The CITB
The CITB (Construction Industry Training Board) ensures that construction across England, Scotland, and Wales is carried out safely and at a high standard. They initially were set up to fill a skills shortage across the UK,
working to attract new talent to the industry and support the development of these people.
CITB Levy
The CITB levy supports construction employers supplying their workforce with the necessary skills to carry out their role professionally and safely. This helps to keep the construction industry accessible and highly skilled. The levy takes the financial pressure off those building or refreshing their skills.
How is the CITB funded?
All employers ‘engaged wholly or mainly in construction industry activities’ are required by law to pay into the CITB levy. This means that when construction activities take up more than half of your total employees’ time, they will have to pay a fee to the CITB to fund this levy.
How much you pay toward the CITB levy depends on the amount you pay your employees in a year; this is your ‘total wage bill’. The most recent rates for the levy come from the 2021 Levy Assessment, which states you would pay the following;
- 0.35% on payroll staff (including furlough payments made under the HMRC Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS))
- 1.25% on CIS subcontractors who you make CIS deductions from (NET paid CIS)
There is also a reduction for small businesses. The ‘Small Business Levy Reduction’ means that if your total wage bill is between £120,000 and £399,999, your organisation will receive a 50% reduction of your levy. Finally, if your total wage bill (payroll and NET CIS) is under £120,000 per annum, you will be fully exempt from paying the CITB levy.
All information regarding paying into the CITB Levy has been taken from the CITB website and can be read in full here. https://www.citb.co.uk/levy-grants-and-funding/citb-levy/levy-rates-and-exemptions/current-rates/
When can I use the CITB Levy?
The CITB Levy can be used in a few ways such as;
- Supporting training development through grants and funding.
- Promoting the construction industry as a great career choice and offering high-quality apprenticeships.
- Identifying skills needs across the construction industry.
- Developing occupational standards and qualifications.
Usually, when you carry out these things, like booking a training course, the training provider will ask you if you are eligible for the CITB levy grant/funding. All employers registered with CITB are eligible for a CITB grant, even if they are too small to pay into the levy. This can include all sorts of training, from Apprenticeships, long and short period qualifications and other activity in the construction industry.
Want to book a course using the CITB levy?
We offer many CITB courses, including the Site Safety Plus suite, making it simple for employers to take advantage of the CITB levy. If you’d like to book a CITB course with us, call us on 0800 0213 263 or click on one of the links below, where we list all of the CITB courses.
CITB courses we offer
- CITB Health and Safety Awareness
- CITB SSSTS
- CITB SSSTS Refresher
- CITB SMSTS
- CITB SMSTS Refresher
- CITB SEATS
- CITB Temporary Works Coordinator
- CITB Temporary Works Supervisor
- CITB Temporary Works General Awareness
Virtual courses and the CITB levy
Want to take one of our CITB courses virtually? Many of our delegates prefer to partake in our courses through an online webinar with a live trainer, achieving the same qualification as they would in a traditional classroom-based course. If this sounds like you, you will be happy to know that the CITB Levy does cover virtual courses, so you can apply for the CITB Levy grant as you would for a physical course.
If you have any questions regarding the information on this blog, give our team a call on 0800 0213 263.