MET-UK

November 2008: Plumbing course gives woman hope
A women who was written off by teachers as having no hope of ever passing an exam, is on her way to completing a plumbing apprenticeship.The Mirror reported that Lynne Mepstead, who left school with n...

November 2008: Eight million planning training
Millions of people are planning to learn new skills or brush up on existing ones over the next 12 months as a result of the economic recession, a new survey has disclosed.Research commissioned by the ...

November 2008: Grimsby woman passes gas qualification
A Grimsby woman has become the first women in the region to pass the domestic natural gas qualification, according to the local press.Julia King, who was originally apprehensive about entering the ind...

November 2008: Maintenance contracts offered
A housing association has disclosed that it will tender property repair and maintenance service contracts worth £50 million annually later this month, Contract Journal has reported.Family Mosaic,...

October 2008: NVQ could be scrapped
Fears have been raised that the government is to scrap the NVQ qualification, which provides training for a number of construction site skills, Contract Journal has reported.ConstructionSkills have su...

October 2008: Kier boost maintenance training
The construction group Kier is attempting to defy the housing market downturn by taking on new apprentices to bolster its maintenance activities.The firm has hired two young people to work in partners...

October 2008: Leicester Square building plans approved
Plans to overhaul a neglected corner of London's Leicester Square have been given the go-ahead by Westminster Council.The proposals include a new Odeon cinema and a 240-bed hotel complex, with street-...

October 2008: Joe does not have plumbing training
Joe the Plumber, who unexpectedly became the star of the final US presidential debate, does not actually have a plumber's license, it has been revealed. Joe Wurzelbacher briefly became the world's mo...

October 2008: Plumbers set to sail through training course
A health trust in Hull is facing criticism over plans to spend £400,000 on a yacht, which will provide, amongst other things, plumbing and electrical training to youngsters.The Hull Primary Care ...

October 2008: Plumbing: 'recession proof'
Plumbing is the most recession-proof job in the UK, according to a leading training provider.There are currently 30,000 unfilled plumbing vacancies in the UK, a shortage that has been increased in the...

October 2008: Plumbing exchange underway
A group of French plumbing apprentices have arrived in South Yorkshire as part of an international exchange programme, thestar.co.uk has reported.The 16 to 18-year-olds, who are currently undergoing p...

October 2008: Plumbing mishap prompts Italian 'miracle'
One resident of the tiny Italian town of Marino thought she was witnessing a miracle when wine started flowing from her kitchen tap, Decanter.com reports.The apparent case of divine intervention seeme...

October 2008: Union criticises Tory apprenticeship plans
The Conservative Party has been criticised by a construction union after proposing a shake up of apprenticeships and industry training.Speaking at the Conservative conference, shadow skills secretary ...

October 2008: Rok integrates PHE acquisitions
The building and maintenance firm Rok has brought the five plumbing, heating and electrical companies it has acquired over the past two years into one business.Rok Plumbing Heating and Electrical (PHE...

September 2008: HomeServe predicts growth
An emergency heating and plumbing service company has predicted that it will have hit growth targets by the time that it announces its interim results in November.In a trading statement for the six mo...

September 2008: Velodrome secures post-Olympic future
The London 2012 velodrome has become the first purpose-built Olympic venue to secure its future.Olympic chiefs have agreed to spend £12 million transforming the velopark into a top training base ...

September 2008: NHF: govt housing targets 'impossible'
It will be "almost impossible" for the government to reach its target of building three million new homes by 2020, the National Housing Federation (NHF) has said.The property body has claime...

September 2008: Women welcomed into construction
National Construction Showcase Week will be held in Bradford this October and will aim to get more women involved in trades training.A marquee will be set up in Centenary Square, with exhibition stand...

September 2008: Apprentices see minimum wage rise
The minimum wage for apprentices has been increased by £15 per week, as the government bids to boost trades training. John Denham, the skills secretary, announced these plans at the Trades Union ...

September 2008: Apprenticeship shortage anticipated
The economic downturn could lead to a shortage of apprenticeships in the building services, according to the industry's skills council.SummitSkills has suggested that current financial difficulties co...