SELECT, the trade body for electrical professionals in Scotland, has welcomed a small but significant upturn in the number of young women undergoing apprenticeships as electricians. Figures gathered by Scotland’s largest trade association show that there are now 13 female apprentices training to be electricians in 2019-2020, compared to seven
The home building industry has warmly welcomed the First Minister’s announcement that construction can move to Phase 2 of its restart plan which will see sites begin to open up again with workers following strict social distancing and hygiene controls. Providing further confidence for both prospective customers and builders, the
SaferMask has the sole task to quell the rise of Coronavirus by helping to protect anyone returning to work after lockdown. SaferMask Group are marketing their protective, community business and industry face masks throughout the UK and already count customers that include hotel groups, gym chains and law firms who chose
Zoopla’s latest forecast that the house hunting surge will be ‘short-lived’ should not dampen the spirits of estate agents and developers across the UK and they should instead focus on the rising level of confidence returning to the property market, says Hilltop Credit Partners, a specialist funding partner for SME and
SELECT, the trade body for electrical professionals in Scotland, has welcomed a small but significant upturn in the number of young women undergoing apprenticeships as electricians. Figures gathered by Scotland’s largest trade association show that there are now 13 female apprentices training to be electricians in 2019-2020, compared to seven in 2018-2019. Fiona Harper, Director of Employment and Skills at SELECT, said: “This is excellent news, coming as it does in Scottish Apprenticeship Week, which runs from 2 to 6 March. “An electrical apprenticeship for a young woman, just as for everyone else, is a life-changing experience which can open many doors, not only to further career progression and global travel, but also to professional regard and life fulfilment.” To mark the occasion, SELECT has commissioned a short film, The Power of Apprenticeships, which features an interview at a member company in Falkirk with one of its female apprentices, Neave Brownlie. The TClarke trainee says: “I finished school and could have gone to uni, but I preferred the idea of being paid while I was learning to become a qualified electrician. “I’m enjoying it; you’re never left alone on site, there’s always someone there supporting you and making sure you are safe. I’m treated like a daughter or a sister and everyone I’ve worked with has been lovely. “The exciting thing is the opportunity to travel the world once I have completed my apprenticeship and become a qualified electrician.” The Power of Apprenticeships also features another TClarke employee, Elyse McBride, a qualified electrician who is now office-based and is training to become a quantity surveyor. Elyse – a former SJIB Apprentice of the Year finalist in the SELECT Awards – said: “Completing an apprenticeship as an electrician was fundamental to me moving into a managerial role. “There are any number of different paths that can be followed as a qualified electrician, and the career world is your oyster.” Filmed at TClarke in Falkirk, and now available to view on SELECT’s YouTube channel, the video was produced in partnership with the Scottish Joint Industry Board (SJIB), the Scottish Electrical Charitable Training Trust (SECTT) and Unite the Union. Ms Harper, who is also The Secretary of the SJIB, added: “There is a world of opportunity for young women in the electrical sector and with this film we hope to encourage many more of them, currently in school or college, to consider an electrical apprenticeship as a serious career option.” Founded in 1900, SELECT is Scotland’s largest trade association. It has nearly 1,250 members businesses with a collective turnover of approximately £1bn, employing more than 15,000 people and 3,500 apprentices. SELECT also delivers training courses to more than 3,500 electricians each year and is committed to regulation of the industry for a safer Scotland. The Scottish Joint Industry Board was founded in 1969 by SELECT and Unite the Union.
