North and north-east engineering construction firms are among those expected to benefit from an £87 million-plus cash boost to support workforce training and tackle labour shortages in the sector.
The funding is being made available under a three-year growth plan developed after consultations between industry, training providers and the UK, Scottish and Welsh governments.
Our mission to lead industry learning has never been more important than it is now.”
Chris Claydon, chief executive, ECITB.
Published by the employer-led Board of the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB), the new strategy aims to help bring talented new entrants with foundation skills into the sector.
Another objective is to support ongoing training and the reskilling of workers changing careers.
The new strategy builds on measures introduced by ECITB to secure skills during the pandemic.
Now, the focus is on supporting growth by helping to address industry recruitment and retention challenges.
ECITB chief executive Chris Claydon said: “The engineering construction industry and its supply chain companies design, deliver and decommission many of England, Scotland and Wales’s critical infrastructure projects, and therefore is central to the nation’s energy security and energy transition ambitions.
“The ECITB’s new strategy is designed to help address the main workforce challenges facing this critical industry over the next three years.
“We have prioritised support for new entrants and new pathways to industry in anticipation of the forecast labour shortages and will fund training to bridge skills gaps through support for new training around net-zero projects, including digital skills.”
‘We aim to deliver’
He added: “In developing the strategy, the ECITB has listened closely to employers, training providers, government representatives and other key stakeholders.
“We aim to deliver what industry has said it needs – a focus on attracting and developing new talent and the provision of high-quality training across Britain.
“Our mission to lead industry learning has never been more important than it is now.”
Priorities identified by ECITB are aimed at helping the sector tackle a looming workforce and skills crisis.
The skills body has forecast that 25,000 additional workers will be needed for major projects, including those related to net-zero, by 2026.
Employers will be in direct competition for labour to work on infrastructure developments worth around £650 billion.
The UK Government’s energy security strategy has upped the stakes further, placing greater pressure on industry and the engineering construction supply chain to expand to meet new energy generating capacity targets.
£73 for training grants
ECITB, which is funded by a levy on engineering construction industry employers and steered by a board comprised of senior leaders from industry, will allocate £73m towards training grants over the 2023-25 strategy period.
More than half (52%) will fund ongoing training, upskilling and reskilling, while the remaining 48% will support new entrants to start careers in industry via a variety of different pathways.
The strategy aims to help the industry meet the workforce volume challenge and prepare for a boom in project activity for engineering construction employers.
These UK-wide projects span a range of sectors, including nuclear new build and decommissioning, renewables, oil and gas, water treatment and food and drink.
They will also include hydrogen and carbon capture projects linked to the decarbonisation of industrial “clusters” at the heart of the country’s net-zero ambitions.
ECITB works with employers and the government to attract, develop and qualify workers across a wide range of craft, technical and managerial disciplines.
The organisation says it has invested £48m on training in the engineering construction industry since 2020, including support for 3,979 new entrants.
Conversation