How we allocate funding

We use grants and funding to help the UK construction industry carry out the training it needs to meet its skills demands, now and in the future.

Our resources not only support employers with their day-to-day skills needs, helping them develop their existing people and get new talent ready for work. They are also available to help industry find creative and innovative solutions to wider, longer-term challenges.

We aim to respond quickly to the evolving needs of industry that we identify through our evidence and research. This allows us to target resources to where they are most needed and have the most enduring positive impact across the sector.

How we share it out

We divide resources between our grants scheme and funding for training projects:

grants – available to all levy-registered employers to support the delivery of their current training needs

skills and training fund – up to £10,000 per project for eligible firms with fewer than 100 employees, for extra training support

collaborative innovation training fund – up to £500,000 for each project suggested by eligible applicants to address industry skills gaps they have identified, particularly if it is an innovative and transferable solution

CITB commissioned projects – we commission projects on priority themes, according to our evidence on industry priorities, strategy or government policy

Resource management

We want to be sure that our resources really benefit industry and help develop the right skills. To do this we:

review our funding programme regularly

carry out research and analysis to understand changing industry needs

respond to employer and industry feedback

build evidence to support industry priorities

evaluate funded projects to measure benefits and inform future decisions

focus grants on outcomes and achievements

reduce duplication of training through standardisation, quality assurance and record-keeping

How we collect evidence

The evidence we gather helps us determine the needs and priorities of industry. It also enables us to be agile and focus our support where it will be most effective.

The evidence we gather includes:

macro-economic evidence and regional analysis – looking at larger issues or trends, such as the impact of Brexit

qualitative research – such as our report on digital skills and technology or post-16 routes into construction

quantitative research – for example, data provided by the Construction Skills Network, or our reports on migration and early leavers

anecdotal evidence from our conversations with employers, federations and construction organisations – adding depth and colour to our analyses

market insight and research from third party organisations

occupational evidence – where we have identified a critical skills gap in a trade, we research deeper to better identify causes and solutions

We take our evidence back to industry in a constant process of exchange, such as through consultations, surveys, forums and committee groups, so that we can be sure we are getting it right.

You can give us your feedback at any time; please get in touch or contact your local CITB advisor.