The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has announced its year-end figures for the 2024/25 financial year, revealing that it provided nearly £130 million in grant support to construction employers and learners through its Grants Scheme.

A significant portion of this funding, £71.4 million, was channelled through CITB’s various apprenticeship grants. This supported over 30,000 learners and more than 10,000 employers, the majority of which were small and micro-sized construction firms.

In addition, CITB allocated £7.7 million to employers through its Travel to Train scheme during the last financial year. This grant assists employers with the travel and accommodation costs incurred by apprentices attending college or training providers. The scheme, designed to make training more accessible and attract a diverse range of individuals to the industry, supported over 3,500 learners and more than 1,300 employers in 2024/25.

Furthermore, over £50 million was provided to construction employers via other CITB grants. This included £20 million for Qualification Grants and £30.5 million for Short Course Grants, both aimed at ensuring a well-trained and competent workforce.

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The release of these figures follows the recent publication of CITB’s Strategic Plan 2025-29. Within this plan, CITB has committed over £860 million for the lifetime of the strategy to attract new talent into the industry and support employers in training and developing their workforce.

CITB highlighted the success of several initiatives launched in the past two years. Its New Entrant Support Team (NEST) facilitated over 4,000 new apprenticeship starts in the last financial year, nearly doubling the number of new apprentices supported compared to the previous period. The NEST programme offers free, hands-on support to employers for apprentice recruitment, and CITB plans to double the size of this programme to further assist SMEs in recruiting, engaging, and retaining apprentices.

Moreover, CITB’s Employer Networks, in their second full year of operation, supported 50,966 learners in the last financial year, a substantial increase from 11,468 in the inaugural year. This initiative, set up and funded by CITB, provides bespoke, easily accessible training and financial support for employers.

Adrian Beckingham, Strategy and Policy Director at CITB, commented: “We want to provide timely, effective support for construction firms of all shapes and sizes. The uptake of our Grants Scheme is excellent to see – our apprenticeships grant support is 14% over our target last FY."

He emphasised the impact on smaller businesses: "The fact that 90% of firms receiving our apprenticeship grant support are small and micro businesses is even more heartening – over two-thirds of apprenticeship starts in the construction industry are employed by companies of fewer than 50 employees. The health of smaller construction firms is vital for the wider industry to prosper."

Beckingham also praised internal efforts: "The amazing performances of our NEST and Employer Network teams is also very encouraging. There’s plenty of support available, so if you’re interested in pursuing an apprenticeship or hiring an apprentice, I urge you to get in contact with CITB to find out how we can support you."