Government must treble apprenticeships to tackle skills shortages – survey
24th March 2015

Most tradesmen want the next government to raise the number of apprenticeship places from 110,000 to 400,000 to boost the availability of skilled workers – and a majority believe this is even more important than policies on immigration, according to a new survey published this week.
Just as the Chancellor announced a 20% minimum pay increase for apprentices to £3.30, the survey revealed that only 14% of tradesmen have taken on an apprentice in the last year, many citing cost as the biggest barrier and saying low pay is discouraging potential apprentices.

The research, carried out by multi-channel retailer Screwfix, also revealed that nearly three quarters of tradesmen believe the amount of tax their business pays is of great importance, 89% support current commitments to continue freezing fuel duty and 84% want the personal income tax allowance to increase to £12,500, believing that such measures would have a positive impact on their business and encourage growth.

Screwfix CEO Andrew Livingston, said: “As a key supplier to the trade, we wanted to give tradesmen a voice by gathering feedback and submitting it on their behalf to the Government. Many of our customers are busier than ever right now and it’s important we work closely with wider industry and Government to consider new ways to help them and to encourage growth in their businesses.”

Tradesmen’s views on other important topics were also captured by the Tradesman Manifesto.  Nearly three quarters want action to reduce paperwork and cut ‘red tape’ as more than half say they spend nearly one month a year on form filling and bureaucracy. Tax is also an important issue to UK tradesmen with 72% considering tax to be a priority for future Government to take action.

www.screwfix.com