Close to 8,000 of the employers assisted are micro and small businesses of fewer than 50 employees, demonstrating the scale of support that’s out there for construction firms of all sizes.

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 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.

CITB’s New Entrant Support Team (NEST) also supported over 3,500 new apprenticeship starts between April and 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, unrestricted support to help employers recruit apprentices.

Additionally, CITB’s National Construction College (NCC) has seen its overall achievement rate for apprenticeships increase for three years 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. 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.