MPs urge government to take direction action on the skills crisis, BIFIS issues warning about increase in AI-enabled fraud, and tradesman wins a £45,000 van, plus tools!
A group of MPs has urged the government to take direct action on the construction skills crisis or miss its net zero targets.
To address the skills deficit, the House of Commons energy security and net zero committee called for a nationally recognised, industry-backed construction retrofit skills programme.
The UK currently needs an estimated 250,000 additional construction workers by the end of the decade.
To meet housing targets and complete retrofitting work, the committee suggested expanding training support for SME builders and importing skilled workers from overseas.
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The British Institute of Fitted Interiors and Specialists (BIFIS) has sounded the alarm about an increase in AI-enabled fraud in the home improvement sector.
The trade body said unscrupulous installers were using AI-tools to change health and safety certificates and insurance policies, posing significant risks to consumers, and undermining trust in legitimate tradespeople.
BIFIS claimed it had seen a “significant” increase in the volume of forged documents in the last year.
Damian Walters, BIFIS CEO warned that validating documentation on face value was no longer enough.
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A tradesman from Gillingham has won a new van worth £45,000.
Amir Nabil beat half a million other entrants to claim the top prize in Howden’s TradeFest competition.
Nabil, who also won £8,000 worth of tools, told his local newspaper that the good news hadn’t “sunk in yet”.
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