From 01 April 2022 onwards for occupational Traineeships that are only available in England, a one-off CITB grant of £1000 will be available to employers after completion of an 8 to 10 week CITB Occupational Traineeship work placement.  Occupational Traineeship are available in:

  • Brickwork
  • Carpentry and Joinery
  • Drylining
  • Painting and Decorating

Employers will be able to claim once the traineeship work placement is complete, the evidence required will be email confirmation from the college or certificate to include learner name, course title and completion date.  Applications can be submitted to grant.claimforms@citb.co.uk.  This grant payment will be in addition to the £1000 paid by government.

Employers can provide up to 10 work placements per region for Traineeships and it is felt this could be a route employers will use to identify their next apprentices.  Individuals that have completed a Traineeship may be eligible for an accelerated apprenticeship as they will have already completed a lot of the training and this will reduce the time needed to achieve.

For employers taking on apprentices across the UK CITB will provide an enhanced grant of £2000, the initial £1000 will be paid with the first attendance quarterly payment, with the second £1000 paid with the final attendance payment.

This enhanced grant is for Apprentices who start the Dry Lining Framework or Standard Apprenticeship on or after 1 April 2022.  The enhancement is automatically added where the employer is eligible at the same time as the attendance grant is processed.  Eligible Apprenticeships:

  • England – Level 2 Interior Systems Installer – Drylining Systems (IFATE Standard)
  • Wales – Level 2 Interior Systems – Dry Lining knowledge qualification (ACW Framework)
  • Scotland – SCQF Level 5 Dry Lining – Finishing/Fixing (SDS Framework)

If the Apprentice changes employer during their apprenticeship the payment will be made to the employer the apprentice is with at that time.

George Swann FIS Skills and Training Lead said:

“This clearly recognises that the core trades in the finishes and interiors sector are short of people and this is having a knock on effect through the entire construction industry.  The additional CITB grants are welcome and should help to tip the balance in favour of action for some employers.  Remember, if you decide to take on an apprentice or support a traineeship, you are not alone, FIS team is here to help.  We’ll be covering how to access these grants and wider funding in our Regional Interventions throughout the Spring”.

New guidance on funding and business support in Scotland

On Tuesday, the Scottish Construction Leadership Forum (CLF) launched a new guide on the funding and business support available to industry. The guide is an action from the CLF Recovery Plan of actions aligned with the Scottish Government’s policies and the Construction Scotland Industry Strategy. The new guide has been produced by the Forum’s Digital Strategy Steering Group, following research by one of its members which showed a need to help businesses access support on digital upskilling.