Today’s email brings news on the launch of a free COVID-19 eCourse; further measures we’ve taken to help with Site Safety Plus training; details of changes at CITB; and extra support through virtual meetings.

The pandemic continues to challenge us all with the recent UK Government announcement over the weekend introducing a second lockdown in England, and an extension of the furlough scheme. As the situation continues to evolve, please view our Urgent Messages page for the latest range of support measures available.

Free COVID-19 eCourse launched

The development of a new pandemic Standard was announced back in August with an eCourse set to follow. I’m pleased to share today that the ‘Setting up and operating a safe construction site during COVID-19’ course in now live on our eCourses platform.

Government guidance is for construction sites to remain open, with a reminder to review social distancing measures and comply with the Site Operating Procedures ‐ Version 6. The COVID-19 eCourse can be used alongside existing guidelines to ensure sites remain open safely, and as the Standard is not grant supported, we’re offering this online course FREE of charge. Aimed primarily at managers and supervisors, the course will enable the confident and knowledgeable delivery of toolbox talks, and cover topics such as, ‘Understanding a Virus’ and ‘Social Distancing’.

Support for Site Safety Plus training

We’re doing all we can to support the safe delivery of courses and enable employees to continue training and upskilling during these difficult times. Following positive feedback and remaining within the recommended guidelines, we’ve increased the number of delegates permitted per remote delivery course from 10 to 12 with immediate effect.

We’ve also further extended the grace period for employees needing to complete a Site Management Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS) or Site Supervision Safety Training Scheme (SSSTS) refresher course, due to continued high demand and local lockdowns. For certificates that expired after 15 March 2020, employees will now have until 31 January 2021 to join a refresher course, rather than having to re-take the full course.

Changes at CITB

Today I share with you that I have made the difficult decision to resign from my role as CEO. I am committed to the delivery of our current plans and in order to ensure stability in this challenging year I will be staying with CITB until September 2021 to make sure CITB is in the strongest position possible as it continues to move forward.

I am proud to have been part of this organisation for the past 16 years, and proud of our work to support construction employers across Great Britain. Until my departure in September, my priority remains to continue to deliver the Skills Stability Plan (our Business Plan for 2021/22) and the Strategic Plan for 2021/24, and to best serve industry needs. I will then look forward to taking some time to be with my family before seeking a new career challenge.

Our Chair, Peter Lauener, will soon begin a recruitment process for a new Chief Executive.

Extra support through virtual meetings

Following periods of furlough, all colleagues have now returned to work, including the customer facing Partnerships and Apprenticeships Teams, and while we still can’t see you in person just yet, we will be holding a series of ‘virtual’ meetings to ensure you keep getting the support you need.

As of next week, there will be group meetings on key topics that many of our employers ask us about. The first will cover an introduction to CITB, aimed at newly registered employers or existing employers, where their CITB contact has changed, with a session on apprenticeships to follow. You will also soon be able to book 1-2-1 sessions, and I’ll share more information on these in the coming weeks. To find out more and book onto a group session, please click here.

A reminder…

The forecast for industry can be found in our recently published Construction Skills Network 2021-25 interim report. 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

In the past week there has been more news about local lockdowns and support from the Government which present challenges for all of us. With this in mind, I do hope you are keeping well.

Given the changing lockdown measures around the nations and regions, please visit our urgent messages page to keep up to date with changes to our testing services and training.

The outlook for the future has been, understandably, hard to predict, but today we can provide a snapshot of how we think the next five years will look like through a new Construction Skills Network Industry (CSN) Outlook for 2021-25, published today.

Skills needs in the next five years

Despite beginning to recover from the first wave of the pandemic, local lockdowns continue and departure from the Brexit transition period is fast approaching. We’re continuing to research the sector’s future skills needs amid the pandemic and economic uncertainties and are publishing today a short briefing for you on our projections for the next five years.

