CITB £11.5m employer networks budget: funding rules explained for SMEs
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan
First reported on The Construction Index
30 Second Briefing
CITB has set a £11.5m employer networks budget for 2026-27, restricting access to micro, small and medium-sized firms (fewer than 249 staff) while creating a separate large employer fund. From April, these smaller employers can book training through networks at 50% match funding, subject to new annual caps of £1,500 for micro (up to nine staff), £2,000 for small (10–49) and £4,500 for medium (50–249). Large employers will instead access a £18,000-per-year large employer fund for any in-scope training, tied to an agreed training plan.
Technical Brief
- Employer networks and the large employer fund sit alongside short course, apprenticeship, qualification and travel-to-train grants.
- Health and safety courses within employer networks can be funded via fixed CITB contributions rather than pure match-funding.
- Large employers must submit a formal training plan to CITB before drawing on the large employer fund.
- CITB reports a 36% increase in employer engagement, driving demand for funded competence and safety training.
- Levy income is unchanged, so funding access rules are being tightened to spread safety training across more firms.
- Separation of SME networks from the large employer fund allows more targeted health, safety and competence provision.
Our Take
The new £11.5m employer networks budget lands shortly after CITB’s decision to cut several training grants from January 2026, suggesting the board is shifting from centrally defined short courses towards more locally brokered training support for firms up to 249 employees.
In our Policy coverage, CITB appears frequently alongside regional skills initiatives such as the roofing, slating and tiling apprenticeship in Wales, so employer networks are likely to become a key route for SMEs to plug into these niche, safety‑critical training offers rather than relying on national one‑size‑fits‑all schemes.
With CITB citing a 36% increase in employer engagement over four years while levy income has stayed flat, micro and small UK construction employers may find that joining an employer network becomes increasingly important to secure funded safety and standards training in a more rationed grant environment.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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