£170m of grants on offer
A £170m honeypot of grants ringfenced for the hard-pressed construction industry could go unused on Teesside if local builders follow last year’s trend and fail to apply.
In 2007, only a third of eligible companies in the in the North-east applied for the national cash hand-out for training from CITB-ConstructionSkills Grants.
It paid out £7m to 955 firms to support staff training. This year, it has a record £170m of grants to give away and has extended the criteria to include courses in sustainability and innovative methods of construction, as well as for traditional construction, health and safety, or apprenticeship training.
Company development manager at ConstructionSkills in the North-east, Ben Dures, said: “Smaller businesses lose thousands of pounds per year just through materials, errors, skills shortages and on-site accidents – that’s why training is a must for employers of any size.”
Construction employers should log onto www.cskills.org/grant to apply.
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