused on those aspects of the skills agenda where there is clear market failure, or where a collective approach to training can deliver real benefits to employers, including small businesses.

"We support the direction of these reforms, and we encourage you to continue to develop and refine them in discussion with the industry and Government."

In response, CITB Chairman James Wates CBE wrote: "I appreciate your confirmation that the CITB should be retained, provided industry supports it in the Consensus process this summer.

"CITB has made great efforts in recent months to agree with industry the steps it needs to take to improve its effectiveness, efficiency, and responsiveness, and the CITB has started to implement these changes.

"Rest assured that CITB has listened – and will continue to listen – to concerns of industry."

(LM/MH)

Latest Construction News

18/07/2025
Clowes Developments, in partnership with Roe Developments, has officially begun enabling works for the next phase of Stud Brook Business Park in Castle Donington. The latest expansion will deliver five new trade counter, warehouse, and industrial units, ranging in size from 3,229 sq ft to 4,606 sq
18/07/2025
The Bracknell Forest Cambium Partnership between Countryside Partnerships (part of the Vistry Group) and Bracknell Forest Council has celebrated a major milestone in the transformation of Bracknell town centre, as its 169-home Market Street regeneration scheme reaches its highest point. A topping o
18/07/2025
Construction has officially begun on Reading's newest performance venue, as work starts on the new Studio Theatre being built alongside The Hexagon. The first phase of the project, led by Feltham Construction Ltd, includes the demolition of the existing backstage area, dock, and stage door on Queen
18/07/2025
A disused shop unit in Spennymoor has been given a new lease of life, thanks to a regeneration project that has turned the space into a green community garden in the heart of the County Durham town. The former retail premises at 55–63 Festival Walk, which had remained vacant despite efforts to attr
18/07/2025
Wates Residential business has awarded £45,000 in funding to seven grassroots organisations in Brent through its newly launched Community Chest initiative. The programme is designed to support small, community-led projects that address pressing local needs such as social isolation, youth services,
18/07/2025
Network Rail (Wales and Borders) has commenced a major programme of engineering works across key rail routes in South Wales, aimed at maintaining and improving the safety and reliability of the region's railway network. Running from Saturday 2 August to Monday 11 August, the works will focus on tra
18/07/2025
A significant milestone has been reached in the drive to deliver high-quality, affordable, and sustainable housing across York and North Yorkshire with the launch of a new Affordable Homes Standard. Led by the York and North Yorkshire Housing Partnership, the Standard marks a united commitment from
18/07/2025
Mace has been appointed to Transport for Greater Manchester's (TfGM) next-generation Transport and Professional Services (TPS2025) Framework, earning a place on the Project Cost and Commercial Management Lot. The appointment extends Mace's successful partnership with TfGM and the Greater Manchester
17/07/2025
Pennyfarthing Homes has received detailed planning approval for the first 74 homes at Sandle Park, a new residential development forming part of the wider Forde Valley neighbourhood, located just a mile northwest of Fordingbridge town centre. The approval, granted by New Forest District Council's P
17/07/2025
Bouygues UK has officially handed over the first phase of the Cotswolds Designer Outlet in Tewkesbury to regional developer and investor Robert Hitchins Ltd, with the new retail destination opening its doors to the public for the first time. As lead contractor, Bouygues UK delivered 136,000 sq ft o
This web site uses cookies to improve your experience and by viewing our content you accept their use. Click here to remove this notice.
Efco UK LtdAqua Direct LtdLakeside HireStuart CanvasImperial Integrated Systems LtdAluminum Gates Direct LTDCost EstimatorLondon Sash Windows & Doors LtdSharper Utility MappingSteeltech  Sheds NI