The Construction Industry Training Fund (CITF) is essentially a levy of 0.25% calculated on the contract value of all housing, civil and commercial works over $40,000 including GST in South Australia.
Examples include the construction of houses, swimming pools, offices, shopping centres, roads, landscaping, site work, railways, and much more.
The fund provides subsidies for training and support funding for employers, which makes training more affordable and accessible for construction workers. This helps to encourage the uptake and retention of apprentices and trainees.
The construction industry is predominantly made up of small business and sole traders (i.e. self employed). It's a highly regulated, competitive, project based environment. Workers in the construction industry face some of the strictest training and safety requirements and must navigate them without a 'training & development budget' like some larger companies have access to.
In the end, it is the consumer who benefits by having highly trained and skilled tradespeople who produce work that is safe and reliable.
The levy should be paid before council approval is given and before the commencement of building work.
For more information or to pay a levy visit https://citb.org.au/
The CITF levy is payable on building and construction work as outlined in Schedule 1 and Schedule 1A.