We are currently modernising our Grant Scheme. We are doing this because we want to make sure more employers access funds, particularly SMEs, and that training is aimed where it’s needed most.

What is the Grant Scheme?

The Grant Scheme provides funding for CITB-registered employers to train, upskill and qualify their staff. This ensures that the right skills are available to maintain standards and help the industry grow. Last year, over £132m in grant was returned to firms that completed training.

Why does it need updating?

We want to target grant funding to areas which employers consider are key competencies and where we have evidence of a skills shortage. We need to move from simply returning levy to really adding value to the industry.

Also, large firms are currently getting more out of it than SMEs. So we need to adapt the scheme so that all our employers can easily access it.

The current application process is paper-based and applying can take some time – smaller firms simply don’t have the time to dedicate to it. We’re in the process of moving this online so claiming grant will become easier and more efficient.

What we learnt

We undertook research into how SMEs train and found that only 60% of the 1,000 employers surveyed had undertaken training in the last two years. Of those, only four in ten had claimed CITB grant.

Most of the training undertaken by SMEs was mandatory, such as working at heights and asbestos awareness. Employers prefer on-site training, presumably to keep costs and days off-site to a minimum. We learned employers would like a guide to the training their staff may need.

What’s the plan?

We are working closely with employers to consider various options. We are considering splitting the grant scheme into two funds.

The first would focus on qualifying the workforce, funding training that leads to a recognised qualification such as an apprenticeship or NVQ. (However, we will be reviewing our funding for apprenticeships once the government has announced its own apprentice funding changes.)

The second fund would focus on ensuring we have a workforce trained in the right skills and ready to work, either on-site or in management. This would pay for two kinds of training – industry-wide competencies, or sector-specific skills.

We need industry-wide competencies so the workforce meets a recognised minimum standard. It also has the added benefit of increasing employee mobility and reducing duplication of training.

Sector-specific skills, through incentivised funding, means backing training that otherwise wouldn’t happen. We are currently consulting employers on how to deliver these training programmes.

What’s the next step?

We will be running a series of workshops and pilots to test our ideas and the results will be fed back into our planning.

It’s important to note that any changes will be phased in – we won’t remove the current grant support until the new arrangements are in place, so our service to levy payers won’t be compromised.

If you have any feedback about the grant scheme or would like to know more, please email me at geeta.nathan@citb.co.uk.