The recent ITV article, "Help! We Need a Builder: Britain's Skills Shortage," shines a spotlight on a crucial issue: the UK faces a significant deficit of skilled tradespeople. With a whopping 50% of homeowners struggling to hire a skilled tradesperson. The reason: most skilled tradespeople are in such a high demand that they can’t take on new clients for 3-6 months . There is plenty of opportunity for ambitious and hard working people, who qualify in the trades and can secure a reliable income even in uncertain times.
How to stay ahead of the crowd:
Get qualified today and build your experience:
With nearly a million new recruits needed in the next decade, qualified skilled tradespeople are in exceedingly high demand. This means countless job opportunities and competitive salaries await those who step up and fill the gap. Like with all new trends, demand is there NOW, but those who act fast will secure their position in the market and get much higher rewards. Getting trades qualification now is like investing in crypto in 2010. Invest in yourself now to be highly skilled when everyone else will be just trying to qualify. In several years, when the demand is even greater, you won’t be a beginner tradesperson, but a tradesperson with several years of experience under your belt. This means a 30-70% higher salary.
Build an impressive portfolio with earn while you learn options:
With one-third of skilled tradespeople nearing retirement, the need for fresh talent and the next generation of tradespeople has never been more important. This creates a direct path to success for those who enter the field now.
Unlock profitable options:
Once qualified... there are many different paths and specialisations you can choose. From carpentry and roofing to renewable energy and sustainable construction, there will be a path that aligns with your interests.
Leave the unsatisfying job:
Many of our students are in their 40s and 50s. They make great tradespeople, because of their wide range of transferable skills, and can spend the rest of their career working on their terms. Many take great pleasure in working with their hands, helping people while earning a decent income.
How Access Training can help you build your future:
Access Training is your gateway to a rewarding career in the trades. We offer a variety of accredited courses, tailored to equip you with the skills and knowledge employers seek. Here's how we can support you:
- Flexible learning options: Choose from classroom-based, online, or blended learning to fit your schedule and learning style.
- Experienced trainers: Our industry-expert instructors share their real-world knowledge and practical guidance.
- Career support: We provide ongoing support with job search strategies, interview preparation, and CV writing. Also, upon qualification, we share our students’ CVs with our affiliate partners in the trades.
The trades industry is crying out for skilled individuals, and we are here to help you fill these roles. With our step-by-step training programs and ongoing support, we can empower you to launch a successful career in this exciting and in-demand field.
Get in touch today to explore our course options and take the first step towards building your future.
From Solicitor to Plumber: How People Are Retraining to Cope During the Coronavirus Pandemic
ITV News, 24th September 2020
Access Training was recently featured on a special edition of ITV's Tonight. Titled 'Can We Save Our Jobs?' and presented by Robert Peston, the programme highlighted the trials and tribulations that people have endured while on furlough during the coronavirus pandemic: the stress of having no work, the strain of having to provide for your family, and the hopelessness of a jobless future.
But it's not all doom and gloom.
"Anybody who's lost their job... my advice is don't be afraid. With hard work and the right training... you can do anything that you want."
Access Training tutor Jimmy Adkins, speaking to ITV's Robert Peston
The programme featured several Access Training students - people from a variety of backgrounds who felt the economic impact of the pandemic and made the wise decision to pursue a career in the trade industry. Chefs have become gas engineers, cab drivers have taken up plumbing, and even solicitors are jumping on the bandwagon.
Talking to Peston, our gas tutor Jimmy Adkins gives an excellent summary of the situation, detailing the enormous spike in demand for construction courses that followed the COVID-19 crisis:
"It went absolutely crazy. Guys have come from all sorts of backgrounds - taxi drivers, entertainment, even to the point where I've had some solicitors because they're unsure of whether they're ever going to go back to working in the office."
Access Training tutor Jimmy Adkins
One of our students, Chris Kruger, was also interviewed for the programme. Chris recently left his job as a chef, citing job uncertainty as the main reason for this decision. He speaks of the "very stressful and very worrying" threat to his job, and indeed the whole catering industry:
"Not knowing whether things were going to go back to normal, whether I would still have a job, the situation at home - expecting a baby and so forth - and my partner also being in the hospitality industry... both of us sitting on furlough, you can imagine the stress."
