The Construction Industry Training Board has released updated figures for its New Entrant Support Team, showing that it has supported more than 13,500 apprenticeship starts since it was launched in September 2022
Additionally, the New Entrant Support Team (NEST) has supported 7,230 employers and 3,925 existing apprentices, with another 5,000 starts expected by the end of the 2026-27 Financial Year.
Leanne Land, head of regional engagement at CITB, said: “CITB is here to support employers to take on new entrants, and it’s fantastic to see the impact of our New Entrant Support Team.
“By reducing barriers, supporting recruitment, and championing the value of apprenticeships, we can help ensure more people enter and successfully complete the training that construction and the wider economy will increasingly depend on.”
More than 12% of all construction apprenticeships facilitated by the New Entrant Support Team
The latest available statistics show that around 33,000 people started construction apprenticeships in Britain in 2024-25.
The New Entrant Support Team supported over 4,100 apprenticeship starts during the same period, meaning more than 12% of all construction apprenticeship starts were facilitated by NEST.
NEST helps employers find, recruit, and retain apprentices and new entrants, access grants and funding, and receive ongoing support and employee mentoring.
Ensuring training progresses into long-term careers
With CITB’s Construction Workforce Outlook finding that we need over 41,000 extra construction workers every year, the new NEST figures show the initiative’s significant impact on addressing skills demand across the industry.
Land concluded: “It’s also vital that we don’t solely focus on people starting and completing training, but that they also progress into long-term careers in the industry.
“We remain committed to continuing our work in supporting employers to build the resilient and skilled workforce that the construction industry needs.”
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