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. 

If you hired a new apprentices between 1 October 2021 and 31 January 2022 and these apprentices have an apprenticeship start date between 1 October 2021 and 31 March 2022, employers could be eligible for the £3,000 incentive payment for hiring a new apprentice.  Applications for the incentive payment close on 15 May 2022.

How employers apply
Employers should check their apprentices’ eligibility – they must have:

• an employment start date from 1 October 2021 to 31 January 2022
• an apprenticeship start date from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022

To receive the payment, employers must submit an application for each eligible apprentice using their apprenticeship service account.

Use the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) step-by-step guide for more information.

When applying for the incentive payment for hiring a new apprentice, employers should make sure they have:

• added the correct PAYE schemes, that they use to pay their apprentices, to their apprenticeship service account, in line with the service terms and conditions
• only applied for eligible apprentices and they have documentation which can validate their claim, as listed in the apprenticeship funding rules
• checked their training provider has the correct National Insurance Number for each of their apprentices, and that they have included this in their funding submissions

If any information is incorrect, this will delay payments.  If you have a query about the incentive payment, check the help articles in the ESFA help portal

In comparison the total numbers for the same period in the Finishes and Interiors Sector are:

Number of registered apprentices:

• England:
  • Interior Systems Installer ST0388 = 90 (average annual starts 150)
  • Plasterer ST0096 = 470 (average annual starts 629)
• England old framework (VQ outcome) = 62 Interior System, 240 Plastering
• Scotland = 88 Interior Systems, 70 Plastering
• Wales = 9 Interior Systems, 51 Plastering
• Completed VQ’s in Interior Systems = 1720
• Completed VQ’s in Plastering = 1380

A few factors will have contributed to the thriving numbers, including the Apprenticeship Employer Grant of £5,000, which was launched by the Scottish Government and SDS back in 2020-21.  Additionally, those employers were supported by approximately £1.25m in CITB attendance grants.  To date, there are 4,500 apprentices in Scotland with Levy-registered employers, who benefit from just over £90m in direct and indirect grants from CITB and SDS.

With much of the industry relying on word-of-mouth methods to recruit, it can be difficult to reach a more diverse range of applicants.  Looking ahead, FIS is keen to support employers in this space, helping them create a more inclusive workplace, where the sector can benefit from the wide range of skills and traits.

George Swann FIS Skills and Training Lead says.  “Wherever you are located in the UK, if your organisation is looking to take on apprentices now is the time to get vacancies up on platforms like Construction TalentView: Employer Registration and National Apprenticeship Services: Creating an Apprenticeship Advert  to see existing vacancies go to: Find Apprenticeships Dryliners .

FIS is happy to support with any skills and training questions. Contact George on 07553 874838.

See more news likes this

FIS is excited to announce the return of Regional Workshops, with the first event since before the pandemic scheduled for Central London on the 22nd March.  This will be followed by a series of events in Bristol, Leicester, Dartford, Manchester and Glasgow running through to May.

With labour shortages and recruitment a key challenge within the sector, the core theme for these events is a collective response to labour shortages and attracting the next generation of workers.  Time will be allowed for open discussion and networking.    

The core aim is to look individually and collectively at how we can better target recruitment through schools, colleges and local networks, develop local training networks and access all available funding to build a sustainable workforce.  Focus will be on understanding local need and opportunities, developing a network of ambassadors and looking particularly at apprenticeships, but also the wider vocational qualification landscape and competency in the existing workforce.

The FIS team will be supported by representatives of CITB and local speakers aiming to give members fresh ideas, a clear plan of action and understanding of the support available to attack their skills gap.  This will include ideas and resources to support approaches to local schools, how to work more effectively with the Department of Work and Pensions, case studies and a list of initiatives and funding that can support your recruitment efforts and induction and development of workers.  Details of the support available from CITB for recruiting and qualifying people will also be given and there will be plenty of time for questions.

Six events have been scheduled to be held across the UK.  These are breakfast events 07:30 until 09:45 so employers can attend, get a bit of breakfast discuss recruitment and qualification needs and identify how FIS can help prior to starting the working day.

Locations
London – 22 March
Leicester – 30 March
Bristol – 5 April
Dartford – 26 April
Manchester – 10 May
Glasgow – 11 May

Please look out for your individual email invitation from FIS or reserve your place via the FIS Events page.  If you would like more information contact Skills and Training Lead George Swann on 07553 874838 or email georgeswann@thefis.org