What is the ECITB?

The Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) is the employer-led skills, standards and qualifications body for the development of the engineering construction workforce of Great Britain. An arms-length body of the UK Government, the ECITB reports to the Department for Education.

Engineering construction makes up more than one-fifth of the total UK economy and supports the nation’s critical infrastructure.  It operates across the oil and gas, nuclear and renewables sectors, as well as major process industries, such as chemicals, pharmaceuticals, food processing, water and waste treatment. Around 190,000 jobs are directly supported by engineering construction.

Nuclear Power Generation Oil & Gas Chemical
Water Treatment Pharmaceutical Food & Drink Renewables

The ECITB works with employers and training providers to attract, develop and qualify the engineering construction workforce in a wide range of craft, technical and professional disciplines. We invest about £25 million each year to support skills development within the industry.

The organisation was established to address a market failure within the industry to provide training to its workforce. The ECITB addresses this market failure through its levy and grant system, which is used to drive up skill levels and fund training that would otherwise not take place.

Along with the education sector, government and employers, we work to ensure the UK has workers with the skills to meet the needs of the engineering construction industry. We design and award a wide range of qualifications, covering craft, technical and managerial disciplines. We are also responsible for developing and maintaining National Occupational Standards for the industry, which form the basis of our Training Standards, Vocational Qualifications, Technical Tests and Licensed Programmes, delivered by our approved network of training providers.

Our vision

“The ECITB’s vision is to be the industry authority on engineering construction skills, working in partnership with business and government to deliver a diverse and highly skilled workforce, offering value by enabling industry to compete globally.”

Our core values

Knowledgeable

We are confident because we have a depth of understanding that makes us authoritative.

Collaborative

We work as a team, listen to all stakeholders and work together to achieve the best effect.

Responsive

We seek out opportunities to address our customers’ need and respond positively and swiftly to internal and external stakeholder enquiries.

The ECITB is funded by the industries we serve by way of a statutory training levy.  Levy money supports employers to train and upskill their workforce to industry standards. This approach encourages training throughout the industry, with all employers (over a certain size) paying levy and all (irrespective of size) eligible to receive grant for training undertaken. The levy and grant system also means the cost of training is shared more evenly between employers.

The Government’s Industry Training Board Review considered the role and effectiveness of both the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) and the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) in light of the introduction of the apprenticeship levy. Published in November 2017 by the Department for Education (DfE), the final report confirmed Government support for the ECITB and acknowledges that we “retain the confidence of industry”. Evidence supplied to the DfE by ECITB’s in-scope employers showed that most believe grants and services are “well understood and easy to access” and that the most valued services included “apprenticeship support, training solutions, grant support, qualifications and standards”. The majority of respondents also stated that “less training would take place without the Levy and Grant System”. Among the recommendations, the report called on the ITBs to strengthen their governance and accountability to ensure they are fully responsive to the needs of industries they serve. In response to the review the ECITB embarked on a programme of reforms at the end of 2017.