Carillion biggest cash investor in training says CITBreport

Carillion Construction is the industry's biggest cash investor in training, according to the latest annual report from the Construction Industry Training Board.

The report for the year ended 31 December, 1999 - which is published this week - features a new list of all the 88 companies which have received grant payments in excess of £50,000. The payments include new entrant grants and allowances, other training grants, and college fee payments.

Carillion easily tops the list with aggregate payments of over £3.7m. The company is followed by Henry Boot and Jarvis Construction, which both received grants of over £1m.

The top three, plus Laing, all operate as managing agencies, which accounts for access to higher levels of new entrant grants.

The CITB report claims that significant progress has been made during the past 12 months in re-establishing widespread training across the industry.

Board chairman Hugh Try comments: "The industry has been galvanised into improving its quality of workforce and is appreciating the importance of training and competitiveness on a national and international level. By continuing to build on the open and consultative stance that the CITB has developed with all the industry's federations and representatives this can only go from strength to strength."

n Skill shortages in the face of a new found economic optimism have been listed in the latest annual report from the Northern Ireland CITB. Chief executive Allen McMullen says strategies designed to tackle the problem include a fast track training pilot scheme for aspiring bricklayers and plasterers. The NI board is also developing a labour forecasting model in conjunction with the Construction Employers Federation. There are 2,442 levy-paying employers registered with the board. Income last year totalled £3.1m.