Minister of State for Skills, the Rt Hon Baroness Jacqui Smith of Malvern, shares her thoughts on a potential CITB and ECITB merger while the government continues its consultation on the matter
Britain is building again. New homes, clean energy, major infrastructure. The ambition is real and the work has started.
But to deliver it, we need the workers. Right now, we do not have enough of them, and demand is only growing.
We will need at least 40,000 more engineering construction workers by 2030, and 240,000 more construction workers.
And it is not just about the numbers. The skills of our workforce must keep pace with digital technology, automation and net zero.
I am determined to fix that, and to do that we will need to work hand in hand with industry.
So I am asking a direct question: could the sectors work better together to equip today’s workforce and train the next generation?
Right now, two separate bodies, the CITB and the ECITB, oversee training across these sectors.
Both do valuable work
But employers keep telling us the same thing: the system is not keeping up. There is not enough flexibility to retrain existing workers. Not enough new talent coming through. Not fast enough to respond to new technologies and ways of working.
So we are looking at bringing the CITB and ECITB together into a single body, but we want to hear your views.
Combining their resources and sector expertise has real potential to deliver greater impact, greater efficiency, and greater influence for employers.
It would enable a more joined-up approach to large-scale infrastructure projects, so the skilled workers you need are available when you need them.
It also means ensuring consistent support for the thousands of micro, small and medium businesses that form the basis of the construction sector so they can access the skills support they need to succeed. This is a genuine conversation, not a done deal. I want to hear from employers, workers, and training providers. Your views will shape what we do next.
I also want to address a concern head on
Some employers in engineering construction worry their sector’s voice could get lost in a larger body.
I understand that and I want to be clear that it will not happen. Engineering construction requires specialist, safety-critical skills that are vital to our national infrastructure.
The same applies to the specialist skills of the construction sector.
Any new body would be built to reflect those specialist needs, with safeguards in place to ensure strong representation across the sectors and employer types it represents, with a clear voice over priorities, and accountability for how levy funding is used.
It means breaking down barriers to collaboration on shared skills by bringing together support for related sectors, while preserving the expertise each sector depends on.
What this reform offers is a chance to take what already works and make it work better. Better coordination. Less duplication.
More of the levy funding going directly into high-quality training.
A unified body with greater influence, and a system that gets employers the workers they need, when they need them.
Crucially, employers would stay in the driving seat, shaping how the new body operates, how funding is used, and what training looks like in practice.
The skills challenge facing construction and engineering construction is not going away. Change is needed and this government is getting on with it. I want a system that is genuinely up to the task, and I want industry to help build it.
Now is the time to have your say – You can respond at Industry Training Board reform – GOV.UK. The consultation is open until Sunday 14 June 2026.
The post This is a once-in-a-generation chance to build a skills system fit for Britain’s future appeared first on Planning, Building & Construction Today.
