Renewable energy is proving to be a great direction for many of our graduates here at Access Training. Whether you have completed electrician courses or plumbing courses, your skills are needed in the renewable energy sector, where going Green is now big business. With great government schemes in place and renewable energy targets to meet, increasing numbers of projects involving solar panels, wind turbines and alternative renewable energy sources are springing up across England and Wales.

As fantastic as this is for local economies and our electrician courses graduates, renewable energy projects are not without contention. As popular as they are with environmentalists and those looking to boost local jobs, wind turbine projects are loathed by locals who believe that such projects will tarnish and ruin natural landscapes.

This year more than 100 wind turbines are set to be built across North Wales, with a substantial number planned for Anglesey. The 40 planned wind turbines on the island are proving particularly contentious, especially since many of these turbines will be over 330ft high. Those who oppose these plans are concerned that their erection will mar the landscape, industrialising Anglesey’s natural landscape and reducing revenue from tourism.

This is not a dispute which is likely to be solved easily. There are many strong arguments from both sides of the fence, yet more wind turbines means more apprenticeships, work and a bright future for those with excellent trade skills after completing training on electrician courses and gaining expert trade skills in a range of areas. This is especially important in a period of recession and high levels of unemployment. For those with an environmental conscience, these turbines will make a vital contribution to Wale’s plans to become self-sufficient on renewable energy by 2050.

If you’d like to learn more about how to use Access electrician courses, plumbing courses and many forward-thinking modules to get into the booming renewable energy sector, call our experienced team today on 0800 345 7492 for top advice from the training experts.

On Thursday the 1st March 2012, Cardiff City Stadium will be hosting an exciting free seminar that will introduce lots of businesses and tradespeople to the Government’s ‘Green Deal’ initiative. This initiative is set to bring a whole host of ecological, environmental and cost benefits to a wide range of tradespeople, including those who have qualified on plumber courses, electrician courses and many more vocational courses.

The Green Deal is likely to bring many fantastic schemes and opportunities to businesses and tradespeople who are prepared to ‘Go Green’.  The overall aim of the initiative is to improve energy efficiency and boost savings. From plumber courses to electrician courses, all manner of vocational courses now teach their students to install energy and water saving equipment and how to ensure all work done is performed in an environmentally friendly way. The Green Deal aims to take advantage of these skills which are out there in the workplace in order to save people money and improve the UK’s carbon footprint.

The seminar, which begins at 9am on Thursday and will last for around 3 and a half hours, aims to introduce businesses and tradespeople to the opportunities out there which the Green Deal will open up. Attending will allow those who have taken plumber courses and electrician courses to discover the new directions in which their industries are heading. Attendees will also learn about the possibilities which are likely to open up under the Green Deal initiative as well as the advice, training, support and information out there waiting to be taken advantage of.

The speakers will include spokespeople from companies already involved in the Green sector in a wide range of capacities. If you are looking to discover where your trade fits into a Green future, this is the perfect learning opportunity.

In the meantime, if you are looking for plumber courses or electrical courses which will equip you for the future of your chosen industry, Access Training offer City & Guilds accredited plumber and electrical courses which are both flexible and forward thinking. Call 0800 345 7492 today to speak to one of our friendly advisers.

Any spark qualifying on electrician courses over the next few months could find their finances under the close scrutiny of HMRC. In fact, contract electricians of all levels of experience could find their work and their income monitored very closely by Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs over the coming year.

The ‘big push’ by HMRC has been taking place across the trades which are considered high risk industries for tax avoidance. This wave of intense scrutiny and bureaucracy is part of the government’s overall goal which is to cut back on benefit fraud, tax evasion and other ‘low-level’ financial crimes which cost the taxpayer millions of pounds every year.

Looking at the bigger picture, this move to closely monitor the earnings of those who have qualified on electrician courses is part of the country-wide austerity drive, aimed at reducing our deficit and minimising the need for cuts in essential areas such as health care and education.

Alongside tackling those qualified on electrician courses, HMRC have also been closely monitoring self-employed plumbers and other sole traders. According to those leading the campaign, the investigations will look closely at anyone who installs, maintains and tests electrical appliances and equipment.

The reason people will be monitored so closely after completing electrical courses is that electrical contractors working as sole traders are traditionally a little ‘foggy’ when it comes to income, figures and tax. Whether this is the result of dodgy accounting or simple forgetfulness is not clear – it may well be that qualified sparks who have taken all the requisite electrician courses have simply earned an unfair reputation.

Hopefully the ‘crackdown’ on those who have found work as self-employed sparks following electrician courses will show that the majority of those in the business are above board and legitimate.

If you would like to enjoy the freedom and lucrative wages of life as a self-employed electrician, speak to Access Training. We offer flexible, City & Guilds accredited electrician courses which will prepare you for life as an exceptional, passionate spark. Get in touch today on 0800 345 7492.

Training to be a plumber is not plain sailing for any student but, for many women training to be a plumber, sexual harassment in the workplace makes gaining skills and experience even harder. The recent story of Sheona Keith who spent 3 years training to be a plumber only to experience sexual harassment, contempt and redundancy is a worrying example.

After training to be a plumber for 3 years, Sheona Keith found that she was the victim of sexism and even sexual harassment in her day-to-day work as a fully qualified plumber. After months of this sort of treatment Keith was made redundant. The depression and anger that this situation caused resulted in Keith committing actual bodily harm when she found herself, once again, the victim of unwanted sexual attention in a nightclub.

According to the judge:  “You [Sheona Keith] worked hard but your chosen line of work took you into a completely male dominated environment and one where I am afraid you had to put up with sexist comments and harassment which there is no excuse for.”


"This forms the background of why you lost your job and in the end resulted in all this. You went to a night club even though you normally don't drink and don't go out.”

The fact that law-abiding, talented women who have gone through rigorous training to be a plumber are made to feel unsafe and driven to desperate acts due to the behaviour of clients is a sad truth for the plumbing industry, and a problem that the plumbing community need to confront.

Access Training believe that everyone has the right to a shining plumbing career after completing training to be a plumber – a career which is based purely on merit, not gender. We provide fully accredited training to be a plumber which allows students to become the very best they can be. For more information  about receiving top-notch training to be a plumber in a supportive and inspiring environment, speak to our team today on 0800 345 7492.

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