Skills

Construction companies have been encouraged by a legal expert to make use of loopholes within new immigration policies unveiled this week by the government. Fieldfisher senior associate and head of UK immigration Gillian McKearney said she would “advise businesses to start planning the future of their workforce and make the…

The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) should increase its levy exemption to £100,000, according to a survey of companies. Firms with a total wage bill below £80,000 are currently exempt from the requirement to pay the levy, but the overwhelming majority of respondents to an online consultation launched by the…

Critics of the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) have hit out at the body’s decision to delay its consensus vote. Yesterday, the training organisation revealed it will delay the regular vote by the industry on whether to continue funding the CITB through the training levy. The poll, which takes place…

The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) will reduce levy payments to help employers recover from the impact of coronavirus. The body has also delayed its consensus vote, which was due to take place this year. A new date has not been given for when this will take place. Detailing its…

HS2 plans to more than double the number of graduates it recruits this year. The rail megaproject had more than 1,000 applicants to its 2020 programme and planned to hire nine of them. However, HS2 said it will double the number of graduates it accepts to 21 following the impact…

The National Federation of Builders (NFB) has called for reform of the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and said there should be no delay to the vote on its future. The industry is due to decide whether it should continue to fund CITB through the training levy this summer. The…

The chief executives of Crossrail and Mace have both made commitments to make their organisations more inclusive in social media posts commenting on the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Posting on LinkedIn, Crossrail boss Mark Wild said the killing of George Floyd in police custody, which has prompted protests around…

The majority of construction firms continue to face testing times, even as sites reopen with new ways of working, furloughed employees return and back-office staff continue to work remotely. On Thursday morning, Construction News will host a webinar focused on the contribution that mentoring can make in the current climate. With…

One of the major joint ventures working on HS2 is hoping its engagement with local schools will deliver the workers of the future. Speaking to Construction News as it launched a naming competition for its giant tunnel-boring machines, Align joint venture stakeholder manager David Eve said he believed budding engineers could…

Most firms in the sector have avoided making apprentices redundant so far, a survey by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has found. The organisation said just 141 apprentices out of more than 10,800 had been laid off as a result of the crisis. CITB said it has been getting…