Rated people partners with Access Training UK to support booming trade industry

Rated People sees uptick in homeowner demand as job posts increase by 12% YoY
Enrolment for construction courses surges by nearly a third (29%) YoY, with Professional Plumbing and Professional Electrician courses most popular at Access Training UK and seeing increases of 124% and 53% respectively
Rated People has teamed up with Access Training UK to support those looking to retrain and join the trade industry, as well as trade professionals looking to expand their skillsets

Rated People has partnered with Access Training UK to support the growing number of people changing career paths and joining the manual trade industry.

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the UK’s unemployment rate rising to 5% for the first time in four years. For many people facing job loss or uncertainty, this is an opportunity to retrain and change career paths which is leading to an unexpected boom in the construction and trade sectors.

In fact, Access Training UK reported a significant 29% increase in the number of people registering for courses in 2020. Professional Plumbing saw a huge uptick and more than doubled (124%), whilst the number of those enrolling on Professional Electrician courses increased by over 50% (53%), compared to the previous year. Challenging historical gender stereotypes, 2020 also saw an increase (14%) of females enrolling in trade courses.

Construction and manual trade professions have remained relatively unaffected by government restrictions since the first lockdown in March. Therefore, it comes as no surprise to see many people re-training to join the trade sector, an industry which has largely remained open and arguably stable throughout the pandemic.

This surge in interest from ‘career changers’ is mirrored in the growing demand from homeowners looking for reliable tradespeople to help with home improvements. Rated People has seen a 12% increase in the number of jobs posted throughout 2020, compared to the previous year. Consumer confidence remains high as tradespeople continue to work in line with government safety guidelines, and the most popular jobs topping the leaderboard include home repair and maintenance, plumbing repair and maintenance, and internal painting and decorating.

However, it is not just those joining the industry for the first time that see value in adopting a number of skills. 4 in 5 (81%) of Rated People’s tradespeople currently specialise in more than one area, and many are interested in expanding their skillsets and gaining the expertise to cover a breadth of work.

Committed to supporting tradespeople and homeowners, Rated People has teamed up with Access Training UK to offer free trials of its platform to relevant course graduates (up to £150). What’s more, tradespeople already registered with Rated People* and any of their employees will also benefit from a 20% discount on training courses to further their skillset.

Lauren Schmitt, Head of B2B Marketing at Rated People commented:

“There has been a boom in the home renovation space over the last year due to increased time spent at home and a shift in homeowners’ priorities. To see so many people retraining and choosing to join the trade industry is just fantastic. Not only will this enable homeowners to access a wider pool of skilled

news.sky.com/story/covid-19-jobless-rate-hits-5-as-unemployment-rises-by-202-000-in-three-months-12199011

local tradespeople, it also helps to shine a light on the resilient nature of the industry and those who have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic.

It can often be difficult for newly qualified tradespeople to build a client base which is why we’re delighted to team up with Access Training UK to support those who are graduating by offering free trials of our platform, and access to more than 50,000 customers each month. Alongside this, we hope the discount kindly provided by Access Training UK for our current members proves helpful for those hoping to build on their existing skillsets and expand their businesses this year.”

Jamie Jefferies, Commercial Manager at Access Training UK added:

“We have seen a huge increase in demand for more skilled tradespeople across the UK in the last year. Which is why we are thrilled to partner with Rated People and look to not only help our students achieve their goals but also provide strength and unity to an industry that is crying out for a stronger bond between tradespeople and homeowners.

At Access Training Academies we pride ourselves on delivering the most comprehensive, affordable and flexible training possible. With industry partnerships like ours and Rated People’s we make achieving your career goals our priority.”

Top services requested by homeowners in 2020 include: