| By :
Martin Hofschroer
Residents from Barnet are improving their practical skills and boosting their confidence by taking DIY courses. A new Barnet Homes scheme has been launched to help council tenants and leaseholders living in the Burnt Oak area learn more about how DIY can assist home maintenance and improvement. Basic plumbing courses, electrical courses and plastering courses have been aimed specifically at residents aged from 18 to 30, lone parents and care leavers as these demographics often lack home improvement skills. Derek Rust, Barnet Homes Deputy Chief Executive, said that people who complete the courses are likely to feel more self assured when carrying out jobs around the house. "We find that many Barnet Homes residents, particularly our younger residents, lack the confidence or skills to carry out small jobs around the home," he said. Those residents which pass the decorating courses and carpentry courses on offer may want to undertake qualification training which will allow them to enter a career in the housing industry. Mr Rust added: "As well as equipping residents with useful life-long skills, we also hope the project will encourage some of them to pursue more training courses and hopefully boost their chances of finding long-term work." DIY fanatics have been urged to pursue their passion and investigate industry accredited plumbing courses and electrical courses as this will give them the opportunity to get a job which they find rewarding. Green energy courses are becoming more popular with construction workers as more homeowners want to install renewable power technology. The Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering said that the planned rise in VAT should have no effect on a range of energy saving products from wood-fuelled boilers to wind turbines and solar panels. People looking to enter the construction and housing industry will be pleased to know that the number of deaths in the workplace has reduced over the last twelve months. Research by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed that 151 workers died between April 1st 2009 and March 31st 2010 in Britain compared to 178 deaths in the previous year. HSE Chair Judith Hackitt said: "It's really very encouraging to see a further reduction in workplace fatalities in the past year. This is performance which owes much to good practice, leadership and employee engagement." The study also found that just 41 construction workers were fatally injured in the past year compared to an average of 66 deaths in the past five years.
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