Industry Update: UK Government Eases Apprenticeship Entry Requirements, While Belgium Tightens Moving Industry Regulations

U.K. GOVT TO RELAX APPRENTICESHIP QUALIFICATIONS

The UK government has announce sweeping changes to apprenticeship regulation in an effort to address skills shortages in vital sectors.

The move, announced on Wednesday, will see apprentices aged over 19 no longer needing to qualify in Maths and English to be accepted into the trade with an additional minimum period for an apprenticeship being reduced from a year to only eight months.

The British Association of Removers (BAR) Director General Ian said that he was awaiting clarification on some details from IfATE (Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education) and the association’s trading partner, TRS Training on whether the proposed changes are feasible: “If the changes suggested are accommodated without having any negative impacts on structure or funding, then I think those changes could well be a good thing as one of the main objections that we hear is that potential apprentices do not want to do the English and Maths syllabus as, for many of them, they have chosen to leave academia and instead engage in vocational training.”

BELGIUM TO ENFORCE GREATER PENALTIES ON MOVERS

In another regulatory change the Belgian Chamber of Movers has announced key changes to oversight within the moving industry including, but not limited to, more intensive controls and better cooperation between services.

Director of the the group Koen Vangoidsenhoven announced that it has signed the Plan for Fair Competition with the federal government in Brussels to address the massive social fraud and unfair competition that has plagued the sector for years.

The key changes include mandatory registering of all those carrying out moving activities upon arrival and departure from the workplace including more targeted controls on undeclared work. The group is also prioritising more harmonisation between services including the inspection services will work more closely together. These include: social inspection(RSZ), tax authorities, police, and justice joining forces in the fight against social fraud. 

In an attempt to address violations of rules there will be stricter penalties for offenders for violations with aggravating factors, the fine must be at least 50% of the maximum amount. Fraudsters can also lose their right to RSZ reductions for several quarters.

The chamber also seeks to provide greater protection for honest companies by preventing those who do violate practice from not being able to enjoy the same benefits as companies that work correctly. 

These measures are the result of intensive consultation between the government and the sector.  BKV is organising an information session with RSZ on Friday, March 28, at De Hoorn - Sluisstraat 79, 3000 Leuven - 6:00 PM to8:30 PM. The Chamber will be providing a report of the presentation after the event.

PROPERTY PRICES SKYROCKET IN IRELAND

Property prices in Ireland are now €200,000 more expensive than in 2013 according to the Central Statistics Office

The CSO shows that the Residential Property Price Index increased by 8.7pc in the 12 months to December 2024 in a sign of a potentially overheating property market.

This is a slight slowdown from the rate of increase from the previous month but remains the 16th month in a row of rising values.

Values in the Irish capital Dublin were up by over 8pc in the year, with prices outside Dublin rose by 9pc.

For 2024, the median, or mid-point, price paid by households for a residential property was €355,000.