The number of women starting construction apprenticeships has surged in recent years, according to a new report from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB).
The Construction Apprenticeships 2025: Challenges. Opportunities. Support report reveals that 1,450 women began a construction apprenticeship in 2018-19, rising to 2,420 in 2023-24—a 67% increase.
The trend extends beyond enrollment, with the number of women completing their apprenticeships also seeing remarkable growth. In 2018-19, 340 women completed their training, a figure that jumped by more than 170% to 930 in 2023-24.
CITB is encouraging more women to consider careers in construction, aiming to sustain this momentum and foster greater diversity in the industry.
This rise in female starters and completions suggests a future with greater gender diversity in the construction industry. Changing attitudes towards gender roles and the introduction of policies aimed at promoting gender equality will help further decrease the gender and skills gaps.
The findings are a positive sign for the construction industry, and CITB intends to build upon this. Earlier this week, the company launched the 2025 iteration of the Top 100 Most Influential Women in Construction Awards. Additionally, in its recent Strategic Plan 2025 – 29, CITB listed one of its key objectives is to inspire and enable diverse and skilled people into construction.
CITB intends to promote construction careers to over 5 million potential new entrants, highlighting that there are over 180 different occupations in the industry. Similarly, there are over 100 different construction apprenticeship roles that lead to careers in the industry for people at every stage of their career.
Lucie Wright, Head of Careers Strategy at CITB, said:
“We need more women in construction. It’s incredibly heartening to see the number of women starting construction apprenticeships increasing – long may this continue. As an industry, we need to actively promote to as diverse a range of applicants as possible and make sure we get the conditions for working in the industry right for as many different people as possible.
“We recently launched the Top 100 Most Influential Women in Construction Awards 2025, back for the fourth year running. The programme is one of the ways we strive to recognise the wonderful women and allies who are driving real change in the construction industry.
“For any women thinking about their career options, I and CITB urge you to consider a career in construction. There’s so much to admire about the industry, and it’s a great place for women to work and thrive.”