Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) unveils new strategy
The five-year plan aims to develop the skills needed to deliver critical infrastructure projects, energy security and net-zero ambitions.
It is shaped by insights from employers, training providers, asset owners, the government, trade unions and other industry bodies.
The ECITB forecasts that 40,000 additional workers could be needed for major projects, including those related to net-zero, by 2030, placing employers in direct competition for labour for the £531bln of infrastructure projects in the wider UK economy.
These projects span a range of sectors, including nuclear new build and decommissioning, renewables, oil and gas, water treatment, and food and drink. They will also include hydrogen and carbon capture projects linked to the decarbonisation of the industrial clusters, which are at the heart of the country’s net-zero plans.
The 2026-30 strategy aims to help industry meet the workforce volume challenge and prepare for a boom in project activity for engineering construction employers. It is built on three key pillars:
- It will support employers and deliver quality training products and qualifications that meet industry needs as well as robust labour market intelligence to enable better workforce planning.
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It will seek to grow the number of new entrants joining the industry and help employers access a broader, more diverse talent pool. It will also focus on workforce retention, supporting upskilling, reskilling and competence assurance.
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It will seek to transform skills through strategic investment in regional hubs, harnessing new technologies, modular and blended learning, and driving a collaborative approach.
Andrew Hockey, CEO of the ECITB, says, 'Achieving the outcomes from this strategy will require collaboration and commitment well beyond the ECITB alone.
'We will continue to support our employers through grant funding for mission-critical training. At the same time, we will build upon investments like our Regional Skills Hub funding to address systemic and structural challenges facing the engineering construction industry.'
The ECITB will present further details of the new strategy along with levy proposals for the 2025 levy consensus at a series of Regional Forums throughout October. All levy-paying employers are invited to participate in the formal consultation process on the Board’s levy proposals.
Every three years, the ECITB is required by law to consult on levy rates for the following three-year period. The next consultation (levy consensus) will take place in October 2025.
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