Access Training student Chris Kruger
ITV Tonight: Can We Save Our Jobs?
Chris very wisely decided that retraining as a plumber would secure his young family's future in these increasingly unsettling and unstable times. Instead of sitting back and letting everything crumble around him, Chris took it upon himself to prepare for the future: "I just said, no, I need to utilise this time to study."
If Chris can do it, so can you. The furlough scheme has now ended, but the pandemic is ongoing and there is still a lot of uncertainty about the future - especially in sectors like entertainment and hospitality, which were hit especially hard by Covid and which will bear the brunt of any future lockdowns.
The Access Training students who appeared on ITV's Tonight programme took the right steps at the right time to become qualified tradespeople. They invested in their careers, and made the choice to be proactive and determined.
Access Training can be your stepping stone to a secure and fulfilling career; the safety net you need in these unforgiving times.
Demand is high, and the time is now. Take the initiative today - get in touch now to speak to a course advisor.
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British housebuilders Persimmon Homes is launching a recruitment drive across its 24 businesses to find tradesman as it prepares to build more homes across the country.
They are looking for subcontractors, labour-only subcontractors and direct employees to help the business meet demand from buyers. Since April the company has already taken on 286 trade and apprentice direct employees and is now targeting people who may have left the industry or are looking for a new career.
The campaign has also seen Persimmon undertake research looking the perceptions of tradespeople among the UK public. HR director Richard Latham says that although enlightening, the responses do not paint a totally true picture of working in a trade in 2013:
“Our research shows that 78% of people in the UK view the work of tradesmen as skilled, which is extremely positive, but worryingly, 70% don’t feel the job is rewarding and 82% don’t feel it has a competitive salary. In our experience, this is extremely wide of the mark.”
He believes that even more worrying is the fact that 48% of people feel that the negative stereotypes surrounding tradesmen stop young people from pursuing a career in the industry.
"Our research found that the majority of people in London (67%), the South East (65%) and West Midlands (62%) think that there are limited jobs available to them, whilst 54% of the North East and 40% of Scots admit that it is extremely hard to find jobs in their local area.
"Our apprentice campaign is extremely popular and we will soon be kicking off our search for over 100 more young people to join us in 2014. We see young people as the future of our business and we invest both time and money in one of the best training programmes in the industry. Many of our senior personnel, including our current chief executive Jeff Fairburn, started in the industry as an apprentice."
Steve Roche, Persimmon’s group communications director, added: "Demand for new homes is definitely on the up, partly thanks to the government-led purchase schemes, such as Help to Buy, and also due to the general improvement in the economy."
Via HVP Magazine
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If you're looking for an active new career than this could be the opportunity you've been waiting for! A career in the construction one is not only a rewarding one financially, but also among the most satisfying and fulfilling in the country. But before you can experience this first hand, you're going to need the necessary skills and qualifications. Access Training specialises in all forms of construction, with experienced tutors more than ready to guide you toward the next step of your working life. To find out more contact us on 0800 345 7492.
The Construction Industry Training Board has warned that the industry needs to put more focus on the recruitment and training of young people, after recent statistics revealed some alarming facts about the average age of Britain's construction workforce.
According to the Office of National Statistics, 19% of UK construction workers are aged 55 and over. A further 24% (518,000 people) are aged between 45 and 54. They estimate that these statistics mean at least 406,000 people will need to be replaced over the next 10 years if the labour force is stay the same size.
CITB’s interim chief executive William Burton said: “Almost one in five workers is set to retire from the construction industry over the next 5-10 years, so not taking action now to encourage young people to join the industry – and investing in the training to up-skill our existing workforce – is no longer an option. The construction sector is essential for local and national economic growth and to avoid the similar skills crisis that affected the industry in the early 1990s, we urge employers to act now.”
While more young people undoubtedly need to be adopted into the industry, these age groups show that its also never too late to join the world of construction. You could be 18, 25, 35 or older and the choice to change careers into construction could still prove a refreshing and liberating experience. If you would like to find out more about how you can join thus rewarding line of work that's constantly on the lookout for new people, give Access Training a call. We provide a wide range of construction training courses for people of all ages and backgrounds, giving you the qualifications needed to enter at a professional level. Give us a call on 0800 345 7492 and we'll be happy to tell you more.
Source: The Construction Index