Threatened training base is saved
A total of 75 jobs have been secured after a reprieve was given to a national training centre in Inchinnan.
The future of the Construction Industry Training Board’s Scottish HQ was under review in a UK shakeup.
But, this week, CITB top brass confirmed the site in Fountain Avenue is now safe, despite plans to sell it.
Chairman Peter Lauener said:“The right course of action to support industry now is to provide stability and assurance. The board has, therefore, decided to retain NCC East and NCC Scotland.
“This decision gives employers and CITB colleagues confidence and clarity and enables us to plan for the future.”
The construction college will open its doors to apprentices again next month.
Unite, the construction union, hailed the decision as“a major U-turn and a final nail in the coffin of the CITB’s controversial 2020 Vision programme”.
Unite regional officer Mark Robinson said:“The decision to retain the national construction colleges is excellent news for the workers employed by the CITB, but also for the whole construction industry, which relies on the unique specialised training that only the construction colleges provide.
“This announcement should secure the future of Inchinnan for many years.
“Our members have had their lives put on hold for three and a half years, not knowing who their employer would be, or if they even would have a job.
“The CITB’s board has invested heavily in a new head office in Peterborough, resulting in hundreds of workers being made redundant.
“Outsourced providers have contributed to massive failings in the payroll system, leaving hundreds of CITB employees owing large amounts of money and causing huge distress.
“The reputational damage that the CITB has suffered across the entire construction industry has been immense.
“Investment is urgently needed in products, infrastructure and, most importantly, its employees in order to rebuild its reputation with its staff and industry alike.”