More than £1.6 million in grant funding has been unveiled by skills provider CITB NI.

The organisation has launched its new £1.65m training grants scheme as well as increasing their overall funds available by 30%..

The investment is aimed at helping to train the local construction industry in order to be safer, more efficient and more effective.

As part of the initiative, employers who employ and train apprentices on an approved apprenticeship framework have had their grants enhanced by 30%, meanning employers will be eligible to claim up to £5,200 over a three-year period. There is also a £1,500 grant available from the Department for the Economy for employers who take on an apprentice from the very start right through to completion of NVQ Level 2 and 3.

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To ensure the whole industry benefits from the grant funding, an additional two Tiers of grant categories have been established;

• Tier 2 - directed at industry bodies and federations who have identified training requirements for their sector and wish to apply for funding to help them facilitate delivery of the training.

• Tier 3 - directed at addressing training needs identified by CITB NI or industry bodies through research and is led and delivered by CITB NI in partnership recognised training providers

Barry Neilson, Chief Executive, CITB NI said: "Training delivers results, and more construction employers are embracing and valuing training for their workforce. Our Grant scheme is widely recognised within the industry and we want to continue to provide financial support for employers of all sizes towards the training and qualification of their people. We have a major focus on apprentices and want to help employers realise the importance of apprenticeships and their value to the overall future of the industry.

"We hope that the enhanced grant funding will help employers plan their training for the forthcoming year. The training grant funds are easy to claim, with employers encouraged to claim online via the website as it is easy, quick and efficient."

For more information, visit the CITB NI website here.

(LM)