The report predicts that between 10% and 14% of the construction workforce, or 286,000-372,000 sector workers, may lose their job in 2020, with numbers only fully recovering from 2025. It shows limited recruitment of new entrants and apprenticeship starts over the next year, but with demand picking up from 2023. The forecast shows that the next few years will be difficult for many construction employers and their workforces, as with the rest of the economy. CITB will continue to take action and adapt to changing circumstances to support skills.

In addition, we’ve made four key recommendations to Government to make our recovery strong and sustained. These are:

• protect and retain as much of construction’s existing talent as possible
• make construction a priority sector in the new National Skills Fund
• reform the Apprenticeship Levy so that more money can be spent on smaller companies in the supply chain
• help get more college students into construction jobs and apprenticeships

We hope you find our CSN report useful for you and your business.

Short duration standards update

When claiming grant it is important to use the correct code and Standard name to help us get the payments to you as quickly as possible.

The Grant Codes for Short Duration Standards list has the most up-to-date information, with upcoming changes found in the Construction Training Directory section here.

Remember that the easiest way to get your employees’ details onto the Construction Training Register and to receive your grant payment is by giving your CITB levy registration number to your Approved Training Organisation (ATO) when booking.

Your views on the CITB Grants Scheme

There is still time for you to share your views on the support we offer industry through the Grants Scheme. This is your opportunity to shape what we offer in the future, helping us ensure limited funds are directed to where they can make the most difference for you.

Please complete the feedback form which should take no longer than 10 minutes, by 5pm on 2 November 2020.

Across the construction sector we are all adapting to new ways of working and a very different economy to what had been expected, and I’d like to thank you for taking the time to keep up to date with CITB services, and particularly those of you who have provided feedback this year on how we can better support industry.

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 being made available to UK businesses and employees by the Government.

In these uncertain times, stay safe everyone.

Kind wishes,

Sarah Beale

Chief Executiv

SMSTS and SSSTS Renewal COVID-19 Update 

During the COVID-19 crisis CITB provided a grace period for delegates whose SMSTS/SSSTS achievement had expired after 15 March 2020. The last updated grace period allowed delegates who were unable to access a refresher course before their certificate expired until the 30th November 2020 to join onto a SSSTS / SMSTS refresher, instead of having to sit the full course.

Due to the current uncertainty around local and national lockdowns and the fast approaching shutdown for the Christmas period, the decision has been made to extend this grace period further to support those delegates who have been unable to access the relevant refresher course.

All delegates now have until 31st January 2021 to join a SSSTS/SMSTS refresher course, if their current certificate expired after the 15 March 2020.

It is important to note that this grace period will not be extended any further, so we would advise that all delegates take this opportunity to attend the appropriate refresher course to avoid the need to attend the full course.

The EU commission have reviewed the Driver CPC directive which now specifies that “a range of different subjects should be covered over the 35 hours. Therefore, DVSA wishes to reemphasise that drivers must not unnecessarily repeat the same periodic training subjects within a rolling five-year period.

DVSA and JAUPT will now monitor training provider uploads and driver records. If we identify training that does not support professional driver development because of unnecessary repetition we may take action against the driver and the trainer. This could include revoking a DQC and reconsidering a training body’s approval to deliver periodic training.

DVSA knows most operators and trainers of good repute will encourage a varied training regime as a matter of course. Operators and trainers who allow or encourage repetitive training without suitable justification create a road-safety risk by failing to maintain driver’s skills and damage the reputation of the driver training industry.

DVSA strongly encourage those trainers with a limited range of approved courses to consider increasing the range of subjects they offer. Centres who can only deliver one or two courses would find it difficult to provide suitable variety. There are no circumstances under which repeating the same course five times in a short period is justifiable.

The Traffic Commissioners Office also takes a dim view of drivers failing to plan a suitable training regime and have stated: “Driver CPC training should either be varied or specifically tailored to a driver’s weaknesses. Taking the same courses repeatedly is not good enough. Failing to put structured development plans in place for drivers not only increases the risk of an incident occurring but would reflect very poorly on an operator if they were called before a Traffic Commissioner.”

DVSA acknowledges there are situations when repeating a course is necessary and justifiable. JAUPT will shortly publish FAQs on our website which will go into more detail, providing specific examples.

