The Department for Education today published the Government’s response to the ITB Review, which was conducted by Mark Farmer in 2023 and finalised last year.
The report stresses the vital need for the work of the Industrial Training Boards (ITBs) within the construction and engineering construction industries and concludes that the ITB levy-grant model should be retained. Indeed, it states that the role of the ITBs should be strengthened and calls on them to do more.
It reinforces that both the ECITB and CITB exist to meet the industries’ specialist skills needs. The ITBs are needed to address the market failure in training provision, driving up skill levels and incentivising training that would otherwise not take place.
The Minister of State for Skills, The Rt Hon Baroness Smith of Malvern, supported many of the recommendations laid out in the report including that the ITB model should be retained.
Among the 17 strategic recommendations, the review proposes that the CITB and ECITB should form a single body. The Government’s position is that while there are significant benefits to greater alignment and collaboration between the two ITBs, there are currently no plans to legislate to create a single body. A steering group will be set up to consider the implementation of all recommendations.
In the meantime, the Minister has requested greater collaboration between the ECITB and CITB on specific areas such as infrastructure across Great Britain, increasing trainers, clean energy jobs and skills passporting. Work is already underway to develop joint action in these areas.
