CITB chief executive Sarah Beale on the Levy consensus and the need for reform.

Our industry has decided.

By a clear majority, construction employers have decided to retain CITB’s Levy-raising powers for the next 3 years.

That support isn’t restricted to certain types of firms in particular areas of the country.

In every nation and for every size of employer, at least 3 in 5 firms that took part in the Consensus process supported the continuation of our Levy.

We know, however, that this vote wasn’t a ringing endorsement of CITB. There was, in fact, a united call for change.

This is a vote that says: “Yes, continue. But only if you change significantly.”

We have heard that call from large employers, we have heard it from the federations, and we have heard it from the SME firms that dominate our industry.

That call will be answered.

CITB is an organisation that, as an absolute necessity, must reform.

We are completely committed to changing our organisation by renewing governance, ensuring accountability and improving outcomes and we stand ready to take the tough decisions to make this happen.

We know that not everyone supported us this time around. Four federations voted no, and a fifth of employers rejected our Levy proposals.

In order to improve our offer to those that didn’t support us as well as those that did, we need to become more accountable, more representative and provide greater impact from our core activity.

The Government’s review of industrial training boards (ITBs) is due over the next few weeks. It, along with our response, will set out a clear path to a focused, modern, reformed CITB. We call on all of our industry – no matter how they voted – to share their views and insight supporting this vital work.

There is a lot going on already.

Plans in train include making the Grants Scheme simpler and easier to access – particularly for smaller firms.

We are developing a national skills register and a training directory of CITB-approved training providers. This quality assurance role is integral to our offer to industry.

Research pieces like our recent future skills reports into immersive learning and offsite construction, will help provide the evidence base for how training needs to change to keep pace with other sectors.

Our funding, increasingly through a commissioning approach, will help direct levy-payers’ money where it can have the most impact.

All these efforts, with more to come, are directed towards CITB becoming the industry’s Training body, which will offer excellent value in supporting industry’s skills needs of today and tomorrow.

Effectively, industry has given CITB 3 years to change and demonstrate impact.

Now is the time to deliver, and we will.