The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has today announced a series of changes it is making to the funding and grant system, which will come into effect from 8 January 2026.  In making the changes changes have sought to reassure the sector that they are designed to ensure CITB can deliver the greatest value for the greatest number of employers and maximise the value of the Levy for industry.

They claim that due to the success of initiatives like Employer Networks and the New Entrant Support Team (NEST), CITB has seen a 36% increase in demand for its services over the last four years. Over this same period, CITB has not raised the Levy rate, meaning that it is needing to support more employers with the same amount of Levy.

Consequently, at current levels, demand for CITB support will exceed its Levy income. Without action, CITB risks being unable to support any of these programmes.

Some of the funding and grant changes will come into effect from Thursday 8 January 2026.

These include:

• Removal of short course training grant, with Employer Networks as the main replacement funding route and a small number of courses to still be grant funded.
• The scope of what is funded by Employer Networks is changing, as well as a reduction of the rate to 50% match funding
• Funding for level 7 qualifications and attendance grant from long qualifications will be stopped (note long qualifications have a specific definition available here and this change should not impact trade apprenticeships)
• All non-apprentice achievement grants will be £600.

The remaining changes will come into effect from Wednesday 1 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, 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.”

Upon hearing about the changes, Beena Nana, Head of Skills and Training at FIS said:

“We had no foresight of these changes and are now working to understand the full impact on our community and how they will support the need for systemic change that CITB have highlighted.

There is, however, no doubt that the timing and depth of cuts will be a real kick in the teeth to many who have set Budgets and committed to training plans.  We recognise CITB’s need to manage rising demand, but the brutal reality for employers in the finishes and interiors sector is that these changes will make it even harder for employers to see tangible return on their levy investment.

Our members voted against consensus as recently as this summer and the initial reaction seems to be that the offer from CITB is even worse than they thought.  We wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment that fundamental changes are needed to the training landscape for construction, but you can understand why increasingly companies are questioning whether a swathing levy that is unpredictable and remote from the needs of individual companies and sub sectors is helping to drive that change”.

To find out more about these changes and how CITB can support you, please visit: www.citb.co.uk/funding-changes

There are four Zoom webinars available, tailored for small and medium employers, large employers, and training providers.

You will have the opportunity to discuss your point of view, as well as ask questions.

All Employers webinar – for small, medium, and large employers
Tuesday 16^th December 2025
6.30pm – 7.30pm

Large Employers webinar – for large employers (over 250 employees) only
Wednesday 17^th December 2025
8.30am – 9.30am

All Employers webinar – for small, medium, and large employers
Wednesday 17^th December 2025
10am – 11am

Training Providers webinar – for training providers only
Wednesday 17^th December 2025
12.30pm – 1.30pm

*A CITB Large Employer is a business that:

1. Has 250 or more workers
   (PAYE employees + net-paid CIS subcontractors), and

1. Is wholly or mainly engaged in construction
   (over 50% of total workforce time spent on construction activities)