*Guest content from the CITB.
A strong apprenticeship pipeline is vital for SME employers and a healthy construction industry. In fact, over two-thirds of apprenticeship starts in the construction industry are employed by micro and small companies of fewer than 50 employees.
The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) recognises the critical role that apprentices bring to the industry – and to employers – and has supported over 24,000 learners and nearly 9,000 employers with apprenticeship grants between April to December 2024.
Close to 8,000 of those employers are micro and small businesses, demonstrating the scale of support out there for construction firms of all sizes. The CITB committed almost £150m for apprenticeship grants from April 2023 to March 2025, and in the financial year so far, the body has provided over £50m to employers for apprenticeship grants.
The theme of this year’s National Apprenticeship Week is ‘Skills for Life’, and this couldn’t be more appropriate than for the construction industry. There are over 180 different occupations in construction and over 100 different construction apprenticeship roles that lead to careers in the industry for people at every stage of their life.
The CITB’s New Entrant Support Team (NEST) has also supported over 3,500 new apprenticeship starts between April to December 2024 – more than doubling the number of new apprentices they’ve helped join the industry compared to the previous period. NEST provides hands-on, free support to help employers recruit apprentices.
Additionally, the CITB’s National Construction College (NCC) has seen their overall achievement rate for apprenticeships increase for three years running and is on track to make it four, with achievement rates for 2024-25 poised to reach the 70% target by the end of the financial year.
This will be 16% above the national average and, importantly, 92% of people completing their apprenticeships through the NCC stay in the industry, demonstrating the significant impact CITB’s NCC improvement programme has had.
Deb Madden, Executive Director for Nations Engagement at the CITB, said: ‘A career in construction is an incredibly fulfilling one that I encourage everyone to consider. Nothing beats the valuable skills to be learnt, the sense of accomplishment seeing a project completed, and the well-paid roles that are available.
It’s fantastic to see the impact CITB’s New Entrant Support Team and National Construction College are having, supporting learners to gain skills for life and employers to grow their businesses.’
Tim Balcon, Chief Executive of the CITB, added: ‘There are over 100 different construction apprenticeship roles that lead to careers in construction, and we encourage employers and people considering joining the industry to consider what apprenticeship role could work for them.
As well as continuing to drive up apprenticeship start numbers, we also need to improve retention and attract apprentices to pursue a career in construction. Currently some 60% of further education learners on construction courses do not end up in the industry – we need to tackle this issue with effective recruitment and training while promoting the benefits of joining the industry.’
NEST
Learn more about the support CITB offers and the help provided with your apprenticeship or new entrant needs. Each of our webinar sessions includes a Q&A at the end - and takes place on the following dates:
- February 27 and March 25, 2025
- Book your place on the NEST Eventbrite page
Interested in hiring an apprentice? Email [email protected] or visit our website.
The National Construction College:
The National Construction College (NCC) can provide all the construction training you need.
- Industry standard training
- Bespoke training
- Face-to-face training
- Remote training
There are three training centres in total, located in Kent, Norfolk, and Scotland. The training centres deliver industry-led, first-class training in real-life environments. NCC’s team of industry-focused instructors specialise in essential construction training.
*Disclaimer: This blog post is guest content, which is independent of the FMB. Publication does not constitute endorsement or recommendation from the FMB.
