CITB responds to Government announcement on Lifetime Skills Guarantee

Today the government made the announcement that tens of thousands of adults in England will potentially benefit from almost 400 free courses from April 2021. The courses will be available to adults without a full qualification at Level 3 (A-level equivalent) from April 2021 to help them gain in-demand skills and open up further job opportunities. 

According to the announcement, the qualifications have been chosen “to help adults improve their career prospects and meet the needs of the economy. They will be reviewed regularly so the courses offered can be updated as the economy changes.”

The announcement is timely and the new funding aims to ease the pressure on the construction industry, which has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and urgently needs support to recruit and train new talent.

CITB welcomes the increased support for adults hoping to join the construction industry, which despite the pandemic has incredible potential for career progression.

CITB Head of Policy & External Affairs Mike Hobday said:

“Today’s commitment by the Government to inject funding into tertiary education to ensure the country can bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic is great news for the construction industry. Construction is one of the sectors that will benefit most from the Lifetime Skills Guarantee and the courses that will receive funding cover a wide range of trades.

“This new support will help young people to continue to progress their learning in FE. The challenge will be to ensure that learners on FE courses are work ready to enter industry. To bridge this gap, CITB is working with Government and partners to develop new construction Traineeships to be launched next year.

“In order to meet government ambitions on infrastructure and housing it’s essential the sector attracts the right workforce and arms them with the skills they need. This funding makes a significant contribution towards ensuring construction can recruit and train the skilled workers we need to rebuild the economy – and build back better.”