Civil engineering contractors overwhelmingly support continuation of the CITB and the levy system, according to a poll by their trade association.
Members of the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) voted by a margin of three to one to continue the levy that funds the CITB.
A total of 79% voted to retain the levy against 21% calling for it to be scrapped. But there is also a solid demand for an acceleration in reform at the skills body.
CECA chief executive Alasdair Reisner said: “Our members know that ensuring we have the right people with the right skills remains one of the major challenges for industry. This may explain the strength of the vote for the levy to be retained, allowing CITB to continue to co-ordinate training activity across the sector.
“But many members have asked us to make it clear that this should be seen as a ‘yes, but…’ rather than a straight endorsement. In recent months CITB has taken steps to cut bureaucracy from the organisation, improve communications and build better governance. Members want this process to continue at an increased pace, ensuring that CITB is fit for purpose in the years to come.”
Analysis of the poll results showed that members in each of CECA’s six English regions, Scotland and Wales all backed the levy, which was also supported when the results were broken down by size of company.
CECA has returned its formal confirmation of its consensus vote to CITB this week. It is anticipated that the outcome of the wider industry vote will be known later in the autumn.
The news comes after Balfour Beatty made a U-turn in its decision to vote against the CITB and now intends to support the retention of the body.
