CITB Cuts Spending on Social Media Campaign

The CITB has cut its plans to spend £10.8 million on its latest social media campaigns to attract younger people into the construction industry.

The Future Made campaign sees influencers on social media posting content on their platforms to show younger audiences their adventures in trying out bricklaying, roofing, painting and decorating, and more.

A Freedom of Information request from earlier this year revealed that the CITB had a budget of £10.8 million for ‘full development, launch and campaign activity” over the next three years. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a major rethink and a slashing of spending.

Future Made has been created to ‘change the hearts and minds of under-25s’ who currently don’t have an interest in construction jobs. The campaign sets out to drive the younger generation to the existing Go Construct website which has more detailed information about applying for apprenticeships in the construction sector.

The FoI request also revealed that the website cost £1.3 million when it was set up in 2015, with a further £2.6 million spent on promoting it since then. The CITB had also planned to spend another £3.5 million on marketing and running the Go Construct website over the next three years. However, the combined budget for the campaign and site has been cut back to below £1 million, with initiatives also being significantly scaled back.

The CITB also said that it does not record how many people have joined the apprenticeship schemes via the Go Construct website. 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.”

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