Earlier this week, CITB announced that it will be making significant changes to the way it supports Employer Networks and the Large Employer Fund. These updates, which will come into effect in April 2026, are intended to ensure the long-term sustainability of support and to direct course funding where it will have the greatest impact.
As a CITB Approved Training Organisation (ATO) and an approved member of the CITB Training Provider Network (TPN), our support team at Kentec Training are committed to helping our clients understand what is changing, and how it will impact your organisation.
Changes to CITB Employer Networks
From April, micro to medium employers, defined as those employing between 1 and 249 employees, will be able to book training with 50% match funding or at a fixed contribution for health and safety courses. Large employers will now have their own separate funding stream.
The Employer Networks budget for 2026 to 2027 has been set by CITB at £11.5 million. This will be capped by employer size to help ensure that funding can continue to support as many employers as possible across the industry.
Introducing the New Large Employer Fund
For large employers, defined as those employing more than 250 people, Employer Network funding will no longer be available from 31 March 2026 onwards.
Large employers currently contribute and receive support in a broadly equitable proportion, accounting for 31% of Levy income and 30% of grant awards in 2024. However, feedback suggests that the Employer Networks model does not fully meet their needs.
As a result, CITB are set to launch a new Large Employer Fund on 1 April 2026.
The fund will provide £18,000 for large employers to spend on any in-scope training of their choice during the 2026 to 2027 financial year. Funding will be paid following submission of a training plan or evidence that training has been completed.
This will act as an interim fund while CITB works with large employers to develop the next phase of support.
Why are these changes being made?
Within the construction industry, the UK Government currently commits over £600 million to tackle the ongoing skills shortage and to train up to 60,000 more workers, and yet the demand for high-quality training has increased exponentially - and according to CITB, now threatens to exceed the funding allowance and become financially unsustainable.
Over the past four years, CITB reports it has seen a 36% rise in employer engagement across programmes such as Employer Networks, and while that growth reflects real momentum across the industry and is something to be proud of, it also means that CITB has needed to think carefully about how funding is fairly distributed across the whole construction sector.
Further Reading & Guidance from Kentec Training
If you have any questions or concerns, get in touch with Kentec Training's support team on 0333 666 0555. Alternatively, please visit our CITB Course Funding guidance pages available via the links below:
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📞 Want to get in touch with our team about the changes to CITB course funding? Get in touch today on 0333 666 0555 or email at info@kentectraining.co.uk. We're here to help!
