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The plumbing workforce is expected to shrink by 30% if current employment trends continue, warns a report by JTL. The training body estimates that over 25,000 plumbers have left the trade since 2018. The declining number of plumbers threatens both the government’s housing building plans and the pipeline of data centre development projects. The latest full-year data shows that just 2,150 people started plumbing apprenticeships in England.

Oktoberfest has largely come to an end in Europe, with the majority of events taking place in the early days of the month. However, the very first Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany, began in 1810 on the 12th of October! The celebration honoured the marriage of King Ludwig I to Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen and was treated as a public holiday.

The co-chair of the Construction Leadership Council, Mark Reynolds, has called for a tax incentive to boost apprenticeships. Speaking to the BBC, Reynolds claimed that of the 140,000 people training in construction each year, half aren’t offered jobs due to low employer confidence and National Insurance challenges. The Mace chairman proposed an R&D tax credit for employers taking on apprentices, arguing any scheme should boost productivity, rather than just offer financial support.

A lawyer has called for a UK-wide ban on engineered stone and wider action to protect workers from silica exposure. Speaking at the TUC Congress last month, Dan Poet, a partner with Thompsons Solicitors, said the HSE had recently uncovered serious failures in businesses working with the material. Earlier this year, the HSE issued guidance for working with engineered stone and started an inspection programme.

The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit is drawing ever closer as the end of F1 season looms. While the impressive track is the only active F1 course in the United Arab Emirates, there are other nations capable of hosting multiple races across different locations. F1 officially began at Silverstone in the United Kingdom back in 1950. However, is the UK really home to the most F1 circuits?

Perhaps you’ve already seen the reports that a severe weather shift could be on the way. Forecasts suggest that a storm known as El Niño could hit the UK as early as October, running all the way through to the new year. Experts predict a severe change in weather which could cause a whiplash effect, first producing strong winds, torrential downpours and a warmer climate before switching to colder spells and biting frost.

Tool theft and vandalism on building sites are expected to accelerate over the coming weeks as evenings get darker and the clocks move back an hour. Police data collected by Direct Line Business Insurance suggests that reports of tool theft are 46% higher in October than in April — traditionally the lowest month for tool theft. A poll by the Chartered Institute of Building estimated that site vandalism and the theft of tools and materials cost over £800 million a year.

The Conservative Party plans to slash the price of new build homes by £50,000 if it wins the next election. As part of the “biggest deregulation project in a generation”, it intends to jettison rules that require developers to fit energy-efficient heating systems, solar panels and EV chargers. It also intends to scrap rules on water efficiency and close the Environment Agency.

The Celebrity Traitors has already proven to be a massive success story for the BBC, with Series 2 of the show breaking new viewing records. We’ve already discussed the gorgeous Ardross Castle where the series is filmed, but we haven’t looked at another major set of builds. Throughout the show, some truly impressive structures are created for the Faithful and the Traitors to complete challenges across.

Over 90% of self-employed tradespeople admit running their own business causes them stress and anxiety — that’s according to research from Powered Now. The report, published ahead of World Mental Health Day later this week, found that 45% of respondents experienced stress regularly. Money worries and admin work were identified as the two main causes of anxiety. Late payments added to the pressure, with self-employed tradespeople owed nearly £6,000 on average.