Thousands more people into Welsh construction – CITB’s Strategic Plan 2021-25

Supporting training and retraining to rebuild after the recovery, improving productivity and making it easier to help employers bring in apprentices and other new entrants to Welsh construction are key elements of CITB’s Strategic Plan.

Amid an unpredictable landscape, CITB will focus on a smaller number of priorities to help modernise construction and increase productivity, collaborating with industry, governments and Further Education (FE). As well as providing direct support to employers, CITB will use this period to help fix the system, making it easier to recruit workers into the industry and to access training. The pandemic created huge challenges but also the opportunity to attract workers who will see other routes into work blocked off.

In Wales, the new Foundation in Construction and the Built Environment has been developed for those working in on intending to work in these sectors. CITB will work with FE partners and employers to maximise work experience opportunities alongside full-time course attendance through sponsorship or endorsement arrangements. 

Between 2021 and 2025, levy will be invested across Britain to: 

• Support 28,000 taster experiences of construction and in Go Construct to help potential new entrants understand the opportunities in construction and how to access them
• Give 19,000 people onsite experience to prepare them to start work in construction through onsite hubs   
• Create a new pathway between Further Education and employment available to 8,000 learners, including 1,600 apprenticeship starts as well as more learners starting jobs in construction
• Raise the share of apprentices completing their programmes from 60% to 70% through allocating £110m to support learners and employers on top of grant support 
• Help employers to invest in training initially to rebuild after the pandemic but increasingly to modernise and raise productivity through the Grants Scheme and other funding. This will see over £500m (77% of levy) of funding to employers 
• Support employers to modernise by identifying the key competencies required, including those that support digitalisation                             

Sarah Beale, CITB Chief Executive, said: “The recovery presents construction with big challenges but also major opportunities to do things differently and bring a wider range of new workers into the industry.   

“Our Strategic Plan will support employers to realise these opportunities by helping fix the system that brings people into work and supporting them to do the training they need. 

“We will focus on a small number of areas such as providing new entrants with information and experiences, creating a new pathway from Further Education into apprenticeships and a job, and boosting the numbers of apprentices completing their programmes. 

“We will also help employers to train by addressing gaps in provision, making training accessible and targeting funding where it’s needed, including through the Grants Scheme. 

“Over time, a greater share of this will support employers to modernise and raise productivity.

Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport of the Welsh Government, Lee Waters, said: “The construction sector is hugely important to the Welsh economy and forms a key part of our efforts for a strong and sustainable recovery from the impacts of coronavirus. It also provides tremendous career prospects for people including apprentices and CITB’s plans will help open their eyes to these opportunities.

“I look forward to working with CITB and partners, including those on the Construction Forum, to deliver our future skills needs.”

The plan was developed during discussions this summer with industry representatives, and CITB Board and Nation Council members, chiefly made up of employers. 

Read the CITB Strategic Plan 2021-25 in English and in Welsh.