AUDIO NEWS: Electrical apprenticeship starts fall by 5.5% and West Midlands Police wants to return stolen tools

Electrical apprenticeship starts drop by 5.5%, nearly 40,000 complaints made to Citizens Advice and West Midlands Police wants to reunite tradespeople with their stolen tools

The number of people starting electrical apprenticeships fell by 5.5% in the last year — that’s according to the ECA’s latest Electrical Skills Index.

The index also showed that despite growing interest in electrical careers, it is not leading to more people joining the trade.

In 2025/26 fewer than one-in-five learners enrolled in government funded classroom-based courses, transition into an electrical apprenticeship or skilled employment.

The East Midlands, South West, South East and Greater London all witnessed an 8% drop in the number of electrical apprenticeship starts.

Skills England estimates that the UK needs another 12,000 electricians by 2030.

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Nearly 40,000 complaints were made to Citizens Advice in the last year about home maintenance work, claims a report from Emperor Paint.

Grievances about roofing, roof sealing and chimney repairs accounted for nearly 20% of the total.

Overall, reports to Citizen’s Advice about maintenance work fell nearly 8% since 2024.

Glazing services saw the biggest drop in complaints falling by over 50%.

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West Midlands Police is trying to reunite tradespeople with their stolen tools.

The force recently recovered a large quantity of suspected stolen equipment from an address in Smithwick.

A 50-year old man remains on bail in connection with the investigation.

Tradespeople will need the serial numbers and any distinctive features noted to claim their tools.

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