Training Grants for Northern Ireland Construction

Training Grants Boost For Northern Ireland Construction Industry

The 2010/11 construction industry training grants programme run by CITB-ConstructionSkills Northern Ireland has been launched this month, including an additional one-off grant of £1,000 for apprentices reaching their third year of employment. CITB-ConstructionSkills Northern Ireland is the Industry Training Board and Sector Skills Council for the construction industry in Northern Ireland. Through its annual grants programme, CITB provides grant funding to construction industry employers for a range of employee training options, including training for new employees, existing employees and for improving business performance.

Grant assistance is available for:
Apprentices achieving NVQ and Modern Apprenticeship qualifications.
Short duration training for existing employees.
Technical, management and professional development training. Existing employees achieving NVQs.
Plant training qualifications.
Scaffolding operatives.
Health & Safety Industry Registration Scheme cards. Training and assessor qualifications.

Training in third party accredited Health & Safety, quality, environmental and renewable energy management systems.
Support for employer training groups.

For 2010, the CITB has also announced a new grant for apprentices that have completed their third consecutive year in employment within the past twelve months. Employers will be able to claim an additional £1,000 for third year apprentices on top of the existing grants. Announcing the new grant, Chief Executive of CITB-ConstructionSkills Northern Ireland, Barry Neilson, said:
"The recession has hit construction hard and it is a tough time for both apprentices and construction firms. The introduction of this grant not only offers employers credible skills sets but also increased retention rates and progression opportunities. As an organisation we have been at the heart of skills and training for over 40 years and we are looking strategically at the long term future of apprenticeships to ensure they support the industry's future skills needs."

Grants can be claimed directly from CITN-ConstructionSkills Northern Ireland (either online or by submitting a claim form) or via a training provider. Funding for the annual CITB grants programme is raised through an annual levy on the wage bill of construction industry employers. Construction sector employers pay a levy of 0.65% of their annual wage bill (minimum threshold of £80,000) to fund the grants and other CITB sector support activities. See the CITB-ConstructionSkills Northern Ireland website for further information http://www.citbni.org.uk/Home.aspx