TrustMark, the national quality badge for reputable tradesmen in the domestic RMI (repair, maintenance and improvement) sector, has received a strong vote of confidence today with the publication of the Government's Industrial Strategy for Construction.
The Industrial Strategy recognises the importance of the TrustMark scheme for its role in improving the reputation of construction and building positive perceptions of the industry. The Government has committed to supporting TrustMark, expanding the scheme to include a greater proportion of the industry, and promoting the new core criteria standards and the industry and consumer groups that support them.
Currently there are more than 14,000 individual firms within TrustMark, providing more than 23,000 approved trade services covering a wide range of work in and around the home. The majority of TrustMark registered firms are SMEs. They are vetted, inspected and monitored within the scheme by 28 scheme operators including major trade associations, certification bodies and retailers.
Liz Male, chairman of TrustMark and a member of the new Construction Leadership Council which will drive forward implementation of the Industrial Strategy, said:
"The Industrial Strategy categorically states Government's commitment to TrustMark. It is also rightful recognition of the forward-thinking industry bodies and consumer groups who created the scheme and have remained committed to promoting its Government-endorsed standards.
"TrustMark scheme operators have the capacity and will to bring in many thousands more firms into the scheme, so that the benefits of the TrustMark badge can be extended to all the reputable tradesmen in the domestic RMI sector.
“What they need now is a greater push on increasing consumer awareness of the benefits of using TrustMark-registered firms, so that really good local firms see why it makes sense to be part of this scheme. This is our top priority now, working closely with Government and the many consumer advice bodies that signpost people to the good guys.
"We will work together to improve the image of tradesmen among the general public, because it matters. The domestic RMI sector is economically very significant, accounting for £27 billion spend per year, so we need a sector where increasing levels of work are commissioned with increasing levels of trust and confidence. It's the bit of construction which touches our day to day lives in a very intimate way because it's about our homes. Customers' experiences of this part of construction - good or bad – also have a huge bearing on their image of the wider industry, and this impacts on our ability to attract and retain talent in the industry.
“At last the role of the domestic RMI sector is being recognised for its crucial position with UK construction and our industrial strategy for the future."
TrustMark is a not-for-profit company, a registered social enterprise operating under licence from Government. TrustMark's members are currently conducting a comprehensive review of the scheme’s core criteria, the first such major review since the scheme began in 2005.
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