ONLINEMAGAZINEISSUE 3: SPRING 2017

ONLINEMAGAZINEISSUE 3: SPRING 2017

1

CITB NI offers direct grants to

registered employers for support in

a wide range of training and

qualifications for their employees

working in Northern Ireland. There

are a series of grant categories that

includes:

• Grants for employed status

Apprentices

• Becoming a Trainer or Assessor

• Business Certification

i.e. safe-t-cert or ISO certification

• Qualifying the Existing Workforce

– short duration training,

development through NVQ’s or

HNC/HND’s

• Initial Industry Registration Cards

Investing in training now and

building up the skills and strength of

your team can save you money in

the future

GRANTSImportant to note:The annual return form or option

forms must have been submitted by

the specified deadlines to be eligible

to claim grant in the training year 1

Sept 2016 to 31 August 2017.

Levy Payers will only be eligible to

receive grant aid to the value of

total levy paid. This limit does not

apply to apprentice grants.

All registered employers below the

levy threshold of £80,000 are

eligible to claim grant to the value

of £500. This limit does not apply to

apprentice grants.

The grant application is simple and

offers flexibility to claim whilst

you train. Full details of the

scheme can be found at

www.citbni.org.uk/grants.aspx

grants or contact a member of the

grants team on 028 9082 5466

ONLINEMAGAZINEISSUE 3: SPRING 2017

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GRANTSLevyAll construction industry employers

are required by law register with

CITB NI and to complete and return

the Annual Levy Return form before

the stated deadline.

If your wages bill is greater or equal

to £80,000 levy is payable on the

gross emoluments at 0.65% and if

below £80,000 you will not be liable

to pay but you can still benefit from

CITB NI.

The money raised through levy will

help share the investment across

the industry to help maintain a solid

skills base, meeting the immediate

needs of individual customers and in

the long term benefiting the whole

industry by helping avoid skills

shortages.

Should I be Registered? If you can answer YES to the

following questions you should be

registered with CITB NI

1. Are you working in the

construction industry?

2. Are you an employer?

3. Are you working in Northern

Ireland for 27 or more weeks in

relevant tax year?

As a registered construction

employer you will gain access

to the following benefits;

• Training Grants for you and

your Team

• Training for the Industry through

our Mobile Training Unit and

scaffolding facility

• Training support at employer

information events and through

our online training directory

• Training Research for accurate,

current and forward looking labour

market intelligence

• Careers information through our

website and careers events

and download the Return Form.

ONLINEMAGAZINEISSUE 3: SPRING 2017

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Too busy to leave your site let the Mobile Training Unit come to you

CITB NI TRAINING

As long as you are based in

Northern Ireland, the Mobile

Training Unit (MTU) can come to

you and provide short duration

health and safety courses such as

confined spaces, excavations,

manual handling and working at

heights encouraging the industry

to build safely.

The MTU provides training on site to

all registered in-scope construction

employers. It is a convenient way of

meeting training requirements with

minimum disruption to site work

whilst also helping employers meet

their legal responsibility.

Registered in-scope levy paying

employers can book the Mobile

Training Unit Free of Charge. A cost

of £300/day will be applied to those

who are registered but do not pay

a levy.

Booking is easy, you can contact

Des on 07801 598 520 / 028 9082

5466 and we can facilitate your

booking and answer any queries

you have. Alternatively you can

email desie.hegarty@citbni.org.uk

or gillian.watt@citbni.org.uk

ONLINEMAGAZINEISSUE 3: SPRING 2017

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CITB NI TRAINING

CITB NI’s innovative VET360

provides a unique and memorable

immersive experience which gives

the user instant access to

construction sites in a workplace

environment. Used as a training

tool VET360 allows the user to

experience of being onsite within a

safe training environment. The

facility allows the user to see more,

save time and stay safe as VET360

is the perfect bridge between

theoretical classroom training

and the reality of a busy

construction site.

Interested in experiencing VET360

and see how it could transform your

training? Contact Lorraine Fisher

02890 824202 email:

lorraine.fisher@citbni.org.uk

for more information.

Virtual Environment Training – VET360

ONLINEMAGAZINEISSUE 3: SPRING 2017

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CITB NI TRAINING‘A Beginners Guide to Risk Assessment’ CITB NI have created a specialist training partnership with South Eastern Regional College (SERC) to deliver a brand new virtual environment risk assessment training programme to help businesses understand the basic processes involved in making their workplace legally compliant.

And with figures showing many businesses have never carried out a risk assessment in the workplace, it could be welcome news for business and anyone who has responsibility for health and safety.

