The UK locksmiths industry could best be described as being in a state of crisis. In most countries a locksmith requires a license, if you carry the tools and equipment to gain entry to or open almost any lock or property then some sort of regulation is undeniably necessary. Sadly this is not the case in the United Kingdom. Any one in the UK can set themselves up and advertise there services as a locksmith, they don’t need a license and they don’t need to be answerable to any governing body beyond the broad guidelines set down by British trading standards. The UK locksmiths industry is gradually becoming saturated with poorly skilled, poorly trained and poorly equipped so called locksmiths.

As locksmiths working in Surrey, Kingston and London every year we see new companies starting up in our area of coverage. Many of these companies fail to see out a year in the trade, some do however do better. So why is this happening? There is no legislation to regulate the training of locksmiths in the United Kingdom. there are now countless locksmiths training schools scattered across London and Surrey offering two day training courses and claiming in that in those two days they will be able to learn everything they need to start up and trade as a locksmith. So you can learn everything you need to know? It used to take an apprentice locksmith five years or more before they were considered well versed in the locksmiths trade.

This influx of badly trained two day wonders is gradually strangling the industry, taking work from well established and highly skilled locksmiths and at the same time ruining the reputation of the trade with bad workman ship and excessive prices. So is there anything that can be done to counteract this trend? there are currently only two recognized official bodies for locksmiths in the UK, The Institute of Certified Locksmiths and the Master Locksmiths Association. Both of these bodies actively persue tighter regulation within the UK locksmiths industry with a hope to achieving licensing for locksmiths in the future.

An opinion poll commissioned by public universities clearly indicates that UK residents back investment in universities to maintain quality of research and teaching. The public clearly understands that high quality universities are important for the development of individuals, society and economy of the country. Universities heavily rely on external funding to provide high quality student experiences, deliver world class research and develop highly skilled graduates needed for the development of a nation. In a tight financial environment, the government is finding it tough to provide adequate funds to universities for their research activities and innovation in ways of learning.

In today’s economy, the importance of higher education extends beyond teaching. UK universities play an important role in the country’s economy. UK universities continue to enrich and impart knowledge and understanding to students globally. International students studying in the UK bring a large amount of revenue, equivalent to 3 billion pounds, to the country’s economy. International students are important for the success of the UK’s higher education system. They contribute approximately 8% to higher education budgets and also contribute to local economies through their off-campus spending. These students studying in the UK are likely to become political leaders, captains of industry and opinion formers of the future. These links play an important role for the UK in trade and diplomatic terms.

Twenty-five percent of immigrants to Britain are students and the number is bound to rise in coming years. The influx of international students is mainly the result of marketing efforts of higher educational institutions. UK universities fiercely sell their courses to international students. Each foreign students brings around 15,000 pounds in the way of fees and living expenses. UK universities continue to play an important role in an uncertain economy. International students pay full tuition fees while enabling universities to provide subsidized education to local students. In a scenario where government funding is felt inadequate, international students bring a bounty of funds that can be used by universities to improve their education and research standards to stay ahead in global competition.

UK universities now generate about 59 billion pounds and have left behind sectors such as agricultural, pharmaceutical, advertising and the postal industry. The importance of the education sector in the UK is increasing gradually. The focus of UK universities is research and teaching. Some universities are, however, research intensive and transfer knowledge to businesses and other organizations. This procedure is called knowledge transfer, and UK universities use expertise and the facilities of these business communities in return.