Key Term

1. In the following Conditions of Grant the term 'Employer' relates to "a company registered with the Construction Industry Training Board, whose main activity falls within the scope as outlined in the levy legislation."

2. Firms who are not employers are not eligible for Grant. Firms are excluded when they do not have any direct employees, labour-only sub-contractors or agency staff and may therefore include some sole traders and partnerships.
Limited companies are employers due to the fact that they employ at least one director and company secretary.

Status of employer
3. For a grant to be paid to an employer under the 2009/2010 CITB Grants Scheme, the employer must be in-scope to and registered with CITB Northern Ireland.
4. Registered in-scope employers below the levy threshold of £80,000 will be eligible to claim Grant during 2009/2010.
5. The Employer must ensure they are not in arrears with levy payments. Grant claims should be submitted regardless of supporting information but will not be paid until the eligibility and conditions of Grant have been met.

Claiming grants
6. Grants published in this scheme will be payable only in connection with applications received by CITB-ConstructionSkills Northern Ireland between 1 September 2009 and 31 August 2010. Where training spans more than one training year, grants will be paid in proportion to the training that will take place in each year.

7. Claims MUST be received by CITB-ConstructionSkills Northern Ireland within 3 months of attending training, otherwise grant will be declined. Claims can still be made even if all the supporting information is not available at the time of application.

8. An employer must complete a grant form online at www.citbcsni.org.uk or in hard copy format using form GAF0910, which is available to download from the website or by contacting CITB-ConstructionSkills Northern Ireland . Employers can ask their training provider to apply on their behalf to CITB-ConstructionSkills Northern Ireland . Any available supporting information must be scanned and emailed, or posted, with the grant application form. In all cases the eligibility and conditions of grant will apply to all claims received by CITB-ConstructionSkills Northern Ireland and all grant payments
will be made directly to employers.

9. In the case of Technical, Management & Professional Development Training
and National Vocational Qualification Achievement, a grant form must be
submitted once an invoice for course fees has been received and paid by the employer. All eligible grant applications will be followed up and accrued by CITB-ConstructionSkills Northern Ireland if certification is not available to the employer before 31 August 2010.

10. Where CITB-ConstructionSkills Northern Ireland has direct and approved access to information this may be used to verify and pay grant claims automatically for eligible employers.

11. Should the amount of grant exceed the net training cost, grant will be paid at a rate of 75% of the actual net cost of training (i.e. excluding VAT) or the inhouse trainer’s declared daily employment rate incurred by an employer.

Support from other sources
12. No grant can be paid in cases where training has been provided free of charge to an employer.

13. An employer claiming grant may be required to satisfy CITB-ConstructionSkills Northern Ireland that the training for which grant is claimed does not qualify for financial or subsidised support from another source (with the exception of apprenticeships). If it does qualify for other support, grant will be paid net of other sources.

Payment of grants; alteration of conditions; status of Grants Scheme
14. The grant values shown in this booklet and online at www.citbcsni.org.uk are likely to be those that CITB-ConstructionSkills Northern Ireland will pay. Due to the uncertainty in projecting uptake numbers for grant, and the need for the Board to keep its overall expenditure within a defined budget, CITB-ConstructionSkills Northern Ireland reserves the right to increase, reduce or withdraw grants proportionally to match the funds available and to attach conditions and procedures other than those mentioned in the 2009/10 Grants Scheme.


15. CITB-ConstructionSkills Northern Ireland fully appreciates the need to give employers reasonable notice if the grants it expects to be able to pay are different than those published.

Interpretation of Grants Scheme
16. CITB-ConstructionSkills Northern Ireland’s decision is final on all matters concerning the
interpretation of the Grants Scheme. An employer should not rely on
statements made by third parties about grant rates, eligible training or
the claiming process. Employers should contact CITB-ConstructionSkills Northern Ireland for advice and guidance on grants available to employers during
2009/2010.
 

Type of training eligible for grants

17. All training for which grant is claimed must relate to an employee’s present or future work in the construction industry. Grants are paid for training attended and qualifications achieved unless otherwise stated. No grant will be paid for assessment only.

18. Training supported by grant is identified and detailed in this booklet and on line at www.citbni.org.uk. Grant will not be paid in respect of wages or
salaries, travel, subsistence or accommodation costs associated with
those attending training.

19. Grant support will be paid at a rate of 75% of net cost, up to a maximum of £100 per day, for language interpreting for those whose first language is not English or for language assistance for those with a hearing/speech disability.

Short Duration Training
20. Grant is available to support attendance on off the job training accredited by an appropriate recognised body or based on national occupational competency standards, that reinforces, complements or updates occupational competency training related to an employee’s present or future work in the construction industry. Training courses may be run by public education establishments, training providers or employers and may be held externally or in-house.

21. Health and Safety should be an integral part of all training. Legislative
requirements place a duty on employers to train their workforce in all
aspects of health, safety and welfare.

22. The following activities are not supported by short duration training:
• Time spent on non training activities such as registration, induction,
domestic arrangements, all break times, external assessment and
examinations
• Company, site or client/customer induction courses
• Toolbox talks
• Courses designed for, or attended by, more than 30 people
• Training where the main content relates to the procedures and
organisation of a particular firm, contract, project or site

Records
23. The training of all those for whom grant will be claimed must be recorded
and those records must be open to inspection by CITB-ConstructionSkills Northern Ireland
representatives. Records will include details and duration of training carried
out, the names and occupations of those who attended and the costs
incurred by an employer.

24. CITB-ConstructionSkills Northern Ireland representatives may audit these records to confirm the accuracy of claims and any excess grant received will be repaid by the employer.

Complying with the Eligibility and Conditions of Grant
25. Grant may be reduced or withheld if an employer does not take steps to
comply with CITB-ConstructionSkills Northern Ireland requirements, respond to written
requests for further information from CITB-ConstructionSkills Northern Ireland,
or if CITB-ConstructionSkills Northern Ireland is not satisfied that adequate training is being given.

Grant Appeals
26. If a grant application is received outside of the three month timescale, the Training Operations Support Manager will contact the employer asking for clarification of the circumstances why the claim has been received outside of the timescale.

27. Once the circumstances have been clarified with the employer, the
application will be reviewed by the Training Operations Support Manager for approval for payment, amendment or refusal. Payment of all grant
applications will be subject to the relevant supporting information being
made available to CITB-ConstructionSkills Northern Ireland .

28. If a grant application is declined, a registered in-scope employer has the
right to appeal against the staff interpretation of the Grants Scheme. An employer who wishes to appeal should do so in writing, with any supporting evidence, to the Training Support Manager within 20 working days of the grant application being declined.

29. The right of appeal rests only with employers eligible to claim and receive
grant from CITB-ConstructionSkills Northern Ireland

30. If an employer is dissatisfied with the decision of the Training Support
Manager, they have a further right of appeal to the Levy/Grant Director. If
they wish to exercise this right, they have to provide, within 20 working days, an explanation of why they believe the decision of the Training Support Manager is wrong, or bring forward fresh evidence to support the claim.

31. Should the Director’s decision be unacceptable, an employer has a final right of appeal to the Board Review Panel. The Panel normally meets three times each year. It is normal practice for the Panel to invite and consider written submissions from the employer and the Chief Executive of CITB-ConstructionSkills Northern Ireland , to help ensure that a fair, unbiased decision can be made.
Employers will also have the right of oral submission to the Panel. The decision of the Panel, on behalf of the Board, will be final.