Construction Industry Training Board NI celebrates 60 years providing industry skills and training

Since 1964 the Construction Industry Training Board NI (CITB NI) has been at the forefront of identifying the skills and training needs for Northern Ireland’s construction industry and shaping the sector’s growth and development, something which the organisation looks set to continue in the years ahead.

Currently CITB NI supports 3,600 registered construction employers by promoting and delivering training services identified by the industry. In 2023 alone, the organisation provided £2 million in training grants to a range of Northern Ireland construction companies. Alongside this CITB NI continues to showcase construction as a rewarding career option for young people and over the last eight years has supported 1,200 apprentices with apprenticeship grants.

Recent figures from the Construction Skills Network Labour Market Intelligence Report (2024 to 2028) for Northern Ireland forecast a 2.8 per cent annual growth in construction, with an additional 5,200 workers needed by 2028 to meet industry demand. CITB NI aims to meet this need by supporting key training initiatives and encouraging the continued development of a skilled workforce capable of meeting the evolving demands of the industry. All these initiatives are designed specifically to upskill the workforce, promote diversity, and inspire the next generation of professionals to build rewarding careers in construction.

The 60th anniversary year is also an opportunity to highlight recent successes. These include:

• the Mobile Training Unit facility which has trained over 2,000 individuals in health and safety courses throughout 2024;

• the Adopt A School initiative, which establishes local partnerships between education and industry, and that is currently working with 50 employers and 86 schools; and

• the recent development of the simulated construction training facility at CITB NI’s Nutts Corner site, where it has operated since 1964, and which offers a practical real-life training environment to prepare individuals for the demands of the construction industry.

Additionally, the Women in Construction Summit, identified by the CITB NI-led women in construction network as a need to encourage more women into the industry, held its third summit in 2024. Welcoming over 160 delegates, the summit explored and debated a range of key industry topics including digital technologies and the impact of artificial intelligence (AI).

Building on their partnership approach, CITB NI is working with the Department for Communities Historic Environment Division, to deliver a new heritage project which will not only preserve, develop, and deliver heritage skills supply and training in Northern Ireland but will seek to unlock the potential of developing future jobs and employment in the construction sector. This partnership will also help raise awareness of our built heritage, the heritage skills required and promote the preservation and development of traditional crafts and skills.

A collaborative industry-driven approach is at the heart of CITB NI’s strategy for developing training and skills solutions. This entails not only exploring and supporting growth opportunities but facing ongoing emerging challenges including an ageing workforce; declining numbers of new talent entering the industry; technological advances in IT; the drive for energy efficiency; and a net-zero carbon society. Over the years, CITB NI has worked with industry leaders such as GRAHAM, Heron Bros and John McQuillan Contracts – to name but a few. This approach has helped to develop a collective future-focused learning strategy which concentrates on tackling these challenges, with the interests of both small and large organisations at its core.

One of the many local construction companies which has benefited from working with CITB NI is leading civil engineering and road surfacing company John McQuillan Contracts. Paul Brogan Managing Director, McQuillan Companies says: “Congratulations to CITB NI in reaching the remarkable milestone of its 60th Anniversary. CITB NI’s unwavering commitment to the continual development of well-trained individuals, both technically and from a safety perspective within the construction industry has been invaluable to McQuillan Companies.

“We plan to develop the sustainable growth of our business for the future in the drive towards a carbon-zero industry and look forward to working with CITB NI and others to help achieve this.”

Celebrating CITB NI’s 60th anniversary Barry Neilson OBE, Chief Executive CITB NI says: “On behalf of the team at CITB NI we thank everyone who has been on this journey with us over the years. We are delighted to mark our 60th anniversary year – it is quite an achievement. We are proud to continue to support the development of our most valuable resource – our people. As we reflect back on our key successes, we also are all too aware of the future demands on our industry, and training and development has never been as important.”

Neilson adds: “Key areas for future development in 2024 and beyond include digital construction and new technologies, sustainability and zero carbon, governmental direction and a review of training interventions to support the industry in the most efficient and effective way possible. Upskilling our existing workforce while developing new entrants equipped with the skills for both the known and unknown challenges ahead will be key and will play a central role of our future approach.”

For further information on CITB NI and its services visit www.citbni.org.uk
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