The Department for Work & Pensions has published a consultation seeking views on the government鈥檚 proposal to bring together ECITB and CITB to create a single, unified Industry Training Board (ITB) to act on behalf of both construction and engineering construction sectors. The proposal sets out:
- the rationale for ITB reform, including the skills challenges the reform seeks to address
- the proposed approach to reform and the intended benefits of a single, unified ITB
- the technical detail of creating a single, unified ITB, including implications for its governance, levy arrangements and skills offers
- alternative approaches to ITB reform that were considered.
Views are also sought on two potential areas for future ITB reform:
- whether further changes should be considered to the employer activity in scope of a single ITB
- whether the maximum period for an ITB levy order should be extended beyond three years.
Responses to the consultation are particularly sought construction and engineering construction employers registered for the CITB and ECITB levies in England, Scotland and Wales, as well as employer and workforce representative bodies for these sectors, including ITB prescribed organisations and trade unions.
The consultation period runs for 12 weeks until 11:59pm on Sunday 14th June 2026. For details, and how to respond,
The 2023 Industry Training Board (ITB) review by Mark Farmer made the case for ITB reform. It concluded that the current model, while enabling worthwhile training, was 鈥渘ot delivering the level of strategic forward thinking, scale and pace of influence or tangible bottom line impact that the industry required to future proof it against the significant workforce issues it faces鈥�. Farmer recommended a refocused ITB strategy spanning attraction, training, retraining and retention, to drive productivity and capacity. A key element of this refocused strategy was merging the CITB and ECITB.
Work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden said: 鈥溌芾蛟� and engineering are the backbone of this country. Their workforces build our homes, power our communities and lay the foundations for growth.聽 We are committed to giving the next generation the high-quality, employer-led training that leads to real jobs and real careers.聽 That's why we are working hand in hand with the sector, ensuring employers get the skilled workforce they need to drive productivity, deliver infrastructure and power our clean energy future.鈥澛