Construction union UCATT has added its voice to criticism of the Government for delaying a decision on the future of the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB).

The Government undertakes triennial reviews of all non-departmental public bodies. The reviews are in two stages, firstly whether there is still a need for the organisation and if the answer is yes the second phase of the review examines whether its governance arrangements are resilient.

The first stage of the review was due to be completed by the end of 2013 and it is now not expected to be completed until March 2014, the second phase will now not be completed until the middle of 2014.

-- Advertisement --

This is a critical time for the CITB which is the body responsible for training construction workers. The early stages of a recovery in the construction industry have already led to skills shortages, a problem which will increase as the industry continues to recover from recession.

The number of apprentices entering the industry has been falling for decades and is far below the number needed for the industry even to stand still.

Steve Murphy General Secretary of UCATT said: "The CITB has a critical role to play in training apprentices, as the industry is in desperate need of skilled workers. Their focus should be on ensuring that the industry is employing a far higher number of apprentices on high quality course and not waiting around to see if they still have a future."

(CD/JP)