Evaluation of the Construction Skills Fund

Onsite training hubs

This report presents findings from the evaluation of the Construction Skills Fund (CSF). The CSF supported the development of 23 onsite training hubs which were mobile training facilities situated on construction sites. The hubs delivered training for in-demand entry level construction skills. By offering trainees the opportunity to learn and apply their knowledge in a real-world industry-led environment, the hubs intended to bridge the gap between training and working in the construction industry.

The programme had targets to support a minimum of 13,000 participants to become employment and site ready (ESR), and for 30 per cent of ESR participants to achieve a sustained job outcome of three months duration. The hubs designed their own intervention, but most consisted of screening, information, advice, and guidance (IAG), training, job brokerage and in-work support. Some hubs delivered prior to CSF, whereas others set up for the CSF. The CSF was part of the government’s National Retraining Scheme (NRS).

This evaluation reviews whether, and how, the hubs were effective across different contexts, and what works in delivery of onsite training. The report draws on analysis of audited management information covering the period October 2018 to September 2020 and longitudinal hub case-studies. There were three periods of fieldwork spanning the project’s delivery. Together the case-studies consist of 225 interviews with hub staff, partners, employers, and participants. Participants’ views were supplemented with two online surveys. One survey was completed by 1,023 participants between two and five months after they registered with the hub (17% response rate). Another survey focused on outcomes and progression, and this was completed five to eight months after hub registration (701 valid responses, a response rate of 11%).