Regards

JAUPT – Joint Approvals Unit for Periodic Training

t:   0844 800 4184

e:   enquiries@jaupt.org.uk

w:   www.jaupt.org.uk

Hello,

I really hope that in spite of the many challenges that COVID-19 continues to send our way you are all keeping well.

Given the changing lockdown measures around the Nations and regions, please visit our urgent messages page to keep up to date with changes to  HS&E Tests, Site Safety Plus (SSP) training and other services.

The pandemic has brought significant challenges, but also caused people to come together, generating new ideas and opportunities that have gained traction at a faster pace than may have been the case. Working with Training Providers, Site Safety Plus centres and Approved Training Organisations, CITB has expanded the range of remote learning opportunities available that have allowed many in our industry to continue learning during this time

Online eCourses

Launched in June, our online eCourses platform provides employees, unable to access traditional training, with an additional learning option. Since the launch of the SSP Health and Safety Awareness eCourses, an estimated £55,000 has been saved in training costs, along with a reduction in time lost away from site of around 1,000 working days.

New eCourses

As part of our promise to make training accessible we continue to develop additional eCourses. The Site Management Environmental Training Scheme (SMETS) eCourse launched on October 15. This online-only course is aimed at existing and aspiring site managers looking to improve their knowledge of environmental management and legislation.

A new eCourse, “Setting up and operating a safe construction site during COVID-19,” will be introduced at the end of October. Whilst specifically designed for managers and supervisors, the eCourse will be free to access for all delegates. Course information, how to register and all eCourses available can be found on our eCourses platform and are also available through our network of SSP Training Centres.

How training providers, Site Safety Plus centres and Approved Training Organisations rose to the Remote Learning challenge

 When training centres closed in March, CITB responded rapidly to support the industry and Training Providers, reviewing all courses and standards offered, identifying over 180 courses suitable for providers to continue delivering to support the skills training needed.

Following the swift adoption of remote learning our network of Site Safety Plus (SSP) centres were able to deliver courses to thousands of delegates during lockdown and beyond, allowing them to upskill, or stay up to date, safely.

Positive feedback received encouraged centres and Approved Training Organisations to explore remote delivery of other courses, including Mental Health Awareness training. As a result of this success we are considering how remote delivery will continue as an option for Site Safety Plus centres.

I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone within CITB, and to all our partners, who have risen to meet the many challenges raised by the pandemic and who have done so much to support industry by expanding and developing Remote Learning.

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 being made available to UK businesses and employees by the Government.

In these uncertain times, stay safe everyone.

Kind wishes,

Sarah Beale

Chief Executive

Hi all

I wanted to let you all know that our Grant Scheme Feedback form is now live. The link to the form features on the Grants Scheme pages of the website Here, and there is more detail at the bottom of this email.

I would be grateful if you could send this on to your employer members – we welcome all feedback on this matter.

Many thanks

Julia

Your views on the CITB Grants Scheme matter

We have asked for your feedback throughout the COVID -19 pandemic, to enable us to support the construction industry where it matters most and to help shape the work we do. Now more than ever your views are helping us shape our thinking, ensure funds are correctly prioritised and directed to where they can make the most difference.

As part of our review of the support we offer, we will be inviting organisations and their employees to share their views on training and the Grants Scheme. Your feedback matters and this is your opportunity to help us develop what we offer in the future.

If you’d like to take part you can complete the Grants Scheme feedback form today, just click here

Deadline:  The link closes at 5pm, on Monday 2^nd November.

Julia Stevens

Partnership Manager (Training Groups)

M: +44 (0)7342 061 705

E:  julia.stevens@citb.co.uk

W: www.citb.co.uk

Good afternoon,

 Today’s email reflects on the importance of looking after our mental health and highlights the new features added to The Lighthouse Club’s free app, as well as a link to share your views on the CITB Grants Scheme.