The course entitled, ‘A Beginners Guide to Risk Assessment’ has been devised to combine the theory behind why risk assessments are

necessary with practical activities that will enhance understanding of the process using an innovative and novel approach.

The training will be delivered over three hours and is designed to be useful to all sectors of industry from small businesses that need to be able to produce risk assessments to win or undertake contracts to large multi-national organisations that have a number of individuals responsible for health and safety issues.

The course will be delivered at CITB NI using their virtual environment training facility (VET360) to place the course participant in ‘virtual’ environments so they can identify potential risks in total safety.

Alongside the use of the VET360 facility a number of practical staged scenarios have been incorporated into the training. These activities

allow the participants to practice undertaking a Risk Assessment using recommended pro forma templates that they can adopt to use in their own business or organisation.

The course will be running on the following dates at CITB NI, 17 Dundrod Road, Crumlin BT29 4SR

Dates• Friday 28th April• Friday 26th May• Friday 16th June

Times – 9.30am – 12.30amCost - £60 per person

CITB NI grant available to registered employers who have met the Tier 1 eligibility terms and conditions of the direct grants to employers 2016/2017 If you would like more information please contact Lorraine at CITB NI on lorraine.fisher@citbni.org.uk or at 028 9082 4202.

ScaffoldingWe provide the CISRS scaffolding training courses at Nutts Corner Training Centre. These courses include a five-day Basic Access Systems Erector Course (BASE) and a two-day Tube & Fitting Basic Scaffold Inspection course. On successful completion of these courses the relevant CISRS Scaffolding card will be issued.

These courses run alongside the existing CISRS programme of Scaffolding Part One, Part Two and Advanced courses working towards achievement of an NVQ and obtaining a Scaffolding or Advanced Scaffolding Card.

For more information on courses, contact gillian.watt@ctibni.org.uk tel: 028 9082 5466.

ONLINEMAGAZINEISSUE 3: SPRING 2017

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OTHER NEWS Employer EventsCITB NI is providing a series of short

seminars on a range of topical

business issues.

These seminars are being delivered

by industry experts, giving

attendees a detailed overview of the

subject area and the practicalities of

dealing with these issues in the

construction industry.

In addition, CITB NI will provide a

short overview of the services we

provide to the construction industry

and their benefits to employers.

Topics Date Venue

Introduction to

Tendering and

Using Social Media

to Promote Your

Business

24/05/17 Killyhevlin Hotel,

Enniskillen

BIM and Waste

Management

(including site visit)

21/06/17 Ulster University,

Belfast

FREE to CITB NI registered employers – please have your registration number when booking

£25 for non-registered attendees

Book Now

Book Now

ONLINEMAGAZINEISSUE 3: SPRING 2017

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OTHER NEWS Construction apprentices compete to be the best at Skillbuild NI 2017Over 80 local construction

apprentices gathered their tools to

compete against each other in the

annual Skillbuild NI National Finals

which was held in Southern

Regional College, Portadown

on 24th March.

This year celebrates 40 years of the

Skillbuild competition which is

designed to test skills, technique

and ability within tight timeframes in

order to win coveted titles in 11

different trades ranging from

brickwork to wall and floor tiling.

Skillbuild NI, run and governed by

CITB NI, is held annually each spring

with many winners progressing

further to represent Northern

Ireland in the Skills Show UK and

potentially at WorldSkills.

Richard Shannon from Southern

Regional College was awarded the

Best Overall Skillbuild Young

Apprentice 2017 for their skills

in joinery.

ONLINEMAGAZINEISSUE 3: SPRING 2017

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INDUSTRY REPORTSThe Construction IndicatorAn update of Northern Ireland (NI)

Construction Industry Performance

Indicators.

Construction Employment• Construction employment in

Northern Ireland is expected to

grow at an annual average rate of

0.4% over the forecast period,

slightly lower than the UK rate of

0.6%. Employment is projected to

reach around 64,100 in 2021, 2.3%

higher than in 2016 but still nearly

12% down on its 2008 peak1.

• The NI industry will have to recruit

an average of 710 new employees

each year to realise forecasted

construction output, with the

annual requirement highest for

bricklayers (170) and wood trades

and interior fit-out (140)2. Skills

shortages amongst bricklayers

have been reported in the RICS UK

Construction Market report, with

47% of NI respondents to the

survey highlighting a shortage in

this area3.

• The number of unemployed

construction related claimants has

decreased by almost 27% from

January 2016 (4,800) to January

2017 (3,500)4.

