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.
Protrade writes:
Following back to back years of declines in new entrants to the sector, including a 5.9% decrease in 2022/23 and 1.2% drop in 2023/24, this reversal in trend represents a positive story for the construction industry.
However, despite this growth, it may still fall short of the UK government’s ambitious house-building and renovation programmes. The Construction Industry Trading Board forecasted last year that an additional 240,000 construction workers would be required by 2030 to keep pace with construction targets. Against this backdrop, the latest growth in 2024/25 (24,590 new apprentices) represent just over half (51%) of the roughly 48,000 new recruits the sector actually needs to hit each year.
As a result, the construction sector has work to do in order to significantly expand the uptake of construction apprenticeships.
Key findings from the Protrade Construction Apprenticeship report:
- 2024/25 represents the first year of growth in construction apprenticeships since 2021/22, with 24,590 new apprentices, an increase of 1.5% on the year prior
- Record year for females beginning a construction apprenticeship, with a 9% increase and 2,630 female new entrants – women now account for 1 in 10 construction apprentices
- 2,270 new apprentices from ethnic minority backgrounds, representing an 18% increase on 2023/24 levels
- East Midlands is the fastest growing region for new construction apprentices (8% growth), whilst North West leads overall with most apprentices (4,240)
- London ranks the lowest for new construction apprentices (1,980) despite 3% increase
To read more detail from the report go to the following link:
