Surge in construction apprenticeships as CITB support drives 61% rise

The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has reported a sharp rise in apprenticeship starts, with more than 1,500 new apprentices supported by its New Entrant Support Team (NEST) in just six months.

Between April and September 2025, NEST helped 1,521 people start construction apprenticeships. That marks a 61% increase compared with 943 during the same period last year.

Employer engagement has also surged, with 9,201 businesses supported to take on apprentices—a 48% rise from 2024.

In the last full financial year (2024–25), NEST supported around 4,000 apprenticeship starts, almost double the previous year. The team is now on course to surpass that total again in 2025–26.

NEST works with employers to remove barriers to hiring and retaining new entrants, providing guidance and direct support for companies looking to bring apprentices into their workforce.

According to CITB’s Construction Workforce Outlook, the UK must recruit almost 48,000 extra workers each year to meet demand for housing, infrastructure, and maintenance projects.

As part of the Government’s £600 million investment in construction skills, CITB will invest £32 million to fund more than 40,000 industry placements annually for Level 2 and Level 3 learners. The board also plans to double the size of its NEST programme to help small and medium-sized firms recruit and retain apprentices.

Deb Madden, CITB’s Executive Director of Customer Engagement and Operations, said the results show the positive impact of NEST’s work.

“Construction employers need to be confident that they’ve got effective and prompt support available to meet their skills and training needs,” she said. “NEST is providing exactly that, and it’s great to see the year-on-year increase in the number of employers and learners the team is supporting.

“A strong pipeline of apprentices and construction workers is required to build the millions of homes and hundreds of infrastructure projects needed. We’re really pleased to see how impactful NEST is, and I look forward to seeing the good work continue.”