The Government have left the run too late to train people which is a long term goal. They have cocked up the apprenticeship training scheme and the only option open to them now is to impose regulation on tradespeople as that can be done at the click of a finger. Look at the retrospective legislation they imposed on the industry to cover their arse. 

Watchdog you bring up a very important point.  Our best trained plumbers, gasfitters and drainlayers are getting older, and inching towards retirement.   Following them are those that did a much shorter apprenticeship and have not gone on to certifying status.  The numbers in industry that train apprentices is woefully low and so this shortage could have been predicted some years ago.  Those of us that take on apprentices cut the numbers down during the recession as we did not have sufficient work and now we are seeing the results.  The thing that annoys me the most is those that don't take on apprentices and then swoop on third years with very lucrative wage offers - they haven't had to pay any of the costs to get them to this stage and then just reap the benefits of our hard work.  There should be an expensive transfer fee.   The merchants has just become a feeding ground for unscrupulous employers pinching staff that they aren't prepared to training themselves.  I don't blame the guys taking the bait, but I wish these guys would consider training their own.

Yes we see it coming but what is the solution?  Those that train aren't going to increase the number of apprentices in lean times - they simply can't afford it - so the bust boom cycle will continue unless perhaps Government looks at some sort of subsidy for employers taking on apprentices, or what do people think about a training levy on all plumbers, gasfitters and drainlayers to fund training new apprentices?  I'm in two minds on this myself - and I'm still not sure which side I come down on, I feel differently about it on different days.  Interested to hear others opinions.