Business Action August / September 2019

CONSTRUCTION
Tap into funding for construction
The construction industry
is fortunate in having its own
training body to help develop
its workforce. The Construction
Industry Training
Board (CITB) is an executive
non-departmental public body
supported by the Department
for Education.
It is also accountable to
government ministers and
ultimately Parliament.
What that doesn’t tell
you is that CITB has its own
secret weapon in Devon: Roy
Imeson. For 11 years, Roy has
been on a relentless mission
to help businesses in the
construction industry develop
through improving skills.
Roy has worked in
construction for more than
25 years in a number of roles
from on-site assessment to
apprenticeship programme
delivery and providing advice
and guidance.
As CITB strategic partnership
adviser for the Heart of
the South West, he is looking
to work with as many small,
rural companies as possible
to help them attract, train
and retain talent. He believes
that with businesses facing
challenges from so many
directions, improving and
maintaining skills will help
them survive and grow.
Petroc is hosting a full day
of digital workshops on 21
October. These will cover:
Developing a Marketing
Strategy: New Ways of
Working; Making the most of
Social Media Platforms; and
Measuring Online Success.
skills training
The construction industry needs a skilled workforce and Roy Imeson
of the Construction Industry Training Board is relentless in his
mission to help businesses take advantage of grants for training.
Robert Zarywacz spoke to Roy about funding available to employers
Roy Imeson, advising the construction industry on skills and training
£5,000+ training grants
Businesses directly employing
between one and 49 staff who
are concerned about the cost
of training might be surprised
to discover that when they
register with CITB, its Skills
and Training Fund can grant
them £5,000 to fund construction-specific
training over a
12-month period.
Businesses employing 50 to
74 staff can receive £7,500 and
those employing 75 to 99 staff
can receive a grant of £10,000
per year.
Grants can be used for a
wide range of construction
training from NEBOSH health,
safety or environmental qualifications
to face mask training
or Business Information
Modelling software courses.
What’s more, businesses
can apply for grants annually,
so a small business with under
49 staff could receive £5,000
for training every year.
Employment and skills events
The sessions at Petroc’s
North Devon campus in Barnstaple
are fully funded for SMEs
that meet eligibility criteria.
■■Details 01271 852428 or
dsfsb.eventbrite.co.uk
Next Steps Development
is hosting a free Untapped
Talent breakfast event in
Barnstaple from 8am to 10am
on 24 September where businesses
can find out about free
Signing up is easy
Roy is always willing to help
businesses to sign up and
access training funds. He
attends skills events across the
region and can visit businesses
to complete applications.
North Devon drop-ins
CITB is organising free dropin
sessions for North Devon
construction companies to
find out more about how to
access training. Roy Imeson
will be hosting these sessions
and will be pleased to discuss
how he can help.
Barnstaple – this session
will run from 10am to 2pm on
Tuesday 17 September at the
Park Hotel.
Bideford – this session will
run from 10am to 12pm on
Thursday 24 October as part
of the BBxpo exhibition at
Bideford College.
Businesses can book free
places at these sessions by
visiting eventbrite.co.uk/o/
roy-imeson-18198201900
■■Details 07770 800 954,
email roy.imeson@citb.co.uk
or visit citb.co.uk
Meet CITB at BBxpo
disability awareness training,
the benefits of becoming a
Disability Confident employer
and how the Access to
Work scheme can help with
recruiting and retaining staff.
■■Details untappedtalent
breakfast.eventbrite.co.uk
Two heads are better than one!
Offering support in marketing, admin,
creative design, book keeping, events,
website, social media and much more
For a FREE consultation
contact Helen today
Paper Clip
paperclipdevon@outlook.com
07870 604019
www.paperclipdevon.co.uk
keeping your office together
@businessactionm | August / September 2019 | business action
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