A Government review of the Industrial Training Boards (ITBs) has recognised the “widely valued” role the ECITB plays in addressing critical skills needs across the engineering construction industry.
The ITB Review considered the role and effectiveness of both the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) and the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) in light of the introduction of the apprenticeship levy.
Published today by the Department for Education (DfE), the final report confirms Government support for the ECITB and acknowledges that the statutory skills, standards and qualifications body “retains the confidence of its industry”.
Evidence supplied to the DfE by ECITB’s in-scope employers shows that most believe grants and services are “well understood and easy to access” and that the most valued services include “apprenticeship support, training solutions, grant support, qualifications and standards”. The majority of respondents also stated that “less training would take place without the Levy and Grant System”.
Among the recommendations, the report calls on the ITBs to strengthen their governance and accountability to ensure they are fully responsive to the needs of industries they serve. The report also reminds the ECITB that its future success will continue to be judged on the industry’s ability to recruit, retain and develop the engineering construction workforce.
The ECITB has already embarked on a programme of reforms earlier this year. The report welcomes these reforms, which include moving to a smaller, strategic board and creating a new industry council by the end of 2018.
Chris Claydon, Chief Executive of the ECITB, said: “We welcome the areas for improvement identified in the report and look forward to working with the Department for Education to implement our reforms.
“We know that, despite the challenging economic climate, industry support for the ECITB remains strong – as demonstrated by the strong support for our levy proposals last year and echoed by respondents to the ITB Review’s Call for Evidence. Almost nine out of ten of employer respondents said the ECITB supports the engineering construction sector, while the majority said that without us the sector would invest less in skills and training.
“Our new strategy sets out our plans to deliver maximum value for money to our levy payers and invest smartly in skills training, so we respond quickly to emerging new technologies and developments in the labour market.
“We welcome the Government’s intention to work closely with the ECITB on the skills agenda, including on T-levels and infrastructure skills post-Brexit, recognising our industry expertise can have a positive contribution on policy formulation and delivery. Working together will ensure we provide industry with the skills required to deliver the nation’s critical infrastructure and boost the long-term growth and productivity of the UK economy.”
