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Sian Walkey, like many in construction, didn’t take her apprenticeship straight from school. The mum-of-two had already studied, built up a successful career and started a family – but she wanted to go further. She wanted to upskill and unleash her potential.

"Learning a new skill every day was one of the best feelings.” Those words are from trainee joiner Daniel Skelly. They are a very good example of how training for a new career can be enjoyable – and transform a life.

The winners of the SkillBuild National Finals 2022 have been announced, after nearly 80 construction trainees went head-to-head over three days. SkillBuild, often dubbed the ‘skills Olympics’, is delivered by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) in partnership with WorldSkills UK and offers a chance for trainees to compete in a bid to be crowned winner of their chosen trade.

One organisation can’t solve all construction’s skills challenges. To attract new workers, stakeholders need to partner for skills and take an aligned approach to training. That’s the best way of supporting people into well paid construction jobs. I’m pleased to say that a new, co-ordinated approach to skills is in the pipeline: Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs).

Six months on from the launch of the updated Construction Leadership Council (CLC) Industry Skills Plan, I’m delighted to share how we’ve worked together to support the industry.

Welcome to CITB Wales quarterly update. Here’s news on our work that will help you get the most of our services across Wales.

The largest and longest-running construction skills competition in the UK returned earlier this year. SkillBuild is delivered by CITB in conjunction with WorldSkills UK, and as preparations for the National Finals get underway, we hear from finalist, Oliver Tudor.

CITB’s Scottish Academy for Construction Opportunities (SACO) commission progresses with two successful bids, awarding a total of £1.3m across the Highlands and Islands. This investment will directly help address the construction industry’s skills gap, increase employment retention, and provide vital support to new starters at the beginning of their construction careers.

CITB’s England Construction Opportunities (ECO) commission sees eight successful bids awarded a total of just over £1.8m. This investment will directly help address the construction industry’s skills gap, increase employment retention, and provide vital support to new starters at the beginning of their construction careers.

A recruitment campaign which set out to train high-quality assessors for the construction industry in Scotland has played a vital role in economic recovery.