CITB Slashes Funding and Grants for Construction Training

The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has today announced a series of cuts to the funding and grant system for construction training. 

CITB says the cuts are needed because more companies are claiming funding while the training levy has not increased. It says current demand levels mean the organisation is heading to running out of levy money without the cuts.

Training Funding Cuts

The CITB funding and grant changes will come into effect from Thursday 8^th January 2026. They are:

• Remove short course training grants, with Employer Networks as the main replacement funding route and a small number of courses to still be grant funded.

• Employer Networks will offer 50% of training costs

• Funding for level 7 qualifications and attendance grant from long qualifications will be stopped

• All non-apprentice achievement grants will be £600.

CITB has seen a 36% increase in demand for its services over the last 4 years. It says increases in demand are due to the success of initiatives like Employer Networks and the New Entrant Support Team (NEST).

Large Employers

Other changes affecting large employers will come into effect from Wednesday 1st April 2026. These are:

• Large employers will be moved to a single large employer funding offer

• Large employers will no longer be able to access Employer Networks.

Tim Balcon

Tim Balcon, Chief Executive, CITB, said: “First and foremost, we want to apologise for the short notice for some of these changes. This was done to avoid surge claiming that will put our ability to support employers at risk. We had planned to transition our funding model gradually, giving employers time to adjust. The pace of demand growth means we need to act faster than we intended – and faster than we would have liked.

“While it is good news that there has been an increase in demand for our services, we have maintained the same Levy rate. This balanced against the increased demand means it’s necessary to bring forward changes to ensure we’re delivering the greatest value for the greatest number of employers.

“We appreciate this is a change for employers at a challenging time. We want to assure you we are here to support you – to find out how, please visit the CITB website or contact your local CITB engagement advisor.”

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