Construction training body takes wrecking ball to subcontracting

CITB also drops from Ofsted ‘outstanding’ to ‘requires improvement’

CITB also drops from Ofsted ‘outstanding’ to ‘requires improvement’

One of the largest providers of construction apprenticeships has ended its troubled subcontracted provision and dropped from Ofsted ‘outstanding’ to ‘requires improvement’.

The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) tumbled from the watchdog’s top grade, which it achieved twice in the 2010s, in a report published this week.

The executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for Education and chaired by former Education and Skills Funding Agency chief Peter Lauener, has been among the biggest providers of subcontracted provision in further education for the past decade.

But Ofsted’s latest report revealed it has stepped away from the practice after finding ineffective oversight, with inspectors stating that leaders “focus too heavily on contract compliance and not on the quality of education”.

CITB confirmed it is winding down its subcontracted delivery, which it currently undertakes with 24 partners in areas like carpentry and joinery, construction skills and bricklaying.

The organisation said the decision was linked to government policy in 2021, which demanded providers in FE significantly reduce their subcontracted provision after scandals and cases of poor oversight were brought to light.

Ofsted’s previous report on CITB from 2017 showed it had 9,000 apprentices on its books, but the report from this week showed just 629.

The company claimed this did not, however, represent a dramatic decrease in its direct provision.

A spokesperson said: “The number of learners reduced from 9,000 because we made a strategic decision to withdraw from managing subcontracting providers. In 2017 the significant majority of learners were in subcontracted provision, rather than our own CITB apprenticeships.

“We reviewed our strategy for apprenticeships delivery and took the decision in 2021 to discontinue our subcontracted provision. We now focus on specialist apprenticeship delivery in niche provision that it would be difficult or prohibitively expensive for other providers to deliver.”

The CITB spokesperson said that Ofsted’s report also included “many examples of high-quality practice” at the organisation, adding that it has “committed investment to improve our training for apprentices and continue to transform provision with a focus on improving performance monitoring, supporting staff to deliver quality, specialist learning and, providing high-quality careers guidance”.

Ofsted’s report comes months after CITB’s accounts revealed it faces a clawback of up to £10.3 million to the ESFA following an audit of historic non-compliant apprenticeships data.

Latest education roles from

Group Director of Governance & Company Secretary

Group Director of Governance & Company Secretary

New City College

Principal (Harrow College) – HRUC

Principal (Harrow College) – HRUC

FEA

Deputy Director of Apprenticeships

Deputy Director of Apprenticeships

Manchester Metropolitan University

Independent Non- Executive Director (INED)

Independent Non- Executive Director (INED)

League Football Education

Sponsored posts

Sponsored post

Helping every learner use AI responsibly

AI didn’t wait to be invited into the classroom. It burst in mid-lesson. Across UK colleges, learners are already...

Advertorial
Sponsored post

Supporting the UK’s Transport Decarbonisation Plan Through Skills

The UK Government’s Decarbonising Transport: A Better, Greener Britain strategy sets a legally binding path towards a net-zero transport...

Advertorial
Sponsored post

Project power: ASDAN expands its qualifications portfolio

From 2026, ASDAN’s planned Foundation and Higher Project Qualifications will sit alongside its Extended Project Qualification[CM1] , creating a complete...

Advertorial
ATAs

Spotlight on excellence: Nominations now open for the Apprenticeship & Training Awards 2026

Nominations are open for the 2026 Apprenticeship & Training Awards, celebrating outstanding employers and providers with national recognition, a...

FE Week Reporter

More from this theme

Apprenticeships

Civil service misses own apprenticeships goal

New FOI data also shows government failed to hire enough apprentices from disadvantaged backgrounds

Anviksha Patel
Apprenticeships

Revealed: DfE’s special payments to providers after funding blunder

Wheels in motion for convoy of claims after unprecedented payouts

Billy Camden
Apprenticeships

Lindsay Conroy appointed Association of Apprentices CEO

The former UCAS apprenticeships lead will replace Emily Rock

FE Week Reporter
Apprenticeships, Politics

Badenoch: I’ll double apprenticeships budget by slashing uni degrees

Leader of the opposition would reintroduce student number controls for 'poor quality' uni courses to fund apprenticeship boost

Shane Chowen

Your thoughts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *