60
APRIL 2016 PRO INSTALLER
PRO BUSINESS
www.proinstaller.co.uk
CHECKATRADE HELPS
PROMOTE APPRENTICES
Businesses recognising the need to attract
young people into their
industries got together to back National
Apprenticeship Week
which ran from 14 to
18 March.
Among them was trade
vetting service Checkatrade,
which is encouraging young
aspiring trades people to
consider an apprenticeship
with their members. With
over 95% of Checkatrade’s
members anticipating a
greater workload in 2016
and 61% expecting to create
jobs in the near future, it is
an exciting time for aspiring
apprentices.
A government survey
indicates that more than
80% of apprentices feel that
their career prospects have
improved, and apprenticeships are a fantastic
opportunity for those aged
16-24 who want to earn a
wage while learning their
trade within a structured
programme.
Checkatrade Trading
Standards Approved member Mike Cipriani from Gas
Secure Ltd, Mansfield, said:
“Our apprentice has just
finished his third year and
he has never had a day
off sick. He is now able to
undertake 90% of install
work by himself with supervision. From day one we
ensured that he was treated
as a trainee and he has responded with an incredibly
positive attitude.”
Craig Phillips, TV personality, DIY and construction
expert and ambassador for
Checkatrade, said: “If you’re
an aspiring tradesperson, I
really do recommend considering an apprenticeship
with a member of Checkatrade. You can rest assured
that you are working for
a decent, vetted employer
which will be so important
to your growth and development.”
62% of Checkatrade
members suggested that
new employees would be a
direct result of their Checkatrade membership and
57% of members expect to
create at least one job in
the next 12 months.
Checkatrade is a free,
online service that is dedicated to helping customers find the right trade or
service. Trades people
are fully vetted before
they become a member of
Checkatrade and once they
join, members agree to have
feedback from their customers put online for all to see.
Checkatrade has gained
over 2 million reviews of
trades people to date.
Every customer review
is read by Checkatrade.
com before being made
live. Checkatrade.com spot
checks or verifies approximately 55% of customer
feedback to ensure the jobs
and ratings are genuine.
For more information visit
www.checkatrade.com
Sunday trading could benefit
economy by £1.5 billion
Construction industry
shows social value
Government figures show
that extended Sunday
trading hours would benefit the UK economy by an
estimated £1.5 billion over
10 years.
Building Social Value - a
simple way to report on the
social value created through
construction - has been
launched by the Considerate
Constructors Scheme for
all scheme registered sites,
companies and suppliers.
The £1.5 billion figure could
be even higher, depending on
decisions made by local authorities once the powers have been
devolved.
The saving from being able to
increase the use of existing large
stores is expected to benefit consumers as a result of competitive
pressure. This would be equivalent
to around £29 per household, in
areas that fully take advantage of
extended Sunday trading hours.
This is part of a package of
government measures to devolve
Sunday trading laws to local
authorities allowing councils to
‘zone’ any relaxation so they will
be able to prioritise high streets
and city centres.
The measures also include
greater freedoms for shop workers
in England, Scotland and Wales
to ‘opt-out’ of working Sundays
if they choose to, for example
because they object on religious
grounds or for family reasons.
Shop workers will now be able
to give just one month’s notice to
large shops that they no longer
want to work Sundays, down from
the previous three months, and
will have a new right to opt out
of working additional hours. The
government will also strengthen
the duty on employers to notify
employees of their rights about
working on Sundays.
Communities Minister Brandon
Lewis said:
“Current Sunday trading rules are
badly out of date and haven’t kept
up with how we live our lives.
This report shows how handing
Sunday trading decision-making
back to local people has clear benefits – both for shoppers, giving
them the flexibility to shop when
and where they want, and for
businesses, boosting their potential for increased sales.
That’s why we want to change
the rules, so families can shop
for longer, town centre stores can
compete with the online giants,
and more jobs are created.”
Business Minister Anna Soubry
said: “Twenty years ago, when the
current Sunday trading laws were
established, few people used the
internet and town centre shops
had no competition from online
retailers. However in 2015, online
sales continued to grow with a
15% increase.”
The plans are widely supported
by councils, leading retailers, and
business leaders. Reviving the
nation’s high streets is a key part
of the government’s long-term
economic plan.
Source: www.gov.uk
Building Social Value has been
developed by the scheme in conjunction with a number of leading
construction companies and industry clients across the UK: Basildon
Borough Council; Kier Group plc;
Land Securities Group plc; and
Morgan Sindall.
By using the scheme to carry out
the report, contractors and clients
recognise that gaining a professional, third-party report will help them
‘focus on how the
construction industry
creates social value’
to evaluate the impact of their
construction sites in creating social
value.
Scheme monitors will visit
construction sites and record the
social value created, using the
Social Value Monitoring Checklist.
The monitor will then produce
a Building Social Value report,
based on results gathered from the
Checklist.
All sites, companies and suppliers
undertaking Building Social Value
will then have the opportunity to
publicly demonstrate their commitment to creating social value by
displaying branded posters.
Since the Social Value Act came
into force in 2013 there has been
a requirement to focus on how the
construction industry creates social
value. While the act applies to the
public sector, many private clients
are also taking into account social
benefits when awarding construction contracts.
www.buildingsocialvalue.org.uk