Pro Installer August 2018 - Issue 65 | Page 46

46 | AUGUST 2018 Skills Read online at www.proinstaller.co.uk CSCS ANNOUNCE NO SIGN OF PRICE RISE BREXIT NERVES IN The Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) will be increasing the cost of a card to £36 (this includes VAT) with effect from 1st September 2018. This increase applies to all cards administered directly by CSCS. CSCS is the leading skills certification scheme within the UK construction industry. A CSCS card provides proof that indi- viduals working on construction sites have the required training and qualifications for the type of work they carry out. The last price increase oc- curred in 2010 but since then costs associated with running the scheme have increased signifi- cantly. CSCS are announcing the price rise in July to ensure the industry has sufficient time to make the necessary adjustments before September. CSCS is a not-for-profit organi- sation owned by three employer and two union organisations representing the breadth of the construction industry. CSCS’s seven non-executive Directors are nominated from the owner organisations and represented on the Board are two independent non-executive Directors nominat- ed by the Construction Industry Council and the Construction Clients Group. https://www.cscs.uk.com/ CONSTRUCTION Construction SMEs enjoyed rising workloads in the second quarter of 2018, despite continu- ing concerns over skills shortages and increasing costs, according to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). Key results from the FMB’s latest State of Trade Survey, which is the only quarterly assessment of the UK-wide SME construction sector, include: • Construction SME workloads remained positive in Q2 2018 and grew at a faster rate than they did in the first quarter of 2018; • The construction SME sector has now enjoyed more than five years of consecutive quar- terly growth; • More than three-quarters (76%) of builders reported increasing material prices in Q2 2018; • Two-thirds (65%) of construc- tion SMEs are struggling to hire bricklayers and 60% are struggling to hire carpenters and joiners; • More than half (54%) of construction SMEs expect salaries and wages to increase over the next six months. quarter ‘ of second 2018 proved to be a positive one ’ Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: “The second quarter of 2018 proved to be a positive one for the UK’s builders. Our latest research shows that firms enjoyed stronger growth in workloads than they did in the first three months of this year.” The full report is available here: http://fmb.org.uk/media/40595/ fmb_state_of_trade_q2_2018.pdf. EXCITING OPPORTUNITIES TO PARTNER WITH THE UK’S LEADING WINDOW & DOOR MANUFACTURER! Experienced PVCu & Aluminium INSTALLERS required for domestic and commercial projects in and around West Yorkshire. Essential Requirements MTC IN SURVEYING & INSTALLATION TIME SERVED EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE SKILLS OWN TRANSPORT & TOOLS GET IN TOUCH TO ARRANGE AN INTERVIEW - 0844 5610 623 - [email protected] Pro Installer Newspaper Advert August 2018.indd 1 07/08/2018 14:58:19