Skills

The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) is to launch four more sector-specific skills partnerships, including one for repairs and maintenance. The new sector plans, announced today (22 April) in its 2024/25 business plan, are designed to support employers’ training needs and will cover repairs and maintenance and the commercial, public…

An online recruitment and retention platform for the construction industry is to remain in place, removing doubts over its future. The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) announced today (17 April) that its Talent Retention Scheme (TRS) will continue to operate. It said that a press release emailed to journalists the previous…

Larger contractors must shoulder a bigger share of efforts to solve the construction industry’s skills gap, according to the boss of the sector’s training board. Speaking at a parliamentary reception yesterday, Tim Balcon, chief executive of the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), said that it was time to end a…

The Construction Industry Council (CIC) has issued a clarification on site access rules, in a bid to stop main contractors refusing access to designers. New regulations around building safety require contractors and clients to check the competence of their subcontractors by law – but the CIC’s statement suggests some firms…

The UK’s rollout of heat pump installations is running behind schedule, the National Audit Office (NAO) has said. In a report published on Monday (18 March), the NAO said that the number of heat pump installations up until December 2023 was less than half of what was planned. The NAO…

The construction sector needs to collaborate with training providers to help close the skills gap, according to an educator at MidKent College. Richard Wilde, project manager at MidKent College in Maidstone, said that contractors and subcontractors should assist training providers with the provision of materials and informing trainers about the…

A third of construction managers wouldn’t hire candidates they knew had a criminal record, according to a survey. A report published by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) on Tuesday (12 March) found that people with past criminal convictions often face discrimination and poor training opportunities. In a survey of…

The Balfour Beatty Vinci joint venture (JV) working on HS2 has announced the launch of a women’s only training course to mark International Women’s Day. The course, called Introduction to Construction, is designed to equip women with the skills and accreditation they need to start a new career in the…

A payroll firm involved in a long-running dispute with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) over £8m of levy payments has lost large parts of its latest legal battle. In 2018, the CITB assessed that Hudson Contract Services (now known as Knot Builders) owed £27.4m (later revised to £7.96m) in…

Earlier this month, Construction News revealed emerging plans for a new initiative for contractors to collaborate on promoting the sector through schools outreach. Specialist firm the School Outreach Company is working with senior sector figures on plans to raise £100,000 with the aim of creating a network of five regional…