Blog & Trade Training News

The Vitality of Responsiveness for Tradespeople

Never miss a call: tradesperson / small business guide

It may sound strange to some, but for many self-employed gas engineers and other tradespeople, there’s often too much work and not enough time. The frequency and distractions caused by phone calls can be overwhelming. With clients seeking immediate assistance and potential new projects coming in, the phone constantly rings, disrupting the workflow and focus required for intricate tasks. In this article, OnTheJob explores the importance of answering calls as they come in and offers a solution

Cash Flow Forecasting For Trade Businesses

Options Skills X Powered Now - Cash flow forecasting for tradespeople title card

Cash flow forecasting is key for small businesses, especially for trade businesses. It involves predicting the movement of cash in and out of the company over a specific period, usually on a monthly or quarterly basis. By effectively managing cash flow, trade businesses can ensure they have enough liquidity to cover expenses and seize growth opportunities. In this article, our partner, Powered Now, will explore how trade businesses can enhance their cash flow and financial stability. The

Trainee Jobs – Start Working As A Trainee Electrician

Trainee electrician; Trainee Jobs - Start working as an electrician

Starting as a trainee is a smart choice for launching your career. It provides hands-on experience, mentorship, and a chance to learn industry-specific skills. Trainee jobs offer a pathway to develop expertise, gain industry insights, and pave the way for future growth and advancement in your chosen field. But, before you start your journey as a trainee electrician we’ve answered some of your frequently asked questions about this route. Learn about the education and gain practical experience

10 Years of Options Skills

We can’t quite believe it’s been 10 years since we opened the doors of Options Skills. To say a lot has happened would be an understatement, and we’re proud of what we’ve achieved. But, of course, none of this would have been possible without our incredible employees, trainees and partners. To give you a bit of background, Garry and I launched Options Skills in May 2013. Our goal was simple – provide people with the high-quality training

Best Tool Brands For Tradespeople 2023

Hammer, screwdriver, pliers, stanley knife and level alongside text reading "best tool brands for tradespeople"

There are plenty of great brands to choose from to create your perfect tool kit. But it’s not just tradespeople who should be investing their money wisely. Whether you’re working on-site or undertaking DIY, having the right tools that stand the test of time will save you time, money and effort in the long run. Your tool selection will vary depending on your trade, but these are some of our favourite tool brands that you can’t go

Tradeswomen You Should Be Following

12 Tradeswomen To Follow On Social Media Social media is a great place to head to if you want inspiration, support, or to network with your community. But, it’s also beneficial if you want to grow your business and show off your skills – and these tradeswomen are doing just that. While tradeswomen only make up a small percentage of the industry, that number is gradually increasing, and it’s women like these that are helping to break

Free Renewables Training With Options Skills

Existing plumbers and gas and heating engineers can now claim free renewables training through Options Skills. In 2019, the UK Government committed to the Net-Zero target proposed by the Climate Change Committee. The target is to reduce emissions by 100% from 1990 levels by 2050. The UK requires significant updates to make this a reality – including infrastructure changes. Though it may sound ambitious, changes have already begun. Over the last few years, rumours circulated that the

Options Skills Partner with Trade-Up

Text reading "Partnership with Trade-Up" alongside three images of people relating to the company

We’re proud to be founding members of Trade-Up – a not-for-profit campaign run by HomeServe and Checkatrade to train an extra 10,000 skilled workers annually. The UK faces an ongoing shortage of workers across numerous industries, and the trades industry is no different. With an ageing workforce and many workers leaving the UK between 2019-2020, the demand for skilled workers is higher than ever. And with just 32,000 new workers entering the industry each year, a significant

Making Tax Digital – what do you need to know?

Laptop screen displaying the text "Making Tax Digital Ready"

The UK government has announced plans to make tax administration as simple as possible in recent years. The goal is to simplify tax administration and make it more efficient. What does Making Tax Digital mean for your business? Ben Dyer, CEO at Powered Now, explains everything you need to know and how to get started to comply with this new legislation. What does MTD mean for businesses? Every UK business will be affected by MTD in the

The Best Apps For Tradespeople | 2023

Three mobile phones displaying trade apps alongside text reading "best apps for tradespeople in 2023"

In the trades, most of your time is spent on the tools, but there is also admin, marketing, ordering and more to think about and get done. These aspects can be time-consuming and lead to late nights buried under paperwork. Thankfully, that can now be a thing of the past! Numerous apps for tradespeople are available for download to streamline your bookkeeping, improve your marketing efforts and cut down time spent searching for materials in merchants. Bookkeeping