COMMENT
The Apprentices - You’re Hired!
I
wrote this in the middle of National Apprenticeship Week; my email inbox is chock-a-block with news stories about it. There are opportunities galore to interview apprentices, providers and companies. Many of them are even relevant.
I have also been sent a letter from Robert Halfon, the Minister for Apprenticeships – he’s not singling me out, it’s been sent to all parents of current year 11 pupils, highlighting the benefits of apprenticeships as a viable alternative to further or higher mainstream education. “Apprenticeships transform lives: you can earn while you learn, there’s no need to pay fees or take out a loan, and at the same time your child gains brilliant hands-on experience in their chosen industry. Apprenticeships provide the first step on the ladder of opportunity to really great prospects – enabling people to climb, rung by rung, towards greater earning potential and future prosperity.” The number of apprentices in the industry has grown hugely since the introduction of the Apprenticeship levy, and it’s really helped to open up the sector to more young people. The government helps out with funding, how much depends on whether the company providing the apprenticeship is big enough to pay the apprenticeship levy or not, so it’s a way to be able to offer an in to your business, help to bring the next generation along, and get some help for it. There are also plenty of case-studies out there highlighting some of the apprentices in this sector. Travis Perkins, for example, have featured their 1,000th, MKM have 70, and there are many, many more across merchanting, in companies of all sizes: independents, regional operations and national chains.
So now NMBS have announced that, in conjunction with the BMF and LEAP, they want to recruit 60 more apprentices across their membership, 15 every quarter, to celebrate the 60th anniversary, something
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they also pledged to do 10 years ago for the 50th anniversary. It’s a great ambition and, hopefully, one that will be relatively easy to meet, as long as there is sufficient buy-in from merchant businesses. Why wouldn’t there be? This is a great industry to be in. We all know that. It’s why so many of us have found ourselves here and somehow never left. Even those who haven’t grown up in a family-owned merchants, and therefore don’t really have skin-in- the-game know that there’s something about it. Is it the people we meet along our industry path? Yes, of course it is. People like to buy from people they like, sell to people they like, work with people they like. But it’s about more than that. Take a step back and think what it is this industry does. Building material manufacturers make products so they can sell them to merchants, who in turn sell those products to builders who use those materials to build houses, allowing people to build lives, to put down roots, to bring up their families, to set out their futures. I think that is really cool, and it’s an industry that really needs new people entering. Not just at the school-leaver level either, apprenticeships can be across a range of ages.
Building materials really matter. Building the future of the building materials supply sector really matters. If you’re passionate about developing the next generation into this great industry then think about apprenticeships. Get involved, talk to NMBS, the BMF. Alternatively, - massive personal plug here, but you all know how important this is to me - have a look at the information from the Maddie Rose Campaign and the Construction Youth Trust where there are resources to help you get started on the journey. BMJ
Fiona Russell-Horne Group Managing Editor - BMJ
“
My way in life lay stretched out straight before me through the newly- entered road of apprenticeship to Joe..
Charles Dickens
CONTENTS 4 Newsround
”
The latest round-up of industry news
8 People
Who’s moved where and 10 minutes with…
10 In Person
Interviewing Laker Builders Merchant’s new chairman
12 News Extra The most common workplace injuries to watch out for.
14 BMJ Industry Awards
This year’s awards are open for entry. Get your nominations in.
16 Business Helpdesk The BMF on why external reviews are important
17 Viewpoint 22 Timber
Looking at a more sustainable future
20 Merchant Focus Boilers and much, much more
What’s what with wood
26 Training Focus How one supplier is tackling the skills shortage
28 Plumbing & Drainage
33 Sealants & Adhesives
© Datateam Business Media Ltd 2023
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means, electronic or mechanical including photo-copying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system without the prior written consent of the publisher. The title Builders Merchants Journal is registered at Stationers’ Hall. Suppliers have contributed towards production costs of some photographs in this issue.
Looking at the main issues with how we manage water in and around us.
The latest news from the sector
34 Sustainability Does insulation really save households money
36 IT
AI and ChatGPT are the latest things: what do merchants need to know?
38 BMF Industry Voice The news and views from the
BMF 40 And Finally
News and the BMJ Prize Crossword February 2023
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net 3
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