Woodgate & Clark Welcomes Govt Strategy on Vocational Training

Some comments from Woodgate 7 Clark as the new Burnham regime aims to offer more apprenticeships, tech and vocational options to teenagers, rather than sending everyone to Uni. Here’s the word;

Woodgate & Clark, the loss adjusting and claims management business, has welcomed the Government’s announcement of new technical education pathways from age 14.  The plan is to pair core academic subjects with practical skills training, work experience and direct connections to local employers — spanning construction and bricklaying to coding and computing. Woodgate & Clark sees the plans as a positive step toward addressing a skills shortage already affecting property insurance claims.

Simon Howarth, Head of Quadrassist, the building repair network for Woodgate & Clark said: “There is a growing repair skills gap in traditional trades such as lime plastering, floor tiling, heritage brickwork and bespoke joinery. This is creating real operational challenges for insurers, loss adjusters and contractors managing claims on older properties, including heritage and listed buildings.

“Apprenticeship-style pathways starting from age 14 could help rebuild the pipeline of tradespeople skilled in traditional techniques. This is a genuinely welcome step, and one the property claims sector needs.

“Giving young people a genuine, respected pathway into these trades from age 14, alongside direct connections to employers, is exactly the kind of long-term investment needed to rebuild that pipeline. The UK has some of the oldest housing stock in Europe, and demand for these specialist skills isn’t going away — if anything, it’s growing as experienced craftspeople retire faster than they’re being replaced.

“At Woodgate & Clark, through Quadrassist, we see first-hand the contractors who are already committed to developing new talent. But individual businesses can only do so much. Closing this gap requires support at a national level. The Government’s announcement is a real signal that the two are finally being treated as equally valuable.”