The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has decided to not sell its National Construction Colleges (NCC) at Bircham Newton, Norfolk and Inchinnan, after struggling to find buyers, while sale discussions with a training provider will continue for the college in Erith, south-east London.
The decision came after three years of Vision 2020 reforms of where the CITB looked to better meet industry needs, which has been successful to an extent.
A key commitment of the programme was to ensure that employers would continue to have training provision that was not readily available in the wider training market. However, it has not been possible to find suitable buyers for all the training businesses, particularly for specialist trades.
CITB has had active discussions with potential buyers of these businesses for the last two years, but COVID’s economic impact has made potential new owners reluctant to purchase.
Therefore, to make sure the commitment to these services would not be lost, the CITB board decided to retain NCC East (Bircham Newton) and NCC Scotland (Inchinnan). Meanwhile, discussions with an alternative training provider for NCC South (Erith) will continue. CITB will also retain other training services provided remotely.
Peter Lauener, chair of CITB’s board, said: “In 2017, the government and construction industry were clear that reform of CITB had to be delivered. We committed to delivering that change while making sure that the industry did not lose training capacity, particularly in specialist areas, in cases where it was not possible to find a new training provider.
“The Vision 2020 reforms, and other changes made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, have successfully realigned our business to make us better able to support employers investing in skills.
“CITB continues to operate colleges which provide vital and valued training where we have not been able to find suitable buyers. The continuing uncertainty is damaging for employers who need to be sure they can get their staff trained, as well as for CITB colleagues, who have supported their customers and learners throughout.”
Peter continued: “The right course of action to support the industry now is to provide stability and assurance. The board has therefore decided to retain NCC East and NCC Scotland. This decision gives employers and CITB colleagues confidence and clarity and enables us to plan ahead, having realised the core ambitions of reform. We will of course keep these businesses under close review as we do for every aspect of our operation. This might lead in due course to alterations in our approach to NCC, but we have no plans at present to return to market.”
CITB is gradually reopening the NCCs in England as per government guidelines, with apprentices being welcomed back from the week beginning 22 March. However, NCC Scotland remains closed for face-to-face learning, though the intention is to reopen in April.
