Roofing

Training
Funding For a Better Workforce
Nigel Johnston, General Manager at the Lead Sheet Association takes a look at how the Specialist Apprenticeship
Programme in leadwork can help benefit individuals and companies alike
Finding funding for training either for yourself or your employees can be a minefield.
Nigel Johnston, General Manager at the Lead Sheet Association helps guide you
through the different options so you don’t miss out.
Having worked at the Lead Sheet Association for over 18 years and played a central
role in developing many of the courses we have on offer, one of the key questions that
come up again and again from course participants is ‘what funding is available to
me?’
It can be a confusing and complex area to navigate which is why, once we have
identified the best course for someone, we also spend time with them exploring their
funding options. To make this even simpler we have also just produced a new guide
to funding and grants which is available on our website.
The options roughly divide into two areas, those working in or running a company,
and those that are self-employed. There is some overlap so do look at the funding
guide for more details on what is available.
CITB recognises it is important to have well trained
staff in the construction industry which is why this
funding is available. If you are not CITB registered but
are looking to up-skill your staff, it is well worth
discussing with them what is on offer and exploring
registration as it could help you considerably.
Don’t despair if you are self-employed as most courses,
with the exception of the SAP and the SUP, do allow
you to claim daily grant as well. For the Basic Bossing
and Welding course you can get £50 per day for training
and the City and Guilds also offers an enhanced £100
grant per day. However, you do need to be part of the
CITB Labour Only Sub-contractor scheme.
The LSA can also provide information on Career
Development Loans and is also happy to discuss
flexible payment plans to help you spread the costs of
course fees.
Finding out more
There has never been a better time to think about
improving your own skills or those of your staff. The
construction industry is set to grow as the economy
improves so don’t miss out by not having the
appropriate skills to help you and your business grow.
Enquiry 63
Running a company and CITB registered
If you run a company and the main business of that company is wholly or mainly
working in construction, and you are registered with the CITB, then it opens up a
range of potential funding for you and your employees.
If you send any of your staff on a Basic Bossing and Welding Courses you can claim
£50 per day in grant support. If you send staff on the City and Guilds Leadworker
Certificate, this increases to an enhanced grant of £100 per day. This support can rise
considerably further when sending an employee on a Specialist Apprenticeship
Programme (SAP). Up to £7,650 is available for the two years of the SAP which covers
the course fees and includes a contribution of £3000 to the cost of external training.
The Level 3 SAP also attracts significant funding with up to £4,125 available.
Grant support is also available for employees that have experience of leadworking but
perhaps no formal qualifications. The newly developed Specialist Upskilling
Programme, or SUP, helps staff with experience achieve a Level 2 qualification and
depending on the number of days needed (a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 13)
there is potential grant available of up to £2,775.
An alternative assessment for those with experience is the On Site Assessment or
OSAT. Part or full grants may be available to pay for the assessment process – it is
best to check with LSA staff to confirm the availability of these grants.
Enquiry 5
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