CITB to spend £10.8m on latest social media campaign

The Future Made campaign will see social media influencers  “posting content on their platforms to show young audiences their adventures in trying out bricklaying, roofing, painting and decorating and more.”

A Freedom of Information request revealed the CITB has a budget of £10.8m for “full development, launch and campaign activity” over the next three years.

Future Made is designed to “change the hearts and minds of under-25s” who are currently turned off by construction jobs.

The campaign will drive youngsters to the existing Go Construct website for more detailed information on applying for apprenticeships.

The FoI request also revealed that the Go Construct website cost £1.3m to set up in 2015 with £2.6m spent promoting it since then.

CITB also plans to spend another £3.5m on marketing and running the Go Construct site over the next three years.

The training body also confirmed that it doesn’t record how many people have joined apprenticeship schemes via Go Construct.

It said: “We do not record how many individuals have joined the sector as a result of Go Construct, therefore we cannot track the direct benefits, nor calculate the return on investment.”

The FoI requests were submitted by workplace audit and CIS contract provider Hudson Contract who are vociferous critics of the CITB.

Ian Anfield, managing director of Hudson Contract, said: “This is an astonishing amount of money to be spending on promotional websites and social media campaigns with zero tangible return for levy payers.

“At a time when many construction companies are fighting for survival under the coronavirus lockdown, CITB will struggle to justify such sums.”

Steve Radley, CITB Policy Director, said: “While we stand by our record of investment in these areas, we are prioritising industry’s needs, namely supporting training and apprenticeships.

“Our investment of levy will focus on these areas, building on measures already announced such as bringing forward apprenticeship grants and dedicated funds for micro, small and medium firms.”