The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) is funding a £600,000 programme to help hundreds of people to become qualified on-site training assessors.
The assessor infrastructure project is designed to increase the number of on-site training assessors available across Great Britain. This in turn will increase the number of construction workers holding nationally recognised qualifications, the CITB said.
On-site training assessments are targeted at construction workers who have the skills, experience and training but no formal qualifications. Assessors visit construction sites to confirm workers’ skills and test their ability in the workplace and, if successful, award them a national vocational qualification (NVQ) or Scottish vocational qualification (SVQ).
The programme follows research by CITB last year in which small and micro-sized construction firms highlighted a need for more on-site training assessors.
CITB assessment & verification manager Richard Miller said: “Small and micro-sized firms have told us they need on-site training assessors to help qualify more construction workers across the UK. The assessor infrastructure project will give workers with the right skills and experience the opportunity to become qualified and get the recognition they deserve without being away from the job. CITB is committed to ensuring the construction industry has a fully qualified workforce that’s competent to build the homes and infrastructure Great Britain needs.”
Graham Warren, asbestos control and abatement division manager at the Thermal Insulation Contractors Association (TICA), said: “By our estimates, over 6,500 asbestos operatives and supervisors will require a national vocational qualification in the next five years. This funding from CITB will not only provide a real boost to assessor numbers and NVQ achievements, it also shows CITB is committed to proactively supporting the asbestos sector, which is invaluable.”
