Union Unite has warned the UK's construction industry is facing a 'skills black hole' after the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) confirmed it is ending all directing training by 2020.

In a blog post to staff last week, Chief Executive Sarah Beale spelled out the ramifications for the industry following the skills body's decision.

She said: "The plans are to exit all direct training by the beginning of 2020, with the intention to sell these activities ideally as a going concern, where ever feasible…If we cannot sell these activities, then there is a risk that we will need to discontinue and close some business areas."

The move is part of a major restructure announced by the CITB in November last year, which includes the organisation ceasing to provide training directly and instead seeking other training providers to undertake this work.

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However, Unite said much of the specialist construction training undertaken by the skills body is unique and the organisations main facility at Bircham Newton means that complex training involving heavy equipment, tunnelling, cranes and scaffolding can be easily accommodated.

The union added private providers are unlikely to be interested due to the way CITB's training is currently organised, with loss making courses being subsidised by profit making activities.

Unite national officer for construction, Jerry Swain, said: "This reveals that the CITB has no commitment to ensuring that there are the necessary training facilities available to meet the UK's construction training needs.

"Much of the direct training provided by the CITB is absolutely unique, if no one picks this up there is a real danger that the UK will not have the necessary skilled workforce to maintain a buoyant construction industry.

"The CITB is in danger of becoming a self-serving, self-satisfying organisation that fails to deliver for the needs of the industry it is meant to serve."

Unite added it will be writing to the relevant government ministers and their shadow counterparts raising its concerns about the future of construction training given the CITB's decision.

(LM)