FEATURE


CITB funding – Are you claiming what you can?


By GRANT HAMILTON


AS a consultant who has worked with the CITB for some years, I understand the frustrations felt by many in the industry about that organisation. Much of this is due to the perception of the CITB within the sector, but many of those in the sector have the wrong idea about it.


Let’s look at some facts. It is known that not every company accesses the full support from the CITB and we work with companies to help them understand the wide range of grants and services which are available to them. There are about 80,000 businesses registered with the CITB, but only a third of those actually claim any money, whilst paying the levy in some cases. That’s a bit like joining a gym, not going and then complaining you’re not getting fit!


In truth, the CITB is a fantastic organisation, with funds to help built environment business owners develop their business, their people and themselves. More importantly, thanks to the development of CITB Online, it’s even easier to get your hands on that support through the magic of the internet.


The main questions I get asked are: •


What can I claim for? and; • How much will it cost me?


The easiest way to answer this is with an example. I was speaking to a small painting and decorating contractor and he asked those questions. We looked at the levy


calculator on the CITB website and his payment (for the year) was going to be £637!


We then spoke about the training he wanted to do, what staff he had and what skills they needed. It broke down like this:


1. He has three apprentices who go to college. He can claim around £2,500 per apprentice, per year, as long as they attend college, from the CITB. Total £7,500.


2. He asked about support to develop his business. The Skills and Training Fund grants up to £25,000 per year to do this, depending on the size of your business. He could claim £5,000.


3. He asked about training for site staff and we calculated with his licenses, etc, that this would amount to another £2,000 through the Training Grant Scheme.


In total he could claim around £14,500 for a £637 investment. He still needed to do the training regardless so in effect he was getting this for virtually nothing!


And there’s more! When his apprentices, complete and achieve their qualifications, there is another £3,500 per apprentice for him to claim. That’s an additional £10,500 making a grand total of £25,000.


Not bad really is it?


These are just three of the main funds you can claim from if you are a registered business.


There are about 80,000 businesses registered with the CITB, but only a third of those actually claim any money whilst paying the levy in some cases."


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If you’re not registered and would like to know how to then you can find out HERE.


Cynical people, say it’s too good to be true. People we work with know that it’s not!


Want to know more? Then send an email to info@constructnet.org and we’ll set up a call with you, to understand your training requirements and provide a rough idea of what you can claim.


To find out more about us, go to www.constructnet.org

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