7000

6000

5000

4000

3000

2000

1000

0NorthEast

Yorkshire& Humber

EastMidlands

East ofEngland

GreaterLondon

SouthEast

SouthWest

Wales WestMidlands

NorthernIreland

NorthWest

Scotland

Annu

al re

quire

men

t - w

orke

rs

Annual recruitment requirement (ARR) by region 2017-2021

Annual recruitment requirement (ARR) by region 2017-2021

1 Industry Insights Report for NI 2017-2021, Construction Skills Network2 Industry Insights Report for NI 2017-2021, Construction Skills Network3 RICS UK Construction Market Survey Q4 2016, published February 2017 4 Economic and Labour Market Statistics, NISRA, Department of Finance, February 2017

Industry reports

ONLINEMAGAZINEISSUE 3: SPRING 2017

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Construction Output• Since Q4 2013 there has been a

general upward trend in

construction output following the

slow down after 2007. However

levels are still considerably lower

than those reported pre-2007, at

about two thirds of those levels5.

• Compared to the same quarter in

2015, construction output in Q3 of

2016 was 8.8% higher. However Q3

2016 did show a decrease of 1.9%

in comparison with Q2. This fall in

output comes after three

consecutive quarterly increases6.

• Looking forward, the recovery in

the Northern Ireland construction

industry is expected to continue

for most of the forecast period

(2017-2021), with annual average

growth projected at 1.6%, roughly

in line with the UK average. The

shorter term forecast is slightly

more buoyant, with forecast

growth of just over 3% for 2017

and 20187.

5 NI Construction Bulletin, Output in the Construction Industry Q3 2016, published 19/01/176 NI Construction Bulletin, Output in the Construction Industry Q3 2016, published 19/01/177 Industry Insights Report for NI 2017-2021, Construction Skills Network

INDUSTRY REPORTS

750

800

700

650

600

550

500

450

400

0

Chai

ned

Volu

me

Mea

sure

(201

3) P

rices

Value of Construction Output in NI

Source: NI Construction Bulletin Q3 2016, NISRA, Department of Finance

Q1’1

0

Q2’1

0

Q3’1

0

Q4’1

0

Q1’1

1

Q2’1

1

Q3’1

1

Q4’1

1

Q1’1

2

Q2’1

2

Q3’1

2

Q4’1

2

Q1’1

3

Q2’1

3

Q3’1

3

Q4’1

3

Q1’1

4

Q2’1

4

Q3’1

4

Q4’1

4

Q1’1

5

Q2’1

5

Q2’1

5

Q1’1

5

Q1’1

6

Q2’1

6

Q3’1

6

ONLINEMAGAZINEISSUE 3: SPRING 2017

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State of TradeFMB’s State of Trade report shows

that whilst still positive there has

been a decline in Northern Ireland’s

net balance figure however it

remains higher than the figure for

the UK overall. In Q4 2016 NI’s net

balance was +10, down 5

percentage points on Q3 and

down 8 percentage points on the

same quarter last year8.

According to the latest RICS report

on the UK construction market,

confidence is high in the Northern

Ireland 12-month outlook. NI was

one of the few areas in the UK to

see an increase in output growth in

the last quarter of 2016 and

workloads are expected to increase

by the majority of survey

respondents9.

Housebuilding, as indicated

elsewhere in this report, is expected

to be a driving force in output

growth, however the infrastructure

sector is weak.

8. Based on a composite indicator combining workload, expected workload & enquiries questions, weighted by the firms’ size. The net balance shows the difference between those saying higher & those saying lower for the three questions. Federation of Master Builders (FMB) State of Trade Survey Report, Q4 2016

9 RICS UK Construction Market Survey Q4 2016, published February 2017

INDUSTRY REPORTS

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

-10

-20

Net B

alan

ce %

FMB State of Trade Survey Net Balance Results, 2013-2016

Q1’1

3

Q2’1

3

Q3’1

3

Q4’1

3

Q1’1

4

Q2’1

4

Q3’1

4

Q4’1

4

Q1’1

5

Q2’1

5

Q3’1

5

Q4’1

5

Q1’1

6

Q2’1

6

UKNI

Q3’1

6

Q4’1

6

ONLINEMAGAZINEISSUE 3: SPRING 2017

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New House Prices and SalesThe total number of NI residential

property sales in 2015-16 (Q2 2015

– Q1 2016) stood at 23,215, a 9.5%

increase on the same period in

2014-15 (21,205). In terms of new

house sales, for the period April

2015 – March 2016 there were 1,239

sales, a modest increase of 2.2% on

the same period in 2014-1510.

