CITB consults on recognising on-the-job skills without a full qualification

CITB, the employer-led skills and standards body for construction in Great Britain, has opened a consultation on proposals to formally recognise skills that workers learn on the job without taking a whole new qualification.

The consultation runs from 12 October 2026 to 15 January 2027, according to CITB's consultation page, and seeks views on the opportunities, risks and challenges of the proposed system.

CITB calls the approach functional competence. Under it, a skilled worker could gain recognition for competence in an individual task or function they carry out at work, such as installing solar panels within roofing, CITB said.

Jon Vanstone, Director of Tech Influence and Chair of the Industry Competence Committee (ICC), urged people to respond. "The detail matters, and it must be shaped by those who do the work," he said.

The proposal

CITB said functional competence would not replace existing routes such as NVQs and apprenticeships, but would sit alongside them as a further route to competence in specific activities.

The body said new building methods, advancing technology and the greater focus on competence under the Building Safety Act are changing the skills the industry needs and how they are demonstrated. Under the Act, individuals must prove they are competent to do the job they are on site to do, according to CITB.

CITB said the proposals would cut training that is duplicated purely for the sake of recognition, improve the consistency of training and remove barriers to entry and progression.

Its consultation page sets out conditions the system would have to meet. Recognition would have to rest on assessment and quality assurance by an independent third party rather than employer-only sign-off. Functional competence must not automatically confer skilled or occupational card status. Recognition should also be standardised and portable across employers, providers and nations where the same function is carried out, CITB said.

Vanstone said recognising competence in defined areas of work "could make our system more precise and easier to trust."

Card schemes and working groups

Sean Kearns, CSCS Group Chief Executive, said CSCS welcomes the chance to work with CITB, members of the CSCS Alliance and other industry partners on the concept. He said functional competence should complement, rather than replace, the achievement of full occupational competence.

Kate Milford, Director of Milford & Marah Ltd, Fire Stopping Competence Working Group and Chair of the Industry Competence Steering Group (ICSG), said breaking down barriers to upskilling and multiskilling would give the industry the tools it needs.

CITB is inviting employers, training providers, awarding bodies, card schemes and others to give feedback on the system and its feasibility. The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete and closes on 15 January 2027.

Background

CITB is the Standards Setting Body for the construction industry and develops and maintains its standards and frameworks. National Occupational Standards set out key performance and knowledge criteria for specific functions, while competence frameworks define competence requirements for individuals across the built environment.

Each framework includes a statement covering skills, knowledge, experience and behaviour, known as SKEB. CITB supports Sector Lead Group 10, a subgroup of the ICSG, on framework development. Working group members are industry experts who meet virtually about once or twice a month, and framework reviews run for an average of 20 months, CITB said.

The consultation comes as CITB's own future is under review. The Department for Work and Pensions opened a 12-week consultation on 23 March 2026 on CITB and the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) forming a single body. That consultation closed on 14 June 2026, according to GOV.UK.

What happens next

After the consultation closes, CITB said it will present recommendations to a suitable industry leadership forum for approval.

If a final decision is taken to proceed, CITB will begin identifying functional competence requirements for each occupation through the Competence Framework Working Groups from April 2027.