ConstructionSkills

ConstructionSkills
Name	ConstructionSkills
Type	Sector skills council
Location	United Kingdom
Established	2003
Dissolved	2010s
Predecessors	Construction Industry Training Board
Successor	CITB-ConstructionSkills

ConstructionSkills ConstructionSkills was a sector skills council in the United Kingdom overseeing skills, training, and standards for the construction and built environment sectors. It engaged with employers, trade bodies, awarding organisations and regulatory institutions to design vocational frameworks, apprenticeships and continuous professional development pathways. The organisation worked across regions and nations, liaising with agencies concerned with labour market renewal, occupational health and safety, and infrastructure programmes.

Overview

ConstructionSkills operated as a sector skills council for the construction industry, interfacing with employers, the Construction Industry Training Board, the Chartered Institute of Building, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, the Institution of Civil Engineers, and trade unions such as the GMB and the Unite the Union. It aimed to align training with frameworks from awarding organisations including City and Guilds, Edexcel, and the Association of Accounting Technicians while responding to policy from bodies like the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It collaborated with major employers and contractors, including Balfour Beatty, Kier Group, Laing O'Rourke, Carillion and Costain, and interacted with procurement standards from stakeholders such as Network Rail and Highways England.

History

ConstructionSkills emerged from earlier industry training initiatives, evolving alongside the Construction Industry Training Board and sector skills councils established after the Leitch Review of Skills. It responded to shifts following the Financial crisis of 2007–2008 and construction sector reforms linked to projects like the Olympic Delivery Authority and the Crossrail programme. Structural changes in the 2010s led to consolidation with organisations including the Construction Industry Training Board and historic bodies such as the National House Building Council and the Home Builders Federation. Key milestones involved development of National Occupational Standards, the roll-out of framework reforms influenced by the Scottish Qualifications Authority and the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.

Training and Qualifications

ConstructionSkills developed and endorsed vocational qualifications mapped to National Occupational Standards used by awarding organisations such as City and Guilds, Pearson (including Edexcel), and the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education. Programmes covered trades and professions represented by the Federation of Master Builders, the Civil Engineering Contractors Association, the Royal Institute of British Architects, and the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists. It supported apprenticeship frameworks aligned with initiatives from the European Social Fund and regional development agencies, and collaborated with higher education institutions including University College London, the University of Cambridge, and the University of Manchester on pathways between vocational and academic routes.

Industry Partnerships and Accreditation

Partnerships included statutory and non-statutory stakeholders such as the Health and Safety Executive, the Environment Agency, and local enterprise partnerships allied with authorities like Greater London Authority and Manchester City Council. Accreditation relationships were maintained with awarding bodies including City and Guilds and Pearson while professional recognition linked to the Chartered Institute of Building, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, and the Institution of Civil Engineers. ConstructionSkills worked with supply chain partners like Skanska, Morgan Sindall, Wates Group, and specialist contractors associated with trade federations such as Electrical Contractors' Association and British Woodworking Federation.

Programs and Services

The organisation provided employer-facing services: workforce development planning, competency frameworks, apprenticeship brokerage and bespoke training packages used by contractors bidding for projects with clients such as Homes England, NHS England, and local authorities. It promulgated standards for site safety, skills passports and card schemes related to the Construction Skills Certification Scheme and worked with certification bodies including Bureau Veritas and Lloyd's Register. Research and labour market intelligence outputs informed policy debates with institutions such as the Confederation of British Industry and the Institute for Public Policy Research.

Impact and Outcomes

ConstructionSkills influenced recruitment, retention and progression across occupations represented by the Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians and trades governed by standards from the Joint Industry Board. Its frameworks underpinned training for roles engaged on major infrastructure projects like the High Speed 2 proposals and the Thames Tideway Tunnel. Evaluations by independent bodies including the National Audit Office and sector analysts from PricewaterhouseCoopers and KPMG noted impacts on apprenticeship volumes, although outcomes were affected by macroeconomic cycles such as the Great Recession and public spending reviews led by the Treasury.

Governance and Funding

Governance involved stakeholder boards with representation from employers, professional bodies such as the Chartered Institute of Building and trade unions like the GMB, and reporting relationships with government departments including the Department for Education and Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. Funding comprised employer levies, government grants, and project-specific contracts often interfacing with funding streams from the European Regional Development Fund and regional development agencies. During organisational transitions, oversight and funding arrangements were scrutinised by authorities including the Skills Funding Agency and parliamentary committees.

Category:Construction industry in the United Kingdom