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SkillBuild 2025 National Finalists Announced
The best construction trainees and apprentices from across the UK have been announced following this year’s SkillBuild Regional Qualifiers. The...
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NEST Lays Foundation
The CITB’s specialist New Entrant Support Team (NEST) has helped over 1,500 apprentices join the construction industry over a six-month period.
The period was April-September 2025 – the number of apprenticeship starts supported increased by 61% compared to previous period.
The figures also show that 9,201 employers were engaged, with the aim to recruit an apprentice into their business in that same period, a 48% increase compared to the same period in 2024. In the last full financial year 2024-25, CITB’s NEST supported 4,000 apprenticeship starts, almost doubling from the previous financial year 2023-24. The team is currently on track to outperform this in the 2025-26 financial year.
NEST helps make finding, recruiting and retaining an apprentice or new entrant easier for employers, and works closely with them to remove any barriers they may face employing and retaining new entrants, particularly apprentices.
Construction Workforce Outlook
The Construction Industry Training Board’s Construction Workforce Outlook report estimates that the UK needs to recruit 47,860 extra workers each year to meet demand for housing, infrastructure and maintenance.
As part of the government’s £600m investment into construction skills, CITB will invest £32 million to fund over 40,000 industry placements each year for all Level 2 and Level 3 learners, those studying NVQs, BTECs, T Levels and advanced apprenticeships. CITB will also double the size of its NEST programme to support SMEs in recruiting, engaging, and retaining apprentices.
Deb Madden, the executive director of customer engagement and operations, says: “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. I look forward to seeing the good work continue to give employers access to hands-on, dedicated support.”
Picture: The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) is the designated industry training board for the construction sector in England, Scotland, and Wales. Its remit is to assist the construction industry in attracting talent and to champion skills development.
Article written by Brian Shillibeer
14th January 2026