Covid-19: CITB chief exec update - 10 February 2021

Good afternoon, 

I hope everyone is enjoying their week so far. Today’s email details what we’re doing this National Apprenticeship Week, and some of the findings following the publication of the annual Migration Survey.

It’s National Apprenticeship Week!

Young people in England and Wales are learning how they can pursue a rewarding career in construction this National Apprenticeship Week (NAW), with events and conversations taking place across the country as our sector takes a leading role. With a quarter of a million new workers needed in the industry by 2025, and our Migration Report  showing that 16% of companies will look to provide more apprenticeships in response to the challenges of Covid-19 and Brexit, it’s a great time to be talking about apprentices and engage young people in the process.

What can you do?

Taking on an apprentice or utilising the new Construction Traineeship initiative is a fantastic opportunity for your business, although we do appreciate that many of you face challenging times. We’re asking you to post details of apprenticeship opportunities (details below), while our website has a range of tips and advice on how you can look at taking on apprentices. Young people looking to learn about becoming an apprentice can get some great information from Go Construct. Scottish Apprenticeship Week will be taking place from Monday 1 to Friday 5 March.

As the Government looks to our sector to be a trailblazer in leading Britain’s economic recovery, there are great opportunities and incentives for you to start getting new talent into your business and the industry. Up to £2,000 is on offer for each new apprentice an employer hires by March this year, with 19,000 applications for this fund received already. There’s also currently a £1,000 boost to help companies taking on new trainees, while CITB continues to provide funding and grants to support the industry.

CITB is spreading the word about construction and apprenticeships, highlighting real stories being shared by real apprentices. We’re holding a number of virtual sessions for aspiring construction workers across the country, explaining to young people, students and those looking for a career change why they should choose construction, and how setting off on an apprenticeship or traineeship can be the first step of their career.

We have activity taking place across our social media channels (Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube) using #NAW2021 and #BuildTheFuture, directing people to the GoConstruct.org website. We’ve already had some great content submitted this week, and you can still take part by:

• Posting your apprenticeship opportunities on the National Apprenticeship Service websites for England and on the Welsh Government Apprenticeship Vacancy Service;
• Reposting content from Go Construct on your own social channels, using the tags, and;
• Sharing your apprentice stories tagging @GoConstruct so we can see and share your posts.

This week is an opportunity for the construction sector to talk openly with young people and those looking for a career change about the opportunities they have to pursue a rewarding career in the sector, while also attracting new talent where people may be looking for a career change. CITB is committed to getting more learners from further education into jobs and apprenticeships, while also increasing the number of apprentices completing their training.

Publication of CITB’s annual Migration Survey

Our latest annual Migration Survey was published last Tuesday, with key findings showing that while a third of construction companies expect to provide more opportunities for British workers, uncertainty remains following Brexit. While there are challenges ahead for the industry, there are also opportunities, and we’re here to support companies to make the most of them.

With companies set to hire more British workers and take on more apprentices, the next five years will see CITB facilitate 28,000 taster experiences of construction and 19,000 on site experiences to help prepare students. We’ve also been working with government on a new construction traineeship to get more learners into jobs and apprenticeships, while increasing the number of apprentices completing their training.

We've made a video explaining some of the key findings of the report, together with our news story explaining the report fully.

A reminder…  

CITB’s COVID-19 Urgent Messages page is refreshed regularly and includes updates on the full range of our work. You can also read the range of support measures made available to UK businesses and employees by the UK Government.   

Best wishes and stay safe everyone, 

Sarah Beale 
Chief Executive