Construction spends more on workforce training per employee than any other industry included in the Skills England annual skills report 2026.

In 2024, that investment stood at £2,550 per employee, compared with an average of £1,690 across all industries.

But there is another figure employers should pay attention to: construction training spend has fallen by 6% since 2019.

With budgets under pressure, the question is not simply how much construction businesses spend on training. It is whether that money is going towards the skills, qualifications and people that will make the greatest difference.

What Does the £2,550 Figure Really Tell Us?

The £2,550 figure is an industry-level measure of training expenditure per employee. It is not a recommended allowance and it does not mean every construction employer should spend the same amount on every worker.

Requirements vary significantly according to the work being carried out, the size of the business, the risks involved and the roles within the workforce.

However, the figure does highlight the financial commitment involved in maintaining a trained and competent construction workforce. Employers may need to account for health and safety courses, occupational qualifications, card requirements, plant categories, specialist skills and refresher cycles.

The course fee is only part of that cost. Releasing employees from work, arranging cover, travelling to a venue and managing bookings can all increase the real price of training.

When construction is already investing heavily and that investment is falling, poorly planned bookings become harder to absorb.

High Spend Does Not Always Mean the Right Training

Construction training is often booked reactively.

A certificate is about to expire. A new contract has landed. Someone needs access to site. A supervisor has taken on more responsibility.

The immediate problem gets solved, but the wider workforce need can be missed.

This is where training budgets start to lose impact. Employers may:

• Renew the same course without checking whether the employee’s role has changed
• Book a familiar short course when an NVQ or more advanced route is now needed
• Arrange several individual bookings that could have been grouped
• Wait until a mobilisation deadline limits the available options
• Miss funding or grant support by checking too late

None of this means training is unnecessary. It means every booking should have a clear purpose.

It does not necessarily point to careless management either. Construction training can be difficult to navigate, particularly for smaller employers without a dedicated training department. Course names can sound similar, card and qualification requirements are easily confused, and the most appropriate route may depend on an employee’s experience as well as their job title.

The answer is not to cut training indiscriminately. It is to make the decision before the deadline makes it for you.

Start With the Role, Not the Course

Before choosing a course, ask what the employee actually needs to do.

Do they need basic knowledge, practical instruction, refreshed understanding or formal proof of occupational competence? Are they continuing in the same role or preparing for greater responsibility?

Those questions matter because different outcomes require different routes.

For example:

• A new entrant may need CITB Health and Safety Awareness as part of the appropriate CSCS Labourer Card route
• Someone moving into supervision may need CITB SSSTS
• A site manager may require CITB SMSTS
• A person with temporary works duties may need the appropriate Temporary Works Supervisor or Temporary Works Coordinator course
• An experienced worker may need a relevant construction NVQ to demonstrate occupational competence

A certificate, card, short course and NVQ do not all prove the same thing. Choosing the right route begins with understanding the employee’s role and the outcome the business needs.

It is also worth looking beyond the employee’s current certificate. If their responsibilities have changed, simply renewing the same course may preserve the paperwork without addressing the skills they now require.

A supervisor may be moving towards site management. An experienced operative may now be leading a team. A manager may have acquired temporary works responsibilities. Each change should trigger a review of the training or qualification route, rather than an automatic repeat booking.

Training and Competence Are Not Interchangeable

One of the easiest ways to waste training budget is to treat every workforce need as a course booking.

Short courses and NVQs serve different purposes.

A course such as SSSTS, SMSTS or Temporary Works training develops or refreshes knowledge relevant to a particular responsibility. An NVQ assesses whether an individual can demonstrate occupational competence through the work they already carry out.

Some employees may need both.

For example, a supervisor may take SSSTS to strengthen their understanding of site safety responsibilities. They may also require an appropriate supervisory NVQ to demonstrate occupational competence and support the relevant CSCS card route.

Booking another short course will not necessarily achieve that outcome. Equally, an NVQ is not suitable for someone who is not yet working in the role and cannot produce the required workplace evidence.

The most effective training plans recognise the difference between:

• Learning or refreshing knowledge
• Developing practical skills
• Demonstrating occupational competence
• Meeting a card, client or project requirement
• Preparing someone for progression

Once the intended outcome is clear, it becomes much easier to select the right route and avoid paying for training that does not solve the actual problem.

Look Across the Workforce

One urgent booking can feel like a small decision. Repeated across a workforce, it becomes a significant cost.

A clear construction training matrix can reveal upcoming renewals, skills gaps, progression needs and groups of employees who require similar training.

That gives employers more time to compare:

• Public or live online course places
• Private online delivery
• Dedicated training for several employees
• Relevant NVQ routes
• Available CITB funding or grants

Planning earlier can reduce travel, disruption and administration as well as the risk of paying for the wrong training under deadline pressure.

It can also uncover demand that is easy to miss when each request is handled separately. One employee may need a course next month, two more may be due later in the quarter and another team may have the same requirement shortly afterwards.

Identifying that pattern early creates more choice. Depending on the course and learner numbers, the employer can decide whether individual public places, live online training or a dedicated course offers the best fit.

The cheapest course fee will not always represent the best overall value. Travel, time away from site, operational disruption and repeated administration should form part of the comparison.

Check Funding Before Confirming the Booking

Funding should be considered while the training plan is being developed, not after the invoice arrives.

Depending on the employer, course or qualification and current scheme rules, support may be available through routes such as CITB Employer Networks or achievement grants for eligible NVQs.

Not every option is funded in the same way, and some processes need to be followed before training is booked. Employers should therefore check eligibility early, while there is still time to choose the most appropriate delivery route.

Our guide to CITB Funding in 2026 explains the main forms of support currently available.

Make Every Training Pound Count

The £2,550 figure is not a recommended training budget, and individual employer costs will vary considerably. It does, however, show the scale of the investment already being made across construction.

The goal should not be to spend less at any cost. It should be to make every booking support a genuine role, responsibility, risk or progression need.

That means asking three questions:

1. What does this person need to be able to do?
2. Which course or qualification delivers the right outcome?
3. Can the requirement be planned, grouped or supported through funding?

Essential Site Skills helps construction employers identify suitable training and qualification routes, from public and live online courses to dedicated delivery and NVQs.

If you are reviewing your workforce requirements, contact our team or view upcoming dates on our construction training calendar.