The home building industry has warmly welcomed the First Minister’s announcement that construction can move to Phase 2 of its restart plan which will see sites begin to open up again with workers following strict social distancing and hygiene controls. Providing further confidence for both prospective customers and builders, the First Minister also confirmed the extension of the highly successful Help to Buy scheme for a further year until March 2022. Chief Executive of industry body Homes for Scotland Nicola Barclay said: “To get confirmation that home builders can now commence the re-opening of their sites is great news that hasn’t come a moment too soon given the robust safety plans that the industry has developed and put in place. With pent-up housing demand having increased with every day that has passed, we look forward to finishing off the many homes that are already largely complete and that families are desperate to move into as well as starting to get the new homes that are so desperately needed out of the ground. “Having the extension of the Help to Buy scheme announced at the same time is also a much required confidence booster for the housing market that will help ensure even more younger Scots can benefit from this hugely successful initiative and realise their aspirations of owning their own home. “The First Minister paid tribute to the very responsible approach that has been adopted by the industry during the lockdown, and this is a sentiment I wish to echo loudly. Home builders have stepped up to the plate supporting their customers, employees and local communities, and this will continue as we look forward to working closely with government and other stakeholders to rebuild Scotland’s economy.”
SaferMask has the sole task to quell the rise of Coronavirus by helping to protect anyone returning to work after lockdown. SaferMask Group are marketing their protective, community business and industry face masks throughout the UK and already count customers that include hotel groups, gym chains and law firms who chose SaferMask because of the ability to brand the masks, their inherent quality and greater cost-effectiveness. SaferMasks last longer, making them more cost-effective, because they are reusable and fully washable. Each SaferMask is designed to be worn for at least 30 days and washed daily reducing the cost to less than half the price of a typical single use mask. John Lambourne-Richardson FIH, General Manager, Hilton by Hampton Stockton said: “We were drawn to SaferMask because of their quality and ability to brand the masks. Wearing SaferMasks also ensures that our staff do not wear medical-grade masks, so they remain available for our country’s frontline medical staff and other emergency services.” The three-layer masks have been extensively tested and accredited by the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) for Anti-Bacterial Performance and Water Repellency and by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) for Bacterial Filtration and Differential Pressure. The use of SaferMask also avoids the dangerous impact of huge quantities of disposable masks entering our waste systems causing major environmental harm SaferMasks are made from the finest cotton, strong but with a soft, luscious surface for a luxury feel making them comfortable and stylish to wear for long periods of time and are especially suitable for customer-facing staff when branded.
Zoopla’s latest forecast that the house hunting surge will be ‘short-lived’ should not dampen the spirits of estate agents and developers across the UK and they should instead focus on the rising level of confidence returning to the property market, says Hilltop Credit Partners, a specialist funding partner for SME and mid-sized residential developers and housebuilders in the UK. Commenting on the report, Paul Oberschneider, Founder and CEO of Hilltop Credit Partners, said: “In a big vote of confidence, Zoopla’s latest data showed there has been a spike in demand in online property searches — up by 88 percent following the reopening of the market, which is 20 per cent higher than at the beginning of March. Demand has risen by 40 per cent from pre-coronavirus levels in Portsmouth and Southampton. It also increased strongly in Newcastle, Oxford and Leeds. “The report does say that this spike in demand is only temporary with four in ten buyers shelving their plans because of market uncertainty and loss of income, but I’m a bit of an optimist here. The economic issues we’re experiencing right now are the cause of a virus, unlike deep rooted problems in the housing sector which lead to the 2008-09 crisis. The two fundamental drivers still remain in place: the supply-demand imbalance across the country, which isn’t going to change overnight, and the large addressable market in funding. “I also believe that buying property is not just a financial transaction, it’s a lifestyle changer and has an immense aspirational value. People will always need and want homes and no lockdown or recession is going to change that. Better living, better lifestyle and affordable homes should be the wave that developers should follow.” “At Hilltop, we see a lot of opportunity in the coming months and we continue to see an uptick of demand for property development finance from established, quality developers working on attractive projects. That’s demand for both debt and equity. Our fund remains focused on cautiously funding high-quality assets and developers, and disbursing over £75 million in the coming months.” Tiger Craft, Partner and CFO, adds: “For SME developers, securing funding has been needlessly time-consuming and expensive for too long. To address this problem, we at Hilltop are focused on helping developers move quickly so they can secure sites, build homes, and sell them in a fast, cost-efficient manner. Unlike traditional lenders, we operate like a private equity house and effectively back the management team. Our interests are always aligned with the development team as the focus is on a successful exit.”
