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NOVEMBER 2013 PRO INSTALLER
PRO BUSINESS
www.proinstaller.co.uk
Employees working in building
and construction urged to sign
up to e-mentor young people
Career Academies UK, the charity that links young people to the
real world of work, is seeking e-mentors from the Building and
Construction sectors for its new ‘Career Ready programme’.
The call comes in response to overwhelming
demand for places on
the programme, which
brings together employers, schools and colleges to prepare 16-19
year old students for the
workplace.
E-mentoring is an effective
way for people working in
building and construction,
whatever their professional
capacity, to give students
invaluable insights into their
working world, while devel-
oping their own management
skills and demonstrating their
corporate values.
Recent research shows that
there are also personal benefits from working with young
people, with 75% of respondents stating that professional
development of staff involved
was a key benefit of engaging with young people.
Career Academies UK has
joined up with leading digital
charity, Brightside, to create
a secure platform where
employees can communi-
cate with students who can
discuss their experiences, ask
for advice and follow their
progress on a digital skills
tracker.
Mentors will receive training and will be matched
with appropriate students to
ensure both parties benefit as
much as possible.
Anne Spackman, Executive
Director, Career Academies
UK said: “As an e-mentor from the building and
construction sector, you can
become a crucial element
in a young person’s journey
from education to the workplace, providing guidance,
motivation and helping them
to complete tasks.”
‘Invaluable
insights’
If you are interested in
becoming an e-mentor,
please contact Career
Academies UK on 020 7986
5494 or email: career.ready@
careeracademies.org.uk
Remember, remember, it’s
online from november
If you haven’t yet sent
in your 2012/13 tax
return, remember to
do it online to avoid a
penalty.
If you send HM Revenue
& Customs (HMRC) a paper
tax return from November
onwards, you’ll receive a
£100 late-filing penalty –
even if you have no tax to
pay, or you pay your tax
bill on time. This is because
the 31 October deadline for
2012/13 paper tax returns
has now passed.
Anyone who hasn’t sent
in their 2012/13 tax return
must do it online by 31st
January 2014.
To send an online tax return, you must be registered
for HMRC Online Services.
This involves HMRC sending
you an Activation Code in
the post, so allow time for
this to arrive.
To register for HMRC
Online Services go to www.
hmrc.gov.uk/online and
follow the on-screen instructions.
For general help and
advice on completing a
return, visit www.hmrc.
gov.uk/sa or call the Self
Assessment helpline on
0300 200 3310 (open
8.00am to 8.00pm, Monday
to Friday, and from 8.00am
to 4.00pm on Saturdays).
Network VEKA Brand Ambassador Steve Davis
presents a customer satisfaction trophy to Paul &
Hannah Glastonbury and Paul & Melanie Webster.
There’s no business
like showroom
business
Award-winning fabricator MPN windows has
six showrooms operating throughout South
Wales and continues
to go from strength to
strength with the help
of Network VEKA.
Most recently, the family-owned company opened
two large showrooms - in
Cardiff and Swansea - within just 12 months of each
other.
MPN owner Paul Webster
explains why he thinks
the company has grown so
significantly since its launch
in 1994: “We’re very keen to
promote our Network VEKA
membership to potential
customers. The message of
the organisation sits very
well with our own company
ethos of putting the customer first, giving them honest
advice and complete peace
of mind.
“MPN is very much a
family-run company and our
reputation means everything
to us. We don’t take a ‘hard
sell’ approach, we’re happy
to answer questions in a
no-obligation manner - and
people respect that.
“In the modern age of
internet reviews and ratings, the customer is back
in charge - and reliable,
straight-talking companies
are beginning to get the recognition they deserve.
“We have a pretty impressive website, but nothing
compares to coming into a
showroom and seeing the
products in real life.”
Network VEKA,
01282 473170,
www.networkveka.co.uk.
NEW FIGURES SHOW RECORD
NUMBERS OF APPRENTICES
More people than ever before are taking part in an apprenticeship, according
to the provisional figures published in October 2013.
Nearly 860,000 people were on an
apprenticeship in 2012/13 with
the gold standard of higher and
a