INDUSTRY UPDATE
Summer celebrations at PJH! A
s part of ‘Always working with Wellbeing in mind’, leading KBB distributor, PJH has treated its 600-strong
workforce to its twice yearly ‘PJH Get Together’ event, this time centred around a sizzling summer barbeque celebration theme – with the sun making a rare appearance too! With employee health and wellbeing a priority for PJH, the company
hosted eleven events across its nationwide network of offices and distribution centres. Hosted by PJH CEO, Richard George, each regional ‘PJH Get Together’ allows every member of staff the opportunity to have a relaxed catch-up and chat, as well as mix with other departments to connect informally. From Glasgow to
Greater Manchester to Enfield, colleagues were treated to VIP brunches, lunches, and dinners to enjoy a delicious spread of BBQ food and drink, and even the appearance of an Ice Cream Van at some sites! Richard George
delivered an informal and engaging business update, followed by a Q&A session, leading up to the highly anticipated raffle. Plenty of prizes were up for grabs, with the chance to win hampers, afternoon tea, an extra days’ holiday and gift vouchers. “It’s great to get everyone together like this and celebrate the hard work
and dedication from all”, explained Richard. “Our Get Togethers are an integral part of PJH’s wellbeing employee benefits which includes focusing on the social wellbeing of every member of staff. It’s a terrific opportunity for us all to enjoy meeting colleagues from other departments and learn a bit more about how the business is doing. The raffle also went down very well and we had some delighted prize winners!”
u0800 8 77 88 99
uwww.pjh.uk
uwww.partners.pjh.uk 40 BKU SEPTEMBER 2023
BiKBBI – Tradespeople need to do more to solve skills shortage
E
arlier this week I read an article which reported that two in three trades say they are struggling to find labour and
are having to cancel work as a result. This is not new news – the KBB sector in particular has been on this collision course for many years and BiKBBI has been working with the whole industry to try to avert the impending catastrophe of a situation where there is, quite literally, no-one to fit the products that make up this multi-billion-pound industry. Delving deeper into the research, businesses cited Brexit, a lack of
enthusiasm by young people to get into the industry and careers advice at schools as reasons for the current shortfall in skilled labour. Whilst it is true that Brexit has impacted the number of skilled workers available, I wholeheartedly disagree with the suggestion that young people are not interested in a career on the tools and have first-hand experience to the contrary. BiKBBI is the first port of call for anyone interested in a career in KBB,
and installation businesses may be surprised to know that we have no less than 300 education leavers on our database at any one time, all seeking an opportunity with an employer. We also have a network of training providers nationally, ready and waiting to deliver training to these young people. What we don’t have is anywhere near the volume of employers willing to take on an apprentice and this is where the industry is failing. I don’t dispute that lack of Government support and the failings of
careers advice have contributed to the situation we find ourselves in, but the solution sits firmly with the thousands of KBB installation businesses operating today. There is no magic formula that will deliver an instant, abundant supply of skilled labour – for now, the only sure way to find kitchen and bathroom fitters that are skilled, professional, and reliable is to train them yourself. It may seem daunting, but we have developed a whole series of support
tools to make the process easier than ever for small businesses to take on apprentice – visit
www.bikbbi.org.uk for more information.
Damian Walters – CEO, BiKBBI
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80
