CITB's New Entrant Support Team passes 13,500 apprenticeship starts

The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has said its New Entrant Support Team (NEST) has supported more than 13,500 apprenticeship starts since the service began, with a further 5,000 expected by the end of the 2026-27 financial year.

In figures released on 13 October, CITB said NEST, which it launched in September 2022, has also supported 7,230 employers and given support to 3,925 existing apprentices.

The training body said NEST helps employers find, recruit and retain apprentices and other new entrants, and helps them access grants and funding.

Leanne Land, Head of Regional Engagement at CITB, said: "By reducing barriers, supporting recruitment and championing the value of apprenticeships, we can help ensure that more people enter and successfully complete the training". She added that the focus should not rest solely on starts and completions, but on people progressing into long-term careers in the industry.

Share of starts

CITB said the latest available statistics show about 33,000 people started construction apprenticeships in Britain in 2024-25. NEST supported over 4,100 of those starts, which the body said amounted to more than 12% of all construction apprenticeship starts in the year.

CITB's own earlier releases show how the service's numbers have moved since then. In February 2026 it reported 4,572 NEST-supported starts between April and December 2025, which it said was 1,040 more than the same period in 2024, a 30% increase, and already beyond its full-year 2025-26 target with three months to go.

By the end of the 2025-26 financial year, CITB said in May 2026, NEST had supported 5,913 apprentices to join the industry across England, Scotland and Wales, a 43% increase on the previous year. In the same year the team engaged with 20,579 employers about their apprenticeship recruitment requirements.

Deb Madden, Executive Director, Customer Engagement and Operations at CITB, said in February 2026: "The industry needs a steady and strong flow of talent to deliver critical infrastructure".

Grants and workforce demand

NEST's starts sit alongside CITB's wider apprenticeship grant programme. CITB said it supported 30,837 apprentices through grants in 2025-26, reaching 10,410 construction employers. It provided £120m in all grants during the year, including £68m in apprenticeship grants.

Under the scheme, CITB pays an attendance grant of £2,500 a year while an apprentice is completing their apprenticeship, and a £3,500 achievement grant on completion of a full apprenticeship lasting at least 12 months. The grants are open to CITB-registered employers who are up to date with their levy returns.

CITB's Construction Workforce Outlook forecasts that an average of 41,200 extra workers will be needed each year between 2026 and 2030. The body said that is equivalent to 1.6% of the 2025 workforce, or about 206,000 additional workers over the five-year period, with the construction workforce forecast to reach about 2.68 million by 2030.