Earlier this month, the Department for Education released its review of the Industry Training Boards (ITBs). This report was much anticipated in the industry, with many people expecting it to outline the changes required to really make a difference in the skills and training of the construction workforce.
Unfortunately, the report stops short of making any real recommendations for the future success of the ITBs and doesn’t actually address the key area of what the original scope of the ITBs was and whether this has actually been met.
In talking to many of our contacts in the industry, they see this as yet another attempt to reshape and reposition the ITBs in the industry, rather than being the anticipated vehicle for change that we had all hoped this report would be.
Until the Government can truly understand the issues in the construction industry and increase their understanding with better engagement with some of the key organisations and those working at the coal face in construction, the industry will not take the strides forward that it needs to take in order to create a step change in skills and training.
I, along with many of our clients who are major contractors, await this day with interest but suspect that it will be a long time coming. So, it’s business as usual for the UK construction industry and back to the drawing board for the Department for Education.
By Stephanie Fisher, MSite Managing Director.
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