Just 17% of construction businesses employ an apprentice, with micro businesses particularly unlikely to participate, according to new research.
London has the lowest rate of construction apprenticeship starts relative to its workforce, with just 8.9 starts per 1,000 construction workers in 2024-25, compared with 42.3 in Scotland, according to a new report from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB).
Construction Apprenticeships: Opportunities. Challenges. Support highlights significant regional disparities in apprenticeship opportunities and calls for local skills plans to do more to help employers recruit and support apprentices.
The report found there are around 30 construction employers for every apprenticeship start in London, compared with fewer than four in Scotland and between six and 20 in other regions.
Despite having one of the largest concentrations of construction businesses in Britain, London has relatively few apprenticeship starts compared with the size of its construction workforce. CITB said this pointed to scope for more employers to offer training opportunities.
Across Great Britain, around 33,000 people started a construction apprenticeship in 2024-25. However, only around 17% of construction businesses currently employ an apprentice.
Micro businesses, which account for around 95% of the industry, are particularly unlikely to participate, highlighting the need for practical support to help smaller employers recruit and train apprentices.
CITB said devolved and place-based skills interventions could help address local labour market needs, expand routes into skilled work and strengthen the industry’s future workforce. Improving apprenticeship completion rates will also be important.
Lee Bryer, insight manager at CITB, said: “Construction needs skilled people across the whole of Britain, and this report shows striking differences in the scale of opportunity for people to start apprenticeships depending on where they live.
“Apprenticeships are fundamental to the future of construction. With many young people also not being in education, employment or training, apprenticeships can be a fantastic way for them to join the workforce.
“The sector, government and education providers need to come together. We cannot afford for apprenticeship opportunities to be lower or to be concentrated in only some parts of the country. By making apprenticeships easier to offer, we can create more opportunities locally and build a stronger, more resilient construction workforce.”