It continues to be an unsettling time with the increasing COVID-19 infection rates resulting in the new three-tier lockdown system in England, introduced by the UK Government earlier this week. It’s evident that we need to do all we can to minimise the risk of infection, not only in our home lives but also at work and within our industry. I would like to remind you of our COVID-19 site safety checklists and forms, which we are continually reviewing to ensure they reflect the current requirements for Site Operating Procedures.

New app features to support industry wellbeing

Last Saturday was World Mental Health Day, and with such major challenges and uncertainty impacting everyone’s way of life to some extent this year, the focus was on ‘mental health for all’. This reinforces the importance of looking out for loved ones, but also acts as a reminder to take time out to consider your own mental wellbeing.

The Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity recently launched a free helpline app, which encourages people to seek guidance and information, while providing a discreet platform for them to do so. Following employers’ feedback, the app has since been upgraded with new features and tools to support financial wellbeing. Working in partnership with ‘nudge’, a financial wellbeing platform, the app reminds users when to take financial action, helps with budgeting, and provides content to boost financial knowledge. You can download the app here.

Your views on the CITB Grants Scheme matter

We have asked for your feedback throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, to enable us to support the construction industry where it matters most and to shape the work we do. Now more than ever your views are helping us ensure limited funds are directed to where they can make the most difference for you.

As part of our review of the support we offer, we will be inviting organisations and their employees to share their views on training and the Grants Scheme. Your feedback matters and this is your opportunity to help us develop what we offer in the future. Please complete the feedback form, which should take no longer than 10 minutes, by 5pm on 2 November 2020.

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.

Finally, I would like to wish you all a safe week ahead.

Kind wishes,

Sarah Beale

Chief Executive

Are you missing a grant payment from CITB?

Please authorise your grant claims for payment

Our records show you have grant claims waiting for authorisation on your CITB Online account, once you have approved them you will receive payment into your bank account.

How to authorise your grant payment

All your outstanding grant claims need to be authorised via the CITB Online portal.

1. Download the step by step guide to help authorise your claims, click here
2. Login and access your online account and authorise payment

If you have any difficulties, please contact our Customer Operations Team on
0344 994 4455 or email levygrant.online@citb.co.uk

FIR Programme-general flyer-2pg-Aug20-rev6

FIR Ambassadors flyer-2pg-rev6

FIR Toolkit flyer-Aug2020-rev5

As you may be aware CECA and the Supply Chain School have been leading a steering group of industry leaders to develop The Fairness Inclusion and Respect Programme part-funded by the CITB and now endorsed by the Construction Leadership Council.

The FIR Programme, developed by the construction industry for the construction industry, helps businesses drive positive change and create better workplaces by embracing a culture of Fairness, Inclusion and Respect.  Inclusive workplaces are more productive, innovative, profitable  and safer.  The resources are aimed at all levels from apprentices to leaders and are freely available to companies large and small operating in construction and the built environment.

To mark National Inclusion Week a suite of new learning materials have been launched and added to the core programme. The resources include three new workshops on:

• ‘Inspiring and Coaching New Employees’
• ‘Setting up an Inclusive Site’
• ‘Leading People Inclusively’

These workshops are accompanied by newly developed E-Learning modules, on:

• Understanding Invisible Disabilities
• Managing Challenging Conversations
• Race and Intercultural Competence Parts 1&2.

Sarah Beale, CITB Chief Executive, said: “Even before the pandemic, construction recruitment faced the challenges of an ageing workforce with a real lack of diversity and the pending implications of Brexit, so it is more important than ever to build inclusive cultures across all parts of our industry. “These resources will help drive the positive change we need to attract new entrants from a wide range of backgrounds to our sector, and ensure construction is the rewarding career we know it to be for everyone.”

 Andy Mitchell CBE, co-chair of the Construction Leadership Council, said: “National Inclusion Week is an opportune moment to remind everyone that not only is there a moral case for driving inclusive cultures in the construction industry, but that there is a business case for it as well. “Inclusive workplace cultures are more productive, innovative, and profitable. Promoting a culture of Fairness, Inclusion

and Respect can bring benefits to businesses of all sizes and helps attract and retain people from the full pool of talent in the UK workforce. “There has been positive cultural change across our sector in recent years, but it is beholden to us all to remember that we always have more to learn and things we can improve. These new resources are a welcome addition to the already extensive range of FIR materials that are available, and we hope their uptake will be as wide as possible by businesses at all levels of the UK supply chain.”

