Liverpool partners with CITB to train 9,000 workers

The Construction Industry Training Board has chosen the city region to pilot a programme aimed at pinpointing the precise skills required for the future, and to provide the courses required to address that need.

To do this, CITB will analyse live data from building sites across Liverpool City Region for the next five years. It will then use this data to better educate the 9,000 construction workers that the city region needs to meet demand.

“This agreement marks a major step forward in aligning national and regional priorities to meet the construction sector’s challenges,” said CITB chief executive Tim Balcon.

“By working closely with the Liverpool City Region, we can ensure training provision and workforce planning are responsive to local needs, helping employers and communities thrive.”

Mayor Steve Rotheram signed a memorandum of understanding with CITB late last week, marking the first formal partnership in CITB’s National Construction Skills Ecosystem project to bolster long-term workforce planning.

The program goes beyond just data analysis, it also includes the launching of a Construction Workforce Development Unit that will work alongside public authorities, employers, and training providers to ensure they are all on the same page when it comes addressing the skills gap.

The partnership with CITB is the latest skills-focussed initiative from Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. The CA invested £68m in adult skills, further education, and training programmes in 2025. This has enabled the creation of a green energy skills centre at St Helens College.

Rotheram spoke about why investing in skills is so important for the region, saying: “The Liverpool City Region has successfully won huge sums of funding to deliver some of the most ambitious housing and infrastructure projects in the country.

“From a £700m housing programme which will deliver 16,000 homes, to HyNet energy, as well as four new train stations. But to deliver on these plans, we need a skilled, diverse workforce.”

Rotheram continued: “This partnership with CITB is a first for any Mayoral Combined Authority and shows the leadership role we’re taking to tackle skills shortages head-on. Together, we’ll create better opportunities for local people, improve apprenticeship success rates, and embed fair employment and inclusion in construction.”