Balfour Beatty-led Scottish Pathways programme puts 57 people into construction jobs or apprenticeships

The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) said 105 people have completed Scottish Pathways to Construction, a two-year programme developed by Balfour Beatty with Capital City Partnership, with 57 of them securing a job or starting an apprenticeship.

A further 19 participants moved into advanced training or further education at college, CITB said in an update published on 30 October 2026. The programme started in October 2024 after a successful bid to CITB's Industry Impact Fund and concluded this month.

Outcome	People
Completed the programme	105
Into employment or an apprenticeship	57
Into advanced training or college	19

Ian Hughes, CITB Engagement Director for Scotland, said: "The Industry Impact Fund is designed to support projects that tackle industry-wide challenges and deliver lasting benefits for construction."

He said the programme had helped underrepresented groups into the sector while "creating a proven model that can be adopted more widely across Scotland to support future workforce needs".

Who it reached

According to CITB, the programme targeted refugees and migrants, people from ethnic minority communities, women entering construction, disabled people, and unemployed and underemployed people, as well as social enterprises and local small and medium-sized firms.

Participants took part in industry insight events, careers awareness sessions, training and work placements. The training covered Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) preparation and testing, health and safety awareness, vehicle banksman training, working at height, manual handling, fire awareness and abrasive wheels, alongside employability support.

CITB said the programme combined central coordination with local flexibility and leaves a framework that can be replicated elsewhere in Scotland.

Balfour Beatty's role

Balfour Beatty has a 2,000-strong workforce in Scotland, of which 130 are apprentices, graduates and trainees, according to Nick Rowan, Managing Director, Balfour Beatty Scotland, writing in a blog for Prosper in May 2026.

Rowan said that "through programmes like Scottish Pathways to Construction, we are supporting people into careers in the industry".

The fund

The Industry Impact Fund is open to any CITB levy-registered employer that is up to date with its levy returns and payments, CITB said. It offers up to £500,000 per proposal, and CITB said £4.5m has been awarded to projects through the fund to date.

Assessment of applications takes four to nine months on average, and payments are made in four instalments once activity has started, according to CITB.

CITB's 2025-26 plan for Scotland includes continued support for Scottish-based employers through the fund on themes such as productivity and net zero. The same plan commits CITB to maximising a contracted allocation of 1,426 apprentices in Scotland during 2025-26 under its contract with Skills Development Scotland.

Workforce demand

The programme's results arrive against CITB's latest demand forecast. Its Construction Workforce Outlook 2026-2030, published on 17 June 2026, forecasts that an average of 41,200 extra construction workers will be needed across the UK each year between 2026 and 2030, taking the workforce to about 2.68 million by 2030.