CITB consensus process, through which industry support for levy renewal is either secured or lost, had been scheduled to start on 10th February 2025 but it will now begin on 17th March, running until 9th May.
The five-week delay is to allow for publication of the Industrial Training Board (ITB) review that was commissioned by the Department for Education back in June 2023. The review is now expected to published, at last, in early 2025. CITB officials want to be able to digest the review’s recommendations ahead of the statutory consultation with industry.
Although the ITB review does not directly impact on the levy proposals or consensus, CITB said that it wants “to ensure alignment with the review’s outcomes” within its upcoming 2025-29 strategic plan. Consequently, publication of the strategic plan will follow publication of the ITB review.
Usually undertaken every three years, consensus is the process through which CITB seeks levy-paying employers’ views and agreement on its plans for generating the levy and the skills and training this will deliver to the industry. CITB’s core focus for the 2026-29 draft levy proposals being consulted on is to ensure that the levy exemption and reduction thresholds remain current and appropriate.
During consensus, CITB consults at least 11,000 levy paying employers. In March 2019, nearly 30,000 employers were liable to pay the levy.
CITB chief executive Tim Balcon said: “We believe it’s important that, as a body that is led and accountable to industry, we give employers a full picture of how we intend to support the industry over the life of the strategic plan and accompanying levy order.
“The publication date of the ITB review is not yet confirmed by the Department for Education, meaning we cannot yet confirm the publication date of CITB’s strategic plan. Consequently, we have revised the start date of consensus to ensure employers are well informed going into the consensus process.”
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