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Short course grants

From 8 January 2026, CITB funding for short courses is changing. Information about the changes and why they were made is on the Funding changes information page.

If you have courses which were completed before 8 January 2026, or were booked before 8 December 2026 and completed before 31 March 2026, scroll down to our Short Course grant transition section for information on receiving grant.

We pay grants for the completion of short courses related specifically to Plant Operations, Scaffolding and other specialist areas.

On this page:

Overview

We pay grants for the successful achievement of short courses related specifically to Plant Operations, Scaffolding and other specialist areas.

To qualify, courses must have a minimum duration of 3 hours and must not exceed 29 days and align to approved construction related standards, or to an approved standard title where the standards are undergoing development.

Who can apply for this grant?

You can apply if you’re a CITB Registered employer and up to date with your Levy Returns, as well as adhering to the Grants Scheme policy and specific requirements for this grant.

You can apply for this grant for all directly employed staff on the payroll, business owners and partners, and all subcontractors.

Which courses are covered for grant?

We will pay grant for completion of the following short courses (which are at least 3 hours in duration) and CPCS tests. We only pay grant once for each individual per course, unless a standard specifies a renewal or refresher is required. 

Plant Operations standards and training

Grant is available for plant categories PDF, across the three types below.

  • We pay grant for the completion of novice or experienced plant training courses which align to the new standards and delivered by an ATO or TPN member. More details on these standards is on the Plant standards and grant page.
  • We pay grant for passing the theory and practical elements of CPCS technical tests for those categories which do not have a new standard and are listed in the document above. CPCS test grant is paid automatically following NOCN CPCS processing the test achievement.
  • We pay grant for the completion of training courses related to plant standards in development, where development of new plant standards is underway.

Scaffolding training

We pay grant for completion of courses which align to the following scaffolding short course standards, which are at least 3 hours in duration.

Other occupations

We pay grant for completion of courses which align to the following short course standards, which are at least 3 hours in duration.

For short courses not listed above, visit the Employer Networks page for alternative funding, or contact your Local CITB Adviser to see what support may be available.

How can courses be delivered?

Approved courses are provided by CITB Approved Training Organisations (ATOs) or Training Provider Network (TPN) members who can list their courses on the Construction Training Directory.

Courses can be delivered in a number of ways and the industry-accepted methods of delivery are defined within the published course standard, including:

  • classroom, where the course is the full duration
  • e-learning, where the course is at least 50% of the published duration*
  • a blend of classroom and e-learning, where the course is at least 75% of the published duration in the standard

For example, where a published standard defines the duration as 1 day, a classroom-based course must be a full day to align to the standard, whilst an e-learning course must be at least half a day (3 hours) to align to the standard.

*E-learning is not an acceptable form of training for courses when a standard is in development. It is only acceptable when the full standard has been developed and e-learning is stated as a delivery method that may be used.

 

How many applications are allowed?

If you are a newly registered employer, you have a cap of 35 short course achievement grants for the financial year in which you are first registered. There is no cap for subsequent years.

How to apply

If you used an Approved Training Organisation (ATO) or Training Provider Network (TPN) member

When you book your training please ensure you supply the ATO or TPN member with the learner’s details, including their National Insurance number as well as your 7-digit CITB registration number.

When an individual has achieved the course, the provider will update CITB within 10 working days. CITB then enters the achievement on the Construction Training Register and processes the automated grant application.

Please contact our Customer Services team on 0344 994 4455 if your payment is not received within one month of achieving the course.

If you used a different training provider 

If your training provider is not an ATO or a Training Network (TPN) member, you must apply for grant through the CITB Online Services portal within 52 weeks of the achievement date.

Apply online now

Find out more about the Online Services portal, including how to sign up and access your employer.

Find out more about how to apply for short course grants, with step-by-step guidance and videos. 

You can also let your local CITB Adviser know who the training provider is so we can make contact to assist them in becoming a TPN member.

Short course grant transition period

We will pay grants for courses, which are at least 3 hours long, which were completed before 8 January 2026, or were booked before 8 December 2026 and completed before 31 March 2026. All rules above apply to these grants.

You can see a full list of short course standards. Each standard displays how much grant we pay if applicable.

My course was completed before 8 January 2026

Grant pays automatically where the achievement is reported by an ATO or member of the Training Provider Network, or you can apply directly within 52 weeks following the guidance in the How to apply section above.

My course was booked before 8 December 2026 and completed between 8 January 2026 and 31 March 2026

You must apply for grant by emailing an application form along with evidence which demonstrates the course was booked before 8 December 2026. We will update this page shortly with more details of the application method.