New analysis by Protrade reveals a 1.5% increase in new construction apprentices for 2024-25, representing the first year of growth since the 2021-22 peak. However, the UK is still facing significant structural weaknesses in the construction skills system
After two consecutive years of decline, the construction industry has finally recorded a modicum of positive news. New analysis from Protrade reveals a 1.5% increase in new construction apprentices for 2024-25, a reversal of the downward trend that followed the post-pandemic peak of 2021-22. With 24,590 new starters, the sector can tentatively claim to have stabilised the previous downward trend.
However, while the data showcases an improvement, it also highlights a clear mismatch between the industry’s current trajectory and the government’s ambitions.
The Construction Industry Training Board’s forecast underlines the gap: an additional 240,000 workers are needed by 2030 – around 48,000 each year to meet the government’s housing targets. With just 24,590 new recruits, the industry is meeting only half that requirement.
Demographics shift as female apprentices hit record high
Perhaps the most revealing trend within the data is who is driving this growth. The 1.5% headline figure masks a stagnation in traditional recruitment pools. Starts for 16 and 17-year-olds continue to decline, while male recruitment remains relatively flat. Instead, the increase is being driven almost entirely by demographics the industry has historically struggled to attract.
It is a significant milestone that women now account for one in 10 construction apprentices, with a record 2,630 female entrants marking a 9% increase. This signals genuine progress for a sector long criticised for its lack of diversity, suggesting that efforts to improve accessibility and challenge the perception of construction as a male-dominated industry are, at last, beginning to gain traction.
Similarly, the 18% rise in apprentices from ethnic minority backgrounds is a significant achievement, nearly doubling the figures from 2018-19. It reflects a sector that is gradually becoming more representative but also underscores a new reality: growth is increasingly being driven by underrepresented groups, rather than a renewed engagement with its traditional pipeline of young entrants.
An uneven recovery
Geographically, the recovery is uneven. The North West continues to lead with over 4,000 apprentices and nearly 5% growth, while the East Midlands saw the fastest regional expansion at 8%. This contrasts sharply with the South East and East of England, which experienced declines, and London, which languishes at the bottom with the least number of new construction apprentices, despite a 3% increase.
This regional patchwork suggests that while apprenticeship routes are firing, more work needs to be done in other regions to boost new starter intakes.
Structural weaknesses
So, what is holding the sector back? Craig Sanders, joint managing director at Protrade, points to three structural weaknesses that need urgent attention.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) – the backbone of UK construction – remain constrained by the cost and administrative burden of taking on apprentices. If growth continues to sit primarily with large contractors, the industry will struggle to reach the scale required to meet national targets.
At the same time, the pipeline of young talent is weakening. Stagnation among 16-to-18-year-olds points to a deeper issue of perception and accessibility. Too many school leavers are still overlooking construction as a viable career path. Without earlier engagement in schools, clearer progression routes and a stronger effort to position apprenticeships alongside A-levels and university, that trend is unlikely to reverse.
The sector is also missing a significant cultural opportunity. With the government’s Warm Homes Plan and wider net zero ambitions set to drive demand for green skills, from retrofit to heat pump installation, construction should be positioning itself at the heart of the climate solution. Yet it has largely failed to communicate that message to a generation actively seeking purpose-driven careers.
A 1.5% rise in apprentices may signal stabilisation but it is far from a recovery. Without a more coordinated strategy – one that supports SMEs, rebuilds the youth pipeline and capitalises on the green economy – the industry will continue to fall short of what is needed.
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