The trend of increasing numbers of

new dwelling starts continued in

2015-16 (Apr-Mar), with a 12%

increase from 5,990 in 2014-15 to

6,713 in 2015-1611.

10 NI Housing Bulletin, NISRA, July - September 2016, published 07/02/1711 NI Housing Bulletin, NISRA, July - September 2016, published 07/02/1712 NI Housing Bulletin, NISRA, July – September 2016, published 07/02/1713 Industry Insights Report for NI 2017-2021, Construction Skills Network

The average price of a new dwelling

in NI stood at £157,400, up from

£152,100 (+3.5%)12.

All signs point to an upturn in the

housing sector. The public and

private housing sector forecasts of

6.1% and 2.2% are the highest

average annual output forecasts

among all sectors for the period

2017-202113.

For further information contact

Karen Hunter at CITB NI via e-mail

karen.hunter@citbni.org.uk or

telephone 028 9082 4233.

INDUSTRY REPORTS

20,000

25,000 £200,000

£180,000

£160,000

£140,000

£120,000

£100,000

£80,000

£60,000

£40,000

£20,000

£0

15,000

10,000

5,000

0

No. o

f Res

iden

tial P

rope

rty S

ales

NI Residential Property Sales & New Dwelling Prices

Aver

age

New

Dw

ellin

g Pr

ice

2008

/09

2009

/10

2010

/11

2011

/12

2012

/13

2013

/14

2014

/15

2015

/16

Average Price (£)

Total ResidentialProperty Sales

ONLINEMAGAZINEISSUE 3: SPRING 2017

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for further information on the summary

and full report please click here

Recent ResearchEmployer Attitudes and Motivations to Training and Learning

The Employer Attitudes and

Motivations to Training and

Learning research acts as a regular

programme of consultation with

employers on hot topics of the

moment and allows a reality check

on anecdotal reports. The research

consists of 105 telephone interviews

with NI construction employers

(contractors and professional

services) in July and August 2016.

• The two main business challenges

faced by respondents were the

need to increase sales (31%, down

from 43% in 2015) and finding

suitably skilled staff (30%, up from

21% in 2015).

• 86% of employers reported that

turnover stayed the same or

increased (54% and 32%

respectively) with 11% reporting a

decrease. This is more positive

than in 2015 when more reported a

decrease than an increase (36%

and 24% respectively). Results

suggest more stability in terms

of turnover for businesses in the

past year.

• One third of construction firms

(33%) offer apprenticeships, with

one fifth currently employing

apprentices (20%).

• Two-fifths of all employers had

recruited or attempted to recruit

in the last 12 months (40%).

Most recruiters reported

recruitment challenges in 2016

(69%; 70% in 2015), with this most

often being simply a shortage of

good candidates (41%).

INDUSTRY REPORTS• Two-thirds of employers (67%)

said that the rates of pay for their

staff had increased over the last

twelve months.

Types of Work Offering Growth Opportunities in Next 2-3 Years (Prompted)

Housing: new build

Housing: refurbishment

Public buildings

Commercial buildings

Housing: extensions

26%

26%20%

16%

12%

ONLINEMAGAZINEISSUE 3: SPRING 2017

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Employer Tracking and Stakeholder Surveys

CITB NI provides various products

and services to the construction

industry in Northern Ireland and

needs to be able to demonstrate

that it has the approval and support

of the industry and stakeholders.

It does this through an annual

survey consisting of approximately

100 telephone interviews with

construction sector employers

and a bi-annual survey of

24 stakeholders.

Employers:

• Average awareness of services

amongst construction companies

is 65% - up 4% from 2015.

• Satisfaction was at 100% across all

services used except training

advice which was at 86%.

• 81% of respondents are satisfied

with the overall service CITB NI

provides to the industry.

• 79% of respondents are satisfied

with the overall service CITB NI

has provided to their company in

the last 12 months.

• 82% of respondents feel it is

important to maintain the levy and

grants system in terms of the

impact it has on maintaining the

levy and quality of training across

the construction industry as a

whole – up from 69% in 2015.

• 72% of respondents believe that

the levy and grant system should

continue.

Stakeholders:

• 88% of stakeholders felt they have

a good understanding of CITB NI’s

roles and objectives.

• 73% of stakeholders are satisfied

with the overall service CITB NI

provides the industry as a whole.

• 61% of stakeholders have actually

recommended CITB NI to

someone in the last 12 months.

INDUSTRY REPORTS

For further information please see the summary and full please click here.