Over the last few years, there have been diminishing workforces as retirement is inevitable and the economy is stretched.
Thankfully, as the economy is improving, we are slowly seeing a new wave of young trainee Mechanical and Electrical Engineers coming through.
We are now making real inroads into acquiring some bright young people to train and bring through the ranks to fill the large gap that there is in the heating and plumbing market. This will take time but it will be beneficial.
There has been a new Levy announced for Apprentices and that will come into effect in 2017, although this will only affect larger companies with a larger payroll of £3 million plus. They will be contributing to the training by putting 0.5 % of their payroll in to the pot. This should however be less costly than it has been in the past.
Many companies are having to rely on skilled personnel from other cities around the UK and from European countries to get the job done. If we want to acquire locally based skills, companies must help the new trainees and bring them through to grow our industry and see the next generations flourish.
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