Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) Company Profile

Background

The Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) is the statutory skills body established to support the development of a highly skilled workforce within the engineering construction industry. This sector is pivotal to the UK's energy and process industries, encompassing the design, engineering, construction, and decommissioning of critical infrastructure projects. The ECITB's mission is to collaborate with employers and training providers to attract, develop, and qualify the engineering construction workforce across a wide range of craft, technical, and professional disciplines. As a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Education, the ECITB plays a crucial role in ensuring the UK has workers with the skills to meet the needs of the engineering construction industry.

Key Strategic Focus

The ECITB's strategic focus centers on addressing the skills needs of the engineering construction industry through several core objectives:

Workforce Development: Investing approximately £28 million annually to support skills development within the industry, ensuring a pipeline of trained professionals ready to meet current and future demands.

Training Standards and Qualifications: Designing and awarding a wide range of qualifications covering craft, technical, and managerial disciplines, and developing National Occupational Standards that form the basis of training standards, vocational qualifications, technical tests, and licensed programs.

Industry Collaboration: Working closely with employers, training providers, and government bodies to ensure training programs are aligned with industry needs and to address challenges such as skills gaps and an aging workforce.

Global Outreach: Through ECITB Global, extending training and qualifications to international markets, working with nearly 60 licensed training providers in over 30 countries to deliver internationally recognized training and qualifications.

Financials and Funding

The ECITB operates a statutory Industrial Training Levy system, raising funds from in-scope employers to finance training and development initiatives. This levy and grant system is designed to drive up skill levels and fund training that would otherwise not take place, addressing market failures within the industry. The organization invests approximately £28 million each year to support skills development within the engineering construction industry.

Pipeline Development

The ECITB is actively involved in several key initiatives to develop the engineering construction workforce:

ECITB Scholarship: Created to address the drop-off in apprenticeship starts during the pandemic, this program provides a pipeline of new entrants to the industry.

Skills for Net Zero: Conducting research and product development to support the engineering construction industry through the energy transition, ensuring the workforce is equipped with the necessary skills for emerging technologies and sustainable practices.

Technological Platform and Innovation

The ECITB distinguishes itself through several proprietary technologies and methodologies:

Labour Forecasting Tool (LFT): Provides insights into workforce numbers across regions and sectors up to 2035, predicting trends and potential future demand for workers.

International Health & Safety Passport (IHSP): Ensures that individuals possess a recognized level of health and safety knowledge and awareness to work on sites worldwide.

Mechanical Joint Integrity (MJI) Scheme: Developed to increase competency and reduce accidents globally through hydrocarbon release.

Leadership Team

The ECITB is governed by a Board comprising industry representatives and independent experts:

Lynda Armstrong OBE: Chair of the ECITB since January 2018. A geophysicist by training, Lynda worked for Shell International for 35 years in various roles and has held several non-executive director positions post-retirement.

Andrew Colquhoun: Executive Vice President at Altrad, with a career spanning over 38 years in manufacturing, project engineering, and operational delivery roles across nuclear, thermal, oil & gas, and petrochemical sectors.

Cameron Gilmour: Business Unit Leader at Crown House Technologies, part of the Laing O’Rourke group, with over 30 years of experience in engineering and construction.

Helen Higgs: Resource Programme Director for EDF Energy's nuclear new build at Hinkley Point C, with extensive experience in workforce strategies for major nuclear projects.

Mark Fotheringham: Technical Director at Infinity Engineering, with significant experience in the energy sector and a focus on engineering and project management.

Leadership Changes

In January 2018, Lynda Armstrong OBE was appointed as Chair of the ECITB, bringing extensive experience from her 35-year career at Shell International and various non-executive director roles.

Competitor Profile

Market Insights and Dynamics

The engineering construction industry is integral to the UK's economy, employing nearly 190,000 workers and contributing approximately £325 billion in turnover. The sector has experienced growth, with employment figures rising by 26% between 2010 and 2016, and is projected to expand by 17.7% in the next decade.

Competitor Analysis

The primary competitor to the ECITB is the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), which focuses on the broader construction industry. In July 2023, the Department for Education launched a review of both CITB and ECITB, led by Mark Farmer. The review, published in January 2025, suggested a "fundamental reset" and proposed merging the two boards to enhance efficiency and collaboration. However, the government has not planned to legislate for a single body at this time.

Strategic Collaborations and Partnerships

The ECITB collaborates with various stakeholders to strengthen its market position and innovation capacity:

Training Providers: Works with nearly 60 licensed training providers in over 30 countries to deliver internationally recognized training and qualifications.

Government Bodies: Engages with the Department for Education and other government agencies to align training programs with national skills strategies and policies.

Industry Employers: Partners with employers to develop training standards and qualifications that meet the evolving needs of the engineering construction industry.

Operational Insights

The ECITB's strategic considerations include:

Addressing Skills Gaps: Implementing initiatives like the ECITB Scholarship to attract new talent and upskill the existing workforce.

Promoting Diversity: Focusing on increasing the representation of women and underrepresented groups within the engineering construction industry.

Enhancing Training Accessibility: Expanding the reach of training programs through ECITB Global to ensure international standards and qualifications are accessible worldwide.

Strategic Opportunities and Future Directions

The ECITB's strategic roadmap includes:

Energy Transition Support: Developing training programs to equip the workforce with skills necessary for the transition to net-zero emissions and emerging technologies.

Digital Skills Enhancement: Investing in digital skills training to prepare the workforce for Industry 4.0 and the increasing integration of digital technologies in engineering construction.