A new apprenticeship standard for plastering has been approved by the Government as part of the trailblazer initiative, with a new bricklaying standard to be agreed in the near future. The new standards, which have been designed as part of a collaboration led by construction SMEs from across England, will be rolled out as soon as autumn 2017. Welcoming the …

Construction union UCATT has accused the government of pouring money down the drain after discovering that while 167, 000 young people started training courses for jobs in the construction industry in 2014/15, in that same year only 18,000 secured an apprenticeship in the building trades. The figures were divulged – via a UCATT Freedom of Information request – by the …

Businesses nationwide are gearing up to National Apprenticeship Week, which runs from 14 to 18 March 2016. Recognising the need to attract young people into the industry, trade vetting service Checkatrade encourages young aspiring tradespeople to consider an apprenticeship with their members. With over 95% of Checkatrade’s members anticipating a greater workload in 2016 and 61% of members expecting to …

Spanish slate manufacturer CUPA PIZARRAS is continuing its college sponsorship scheme and extending it to include an additional college.

The BiKBBI has announced a partnership with electricals retailer, AO, as they become a sponsor of the government-sanctioned institute.

Dickies is calling on tradespeople to nominate someone whose work inspires them as part of a campaign celebrating those who love what they do.

The British Institute of Kitchen, Bedroom & Bathroom Installation (BiKBBI) is delighted to sponsor Charlton Athletic Women’s Football Club.

The British Institute of Kitchen, Bedroom & Bathroom Installation (BiKBBI) today released its plans to tackle one of the most significant challenges faced by the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom sector.

It takes courage to leap from the security and comfort of your job, but the fact that you're here tells us that you're thinking of making the leap into the world of being the master of your own destiny.

This problem has become more pronounced, with this age group having been four times more likely to experience pressure to study for a degree than +55 year olds, according to new research by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).

Skill Builder’s ‘Day in the life’ feature takes a look at a typical day in the life of different tradespeople. In this installment, we talk to Plumber/Carpenter and married father of three Stuart Roache, the winner of Screwfix’s Top Tradesperson 2018. After deciding on a career change at the age of 30 Stuart trained at night college for six-years before becoming …

A cross-party group of MPs has urged the Government to introduce a new ‘Dedicated Strategy for Small Housebuilders’ to reverse the decline in the number of new homes built by small builders, which has plummeted to just 2,500 today from 12,000 in 1998. Describing the new proposals, the MPs leading the report said: ‘We have many legitimate disagreements with each …

With the industry suffering from a lack of skilled workers, Cembrit is helping to educate the roofers of the future by donating roofing materials to Leeds College of Building for the Roof Slating and Tiling apprenticeship scheme.   Cembrit has contributed approximately 1,000 Westerland fibre cement slates, 600 Glendyne natural slates and 120 angled ridges to help deliver valuable roofing …

Two-thirds of those running small and medium-sized (SME) construction firms are struggling to hire bricklayers and carpenters as construction skills shortages hit a ‘record high’, according to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).   Key results from the FMB’s latest State of Trade Survey, the quarterly assessment of the UK-wide SME construction sector, include: More than two-thirds (68%) of construction …

Hudson Contract has revealed this year’s winners and losers across 10 regions and 17 trades in its annual Construction Pay Trends Index with plumbers enjoying biggest pay rise in 2017 while electricians have experienced a pay drop. The index shows that self-employed builders in England and Wales have seen a year-on-year increase in average weekly earnings of 3.8% – with …