The talent shortage in UK trade sectors is getting worse. While job demand surges across construction, the apprenticeship system that should be feeding these trades is failing to deliver, according to new data. The ‘Apprenticeship Gap Report’ found that the construction trade faces the second-largest deficit across all sectors analysed, with a 99:1 ratio representing a gap of just over 14,000 unfilled positions.
The research, created by power tool accessories specialist DART Tool Group, analysed data from the Department for Education, the Office of National Statistics (ONS), and job board site Reed across six UK trade sectors, revealing where the skills crisis is most severe, why training pathways are under strain, and what strategic actions employers can take to strengthen their future workforce.
Across all trades analysed, there are just 809 apprenticeship openings to fill over 86,000 current job vacancies, a ratio of 106 jobs competing for every single apprenticeship place.
Top construction apprenticeships by deficit
| Deficit | Apprenticeships 2024-2025 | |||
| Trade | Job openings per completer | Starts Year-on- Year % difference | Starts 24/25 v 21/22 | Completion Rate |
| Property Maintenance | 79 | -4.3% | -3.3% | 16% |
| Plant Operator | 73 | -28.3% | 6.5% | 48% |
| Carpentry and Joinery | 20 | -8.2% | -29.3% | 45% |
| Road Surfacing Operative | 17 | -50.0% | 0% | Low |
| Scaffolder | 8 | -21.9% | -15.3% | 60% |
| Roofer | 7 | 4.4% | 27.0% | 28% |
| Painter and Decorator | 4 | -20.3% | -33.8% | 49% |
| Groundworker | 3 | 8.9% | 5.2% | 36% |
| Bricklayer | 3 | -9.0% | -42.2% | 50% |
Hardest hit within the construction sector are Property Maintenance specialists, with nearly 80 vacancies for every one apprentice who qualifies, and only 16% of apprentices completing their programme in the past year. Apprenticeship starts have also declined by 4.3% year-on-year, and by 3.3% since 2021/2022.
Similarly, Plant Operator roles face a 73:1 deficit, even as apprenticeship starts edged up by 7%. This comes as less than half of the starts succeeded in achieving the apprenticeship in the 2024/2025 intake.
Traditional trades such as Roofing and Groundworking were the only roles within construction that saw an increase in starts year-on-year at 4% and 9% respectively. While this seems promising, both roles only saw a 28% and 36% completion rate, respectively. This shows that while initial interest is strong, retention continues to be a major challenge.
While Property Maintenance shows the largest overall trade deficit, the sharpest fall in new apprenticeships was in Road Surfacing Operatives, which saw a decline of 50% of starts year-on-year, and a 0% change in starts between 2021/2022 and 2024/2025.
This comes as road building and repair budgets have been reduced in recent years, with a further £270m cut in March 2025, representing a 5% decrease and a potential blocker to attracting new apprentices into the sector.
Fewer than a third of apprentices complete their programmes, suggesting an inefficient and costly training pipeline. Within the construction industry, the report’s data shows that less than half of apprentices completed their programmes on average in 2024/2025, a notable drop from the 65% that completed the previous year.
Average apprenticeship completion rates across industries and top roles
| Trade | Completion Rate 24/25 | Completion Rate 23/24 | Completion Rate 22/23 | Completion Rate 21/22 |
| Construction | 41% | 65% | 43% | 20% |
Ryan Paterson, Managing Director at DART Tool Group, said: “The findings from our ‘Apprenticeship Gap Report’ have demonstrated that, with a stronger, more effective apprenticeship system and active encouragement and promotion of trade industry jobs, the risk of a widening skills gap can be reduced.
“The construction sector is facing some of the toughest shortages in recent years, with our data finding a deficit of 99:1. By partnering with local colleges, addressing misconceptions about trade roles, and providing flexible on-site learning, businesses can gradually fill the positions needed to meet the ambitious housebuilding targets.
“Bridging the labour market gap demands smarter workforce planning, better training frameworks, and professional-grade site tools that enable apprentices to complete their programmes, master technical skills, and build a stronger and more confident workforce without delaying projects further.”
Tim Balcon, CEO, Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), added: “This report demonstrates that, at present, there aren’t clear enough pathways to translate people’s training into jobs. The core issue isn’t that we’re not training enough people – around 130,000 people start some form of construction training that will lead to a qualification every year across Britain.
“However, about 40,000 of these people will secure employment in the industry after completing their training. Some will progress onto higher level apprenticeships or other forms of construction training, but many don’t enter the industry at all. Better retention of trainees and current workers in construction can significantly reduce the skills shortage.
“Addressing the skills gap requires large-scale collaboration. As part of the Government’s £600m construction skills package, we provided £32m investment to deliver increased industry placements. Similarly, we’re collaborating with the Construction Skills Mission Board to strategically coordinate national and local programmes and initiatives to address workforce needs, engage more SMEs and micro employers to invest in skills, and ensure clear pathways into construction.”
Methodology
Using the Department for Education’s official statistics for 2021/2022 to 2024/2025, DART Tool Group examined apprenticeship starts, enrolments, and achievements across Construction, Planning and the Built Environment, and Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies sectors.
Live apprenticeship openings were captured from official government portals across regions, analysing a total of 809 apprenticeship roles. Job vacancy data was sourced from Reed and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to calculate demand across each sector, highlighting the number of roles currently unfilled and regional variations in labour shortages.