How we decide if we pay grant for a course, apprenticeship or qualification

There are several steps to the process of assessing your suggestions for grant aided courses.

Suggested standards and courses go through the process below are assessed against the grant eligibility criteria.

Subject assessment

Step one: the training must meet one of the following five principles.

1. Encourage training specifically related to the construction industry, aligned to CITB’s Scope Order.
2. Align funding to priorities and standards
3. Support all CITB registered employers and their subcontractor workforce
4. Use targeted funding to support industry priorities
5. Prioritise investment in areas where there is a long-term commitment and return on investment

Step two: the training must be either construction specific, or contextualised for the construction industry.

Step three: we must be able to answer ‘yes’ to three of the following questions.

• Is the training exclusively construction Health and Safety related?
• Does the activity involve the formal delivery of structured training with a defined construction-related skills outcome?
• Is the training updating existing construction-specific skills?
• Is the construction training more than purely awareness training?
• Does the construction training fulfil more than mandatory (ie legislative) requirements?
• Does the construction training require periodic renewal?

Exceptional circumstances

Steps 2 and 3 may be skipped in exceptional circumstances, defined as:

"newly developed standardised training on a topic for which there is a demonstrable need for training, triggered by:

• legislation
• the Construction Leadership Council
• Government
• CITB evidence

but which is not currently widely embedded or identified as a priority by industry."

Grant rate

We decide which grant rate is suitable based on the points gained through the following six criteria.

1. Duration

2. Training level

3. Is the topic specifically defined as in-scope?

4. Is the training formally assessed?

5. What type of standard is it?

6. Is the training at least 50% practical (physical application of tools, equipment and materials within the learning activities)?

The three grant tiers are based on the number of points gained. To find out the grant rate for each tier visit the short course grant page.

1. Tier 1
   Score of 5 or less
2. Tier 2
   Score of 6 to 8
3. Tier 3
   Score of 9+

Refresher courses are paid at 50% of the value of the parent course rate.

Standards assessment

If they meet these criteria they will be sent to the Standards Development team for evaluation.

This team will decide with the relevant Occupational Working Group if

1. The training is covered by a standard which is already listed,
2. The training is not covered but should be added, or
3. The training should not be added as it does not meet the requirements of the Occupational Working Group with regards to quality or intensity of learning, or method of assessment.

Suggest a course

• Complete the form to suggest a short training course eligible for grant

We pay grant for qualifications and apprenticeships if they pass each step of the eligibility criteria. There are 7 steps:

Step 1:

Is the qualification or apprenticeship regulated by an awarding body (eg for qualifications: Ofqual, SQA, Qualifications Wales; or for apprenticeships: an approved standard listed on the Institute of Apprenticeships, Apprenticeships Frameworks Online or Skills development Scotland frameworks list).

• MUST answer YES – if NO then the qualification/apprenticeship is not eligible for grant

Step 2:

Is the qualification or apprenticeship at level 2 or above in England and Wales or at Level 5 or above in Scotland?

• MUST answer YES – if NO then the qualification/apprenticeship is not eligible for grant

Step 3:

Is the qualification or apprenticeship in a subject which would be considered to be ‘in scope’ and aligned to CITB’s Scope Order?

• If answer YES then it is automatically eligible for grant – If NO proceed to step 4

Step 4:

Is the qualification or apprenticeship specifically defined as ‘out of scope’ within CITB’s Scope Order?

• MUST answer NO – if YES then the qualification/apprenticeship is not eligible for grant

Step 5:

Is the qualification or apprenticeship ‘related, incidental or ancillary’ to deliver Principal in scope activities as defined within CITB’s Scope Order?

• MUST answer YES – if NO then the qualification/apprenticeship is not eligible for grant

Step 6:

Is the qualification or apprenticeship at least 51% specific to construction*, and the content has been exclusively designed for construction?

• MUST answer YES – if NO then the qualification/apprenticeship is not eligible for grant

Step 7:

Is the qualification or apprenticeship regularly involved in construction projects?

• MUST answer YES – if NO then the qualification/apprenticeship is not eligible for grant

*In order to determine whether a qualification or apprenticeship is at least 51% specific to construction, CITB looks at the content of the entire qualification or apprenticeship and determines the percentage of content which is directly related to construction specific activities.  

Suggest a qualification or apprenticeship

• Complete the form to suggest a qualification or apprenticeship eligible for grant