67% of construction employers are in support of CITB’s Levy plans
The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has today announced it has achieved Consensus in support for its Levy Proposals that will help provide training for the construction industry across the next three years. The results show that 67% of construction employers are in support of CITB’s Levy plans – improving on the 2021 Consensus results. Additionally, 12 out of the 14 Prescribed Organisations are in agreement with the Levy Proposals.
Usually undertaken every three years, Consensus is the process through which CITB seeks Levy-paying employers’ views and agreement on its plans for generating the Levy, which in turn supports the skills and training CITB will deliver to the industry.
The result means that Levy rates are proposed to remain the same for 2026-29. The proposed Levy arrangements are:
- PAYE: 0.35%
- Net paid (Taxable) CIS Sub-contractors: 1.25%
- Increase the Levy Exemption and Reduction Thresholds to £150,000 and £500,000.
If the employee payroll and Net paid (taxable) CIS subcontractors combined is less than £150,000, employers will not pay a Levy. If it is between £150,000 and £499,999, they will receive an automatic reduction of 50%. This approach was supported by a majority of employers at a recent consultation and means CITB will continue to support its smallest employers, so the Levy delivers for all.
These results have now been submitted to the Department for Education to ratify. Once ratified a new Levy Order can be raised.
Since the last set of Consensus results, CITB has launched incredibly successful initiatives; Employer Networks and the New Entrant Support Team (NEST). Employer Networks offer bespoke, easy-to-access training and financial support for employers and last year, CITB quadrupled the number of learners it supported from 11,000 to over 50,000 learners.
Similarly, CITB’s NEST team – which helps make finding, recruiting and retaining an apprentice or new entrant easier for employers – nearly doubled the number of apprenticeship starts supported from 2,000 to over 4,000 in the 2024-25 financial year.
Tim Balcon, CEO at CITB, said: “Thank you to all employers who took part in the Consensus process.
“The Levy is designed to ensure that construction employers of all sizes feel supported with their skills and training needs. It plays a vital role in investing in the British construction industry, ensuring the development of a skilled workforce to meet the sector’s current and future demands.
“We are really pleased that Levy payers continue to be supportive of the Levy Proposals. We will now focus on delivering our Strategic Plan through which we aim to support at least 35,000 employers over the next four years and establish a simpler, more responsive skills and training system better aligned with industry needs.”
