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About CITB's work experience programme

If you’re thinking about being an apprentice in the construction industry, you can sign up for work experience with CITB.

The CITB work experience scheme matches employers with local students and supports them throughout with a dedicated Apprenticeship Officer. We have over 50 years of experience in delivering Apprenticeships and are highly skilled in this area.

Work experience gives you the chance to spend time on a live construction site and find out more about the careers available. It can last up to six weeks (depending on where you are in the UK). You won’t get paid for this placement but you will:

  • get a taste of life as an apprentice
  • show your enthusiasm to potential employers
  • have a great addition to your CV.

This scheme is not open to students who have already completed a Level 2 construction qualification.

To find out more about our work experience programme contact your local CITB Apprenticeship Officer.

Colleges and employers will be looking for work experience when they assess your application.

Work experience can help you to:

  • Find out what a particular career is like in the construction industry
  • Understand what working life is like
  • Find out about your existing skills and understand what your strengths are
  • Gain valuable new skills and experience   
  • Experience working with a wide range of people from different backgrounds
  • Show people that you have really thought about your future in construction

If you want to find out about being a construction apprentice, you can access this work experience programme when you are 16. Conditions vary across England, Scotland and Wales. You can start in:

  • England: after the last Friday in June of the school year in which you turn 16
  • Scotland: after 31 May if you turn 16 between 1 March and 30 September; and at the start of the Christmas holidays of the school year when you turn 16 between 1 October and the end of February.
  • Wales: after the last Friday in June if you turn 16 before the end of those summer holidays.
  • Both the student and the employer will receive support from a dedicated Apprenticeship Officer who will be available to answer any questions.
  • The Apprenticeship Officer will satisfy themselves that an employer is managing any significant risks. They can find out what the student will be doing, what the risks are and how they are managed.
  • If the student has any medical or behavioural conditions, for example asthma, they should let the Apprenticeship Officer or the employer know.