Southampton training firm chips in to help plug nationwide trade skills gap

The results are in from the UK Trade Skills Index – 937,000 new recruits, including 244,000 qualified apprentices, will be needed over the next decade just to prevent the current skills gap from widening.

And with demand for trained construction workers continuing to grow, one Southampton firm is looking to make a difference.

Engineering Real Results offers fully-accredited national vocational qualifications (NVQs) for plumbers, electricians, gas engineers and more at its state-of-the-art centres around the country, one of which is located right here in Hampshire.

Managing Director Ricky Sharma insists that there has never been a better time for people of all ages to train up and join the industry, as opportunities boom.

He said: “There are numerous factors as to why the demand for these practical and valued skills will be so high over the next decade.

“These include the knock-on effect of Brexit, the Covid pandemic and the cost of living crisis.

“What this means is the opportunities in the construction field will go from strength to strength as the UK economy bounces back.”

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As well as specialising in traditional trades, ERR is keen to plug the ‘green skills gap’ with training in crucial renewable skills.

The company has also begun to incorporate VR into its courses, with learners able to safely repeat tasks in the virtual world before applying that practice to the real thing.

Ricky added: “We provide fantastic opportunities for our students – both industry professionals and new entrants – to complete their NVQs and get the jobs they want.

“When people train with us they do so with the confidence they will leave with the right knowledge, skills and qualifications that employers value and the industry and regulations require.”

Commissioned by Checkatrade, this year’s UK Trade Skills Index cited the combination of an ageing workforce, reduced access to EU workers, and people leaving the sector as drivers for demand over the next decade.