Covid-19: CITB chief exec update – 2 June 2020

Good afternoon,

I hope you’re having a good week. Today’s email includes news of the Construction Leadership Council (CLC)-led Recovery plan, which was launched yesterday.  This is a comprehensive staged plan, to ensure industry ‘Restarts’ safely  from the COVID-19 crisis and then plans to ‘Reinvent’ in the future, becoming a more productive industry.  Skills and training will play a key role.

As sites reopen, and training gradually resumes, there is also an update on the future of our support measure to pay apprenticeship attendance grants in advance, during the crisis.

CLC – Roadmap to Recovery

The Roadmap to Recovery plan was published yesterday and was the product of a highly collaborative effort from a wide range of industry representatives, including CITB.  It is designed to ensure that there is an even and sustainable recovery for construction, as a cornerstone of the economy.

As well as the safe return to work, the retention of skills and people are a key focus in the immediate stages.  CITB will continue to target support to those areas, as well as building the skills development for the future.  The plan covers the need ensure apprentices are able to continue their training, strengthening the pathways into apprenticeships and employment within the industry.  It goes on to cover the need to further enable digital technologies to transform the sector, making sure training and qualifications are available to support this.

We welcome the plan and the industry wide engagement to produce it and look forward to working with industry partners to continue to put it into action.   

If you want to input and be part of shaping the industry and supporting plans going forward, please help the CLC by completing this short, anonymised People Survey before Friday 5 June.  The objective is to collect high level, cross industry data on the impact of Coronavirus on employment levels that can be used by the Construction Leadership Council to inform the actions under the Roadmap to Recovery. All information provided is confidential and cannot be attributed to individual companies.

Advance apprenticeship grants

Since March, CITB has been paying, in advance, apprenticeship attendance grants for current second and third year apprentices to help keep skills in the construction industry amid the COVID-19 crisis. This was one of several ways that CITB has been relieving cash flow pressure on employers, including the suspension of levy collection.

These advance attendance payments will continue to be available for current second and third year apprentices but, we will not be able to extend this emergency support measure for those current first year apprentices entering their second year. The usual Grant funding and other support will of course continue.

CITB’s COVID-19 Urgent Messages page is refreshed daily 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.

I would like to wish you, your colleagues and family a safe and pleasant week ahead. My next update will be on Thursday.

Kind wishes

Sarah Beale
Chief Executive