Stephen Cole, CITB Head of Careers Strategy, said: “These resources will benefit UK construction and demonstrate why CITB has been proud to fund the Fairness, Inclusion & Respect programme since 2015.

“Cultural change also aids both in the attraction of new skills and retention of existing ones, which is of particular importance at this time.”

 Full details of the FIR Programme are attached or you can access the FIR Programme on the Supply Chain School’s website here

Good evening,

Supporting training through the recovery, retaining skilled workers and attracting new recruits is CITB’s focus in the coming months.

This week is UK Construction Week (5-9 October) and you can find out more below about how to get involved with this year’s online-only events. There are also updates on CITB’s Go Construct and Future Made initiatives to attract and inform more people about the industry, helping them join. There is also an invitation to become a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Construction Ambassador.

UK Construction Week

It’s UK Construction Week and an important time to promote construction careers. There’s lots of new information and content available on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter as well as the Go Construct blog.

As you can imagine, creativity has had to come into play and many events usually planned for this time of year and around UK Construction Week have been cancelled or taken online. We’re supporting virtual careers fairs, such as Scotland’s Biggest Parents’ Events, with the latest information and virtual work experience opportunities across the three nations.

Careers remain one of our three priorities – this includes attracting people to join our industry now and in the future as well as retaining skills and talent.

Pre-Covid, we were going to launch significant campaigns to attract people to our great industry. The impact of the pandemic changed this focus to:

• An immediate need to retain the skills we have and then to help with upskilling
• Make sure people are aware of the range of career opportunities on offer
• Promote the value of a diverse workforce, both for businesses and for people already in the sector, as well as to those that might be thinking of joining
• Attract people who want to be part of our sector, and have the skills and behaviours we need, providing easy routes for them to join

In addition to the Talent Retention Scheme, we’re enabling site and work experience opportunities to help people secure the right employment, and along with creating routes into work from Further Education, we continue to develop services to inform, change perceptions and help people access training and jobs.

Go Construct: improved info and more visitors

We’re currently working with construction employers and the Department for Work and Pensions to develop a range of site tour videos to be added to Go Construct, helping showcase the industry to a wider range of potential recruits.

The Go Construct website has recently been improved, resulting in double the number of visitors coming via Google. In the past year there have been more than 545,000 visitors, with 24% of these in the 18-24 age group. More than half of these are then clicking onto national apprenticeships websites and related job boards afterwards. We will continue to build on these links to help people join the industry.

There’s also been a 208% increase in visits to the pages which explain what’s involved in different construction jobs.

The transfer of our Go Construct Ambassadors to the STEM Ambassadors scheme is also under way. This provides schools and colleges with a simple way to request a Construction Ambassador engagement and for us as a sector to provide a consistent and positive image to the recruits of the future. To date we have 1,193 Construction Ambassadors, from 523 employers. We are providing classroom activities as well as training materials for Ambassadors to share their knowledge and experience with different audiences.

If you want to become a registered employer, or know of any great role models, why not encourage them to sign up to become a STEM Construction Ambassador?

Move for Future Made role models

At the beginning of the year we promoted Future Made, a campaign to change perceptions and attract more young people into construction. The  construction professionals who became our Future Made role models will come together with Go Construct and the new STEM Construction Ambassador scheme.

While we won’t be running the campaign as previously planned, we will be using the material we have created so far, which has been seen by more than 2.1million 14-18 year-olds on social media. This shows the impact role models can have on educating those outside the industry as well as showcasing career opportunities for those already working in it.

A reminder…

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.

Finally, I would like to wish you, your colleagues and families a safe and pleasant week ahead.

Kind wishes,

Sarah Beale

Chief Executive