CITB-Construction Skills’ £78m grant scheme has undergone modification, allowing the application for businesses simpler.

The scheme allows businesses registered with CITB access to grants, to support their training ambitions in return for their annual levy investment.

The scheme has undergone a number of modifications, including:-

• Increasing the Supplementary Payment rate for Levy payers who meet the eligibility criteria from 10% to 22% for the period 2011/2012;
• Allowing employers to claim for e-learning on a training and development plan;
• Increase of Supplementary Payment to 22% on apprenticeship and craft non-apprenticeship grants for Levy payers who meet eligibility criteria, and who started to train apprentices in the period 2010/2011, on payments made after 1 August 2011.

Kim Leonard, grant product manager, said CITB had listened to feedback from employers, who had said the grants were not as easy to claim as they could have been. “We have been working on ways to improve and simplify the scheme as part of our commitment to delivering skills needs both locally and nationally.

“We consulted with employer and federation representatives on the Grants Scheme Working Party, the CITB-ConstructionSkills Training Committee and the Board, as well as the consensus federations, to develop and produce this year’s Grants Scheme so it best matches the needs of the industry,” added Ms Leonard.

http://www.cskills.org/levy-grant/grant/index.aspx