REVIEW WILL ASSESS CITB’S PERFORMANCE

[ THE CITB is preparing for its scheduled review by the Department for Education (DfE). The review will look at the role and effectiveness of both the CITB and its parallel body for the construction engineering industry, the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB).

Last undertaken in 2017, the Industry Training Board (ITB) review will assess the extent to which each Arm’s Length Body (ALB) performs effectively and delivers services that meet the needs of industry. The review is a requirement set by the Cabinet Office for all public bodies to be reviewed periodically. It is part of a wider programme across government to ensure that ALBs remain effective into the future.

CITB has stated that it will be working closely with the review team to make visible its present impact and to demonstrate its plans and industry collaboration to deliver skills and training for the challenges ahead.

The review will be led by independent lead reviewer Mark Farmer, CEO of Cast Consultancy. He will be supported by a team of civil servants from the DfE. The review will also access expertise from the respective industries that the ITBs support as well as from across Whitehall.

He will set the extent of the review, but it will also be influenced by guidance provided by the Cabinet Office. The overall purpose of an ALB review is to ensure there is still a need for the functions carried out by that ALB and that it is the right vehicle to carry out those functions. It will also consider alternative approaches to deliver the functions, assess the impact the ALB has and determine any ways of making the ALB more effective and efficient.

It is anticipated that the DfE will shortly announce a call for evidence from stakeholders, on GOV.UK, and would particularly welcome contributions from employers who are within the scope of the existing CITB levy orders, as well as trade bodies and representative groups from the construction industry. The call for evidence will inform early recommendations to ministers in late summer.

The DfE will provide contact details for submissions of evidence in the near future. A final report and recommendations are expected to be submitted to the Secretary of State for Education at the end of this year. Ministers will then assess the recommendations and determine the government’s response, having taken CITB views on the recommendations into account. q