By Jon Vanstone, chair, Certass Trade Association.

We’ve become obsessed with speed. In an age of microwave dinners, one-click shopping, and 30-second life-hacks, it’s no surprise that even the construction industry wants faster training. Get them in, get them qualified and get them working.

The reality is something uncomfortable as a faster route to competence is only worth taking if it still ends up at competence. Otherwise, it’s just a shortcut to risk. And risk, as we know, has a nasty habit of showing up with a bill later.

Glazing isn’t like learning to juggle, you can’t bluff it with enthusiasm and a YouTube tutorial. It’s a profession where what seems fine today can quietly betray you in five years.

Remember that certificates don’t fit windows, people do – a qualification isn’t the same as competence.

A truly competent installer isn’t just someone who knows how to install a window. It’s someone who knows why that method matters, who spots when something’s wrong, who knows that changing a trim or vent affects energy performance, ventilation, or even fire safety.

Put simply, they have the critical skill of not making mistakes when under pressure. Which, as any behavioural economist will tell you, is rare and valuable.

We don’t just need more installers. We need better-prepared ones. Apprentices who’ve seen the most common mistakes and, more importantly, know how to fix them before they go wrong. There’s a vast difference between passing a course and being ready for real life.

A certificate without supervised, real-world experience is like teaching someone to drive using only a PowerPoint.

A burden for business

Skills England is trying to speed up skills acquisition. However, the bit policymakers often forget is that when you fast-track someone into a trade without giving them proper grounding, you’re not just accelerating their career you’re shifting the responsibility onto the employer.

That means more handholding, more double-checking, and less time getting on with actual work. In small firms, where every hour counts, this isn’t a noble challenge. It’s a pain in the balance sheet.

The danger is clear if we get young people into jobs faster, only to watch them drown in expectations they weren’t trained to meet. That’s not progress, it’s just outsourcing failure.

This isn’t just an installer problem. It’s a supply chain issue in disguise. Training providers must be honest about what real-world competence looks like. Manufacturers need to stop producing technical documents that read like they were written for themselves rather than the people reading them.

Everyone wants safer homes, better buildings, and fewer cowboys. To do this we all have to take training seriously, not just speedily.

At Certass, we’ve stuck our necks out on this because we know that competence isn’t a checkbox. A competent installer is part craftsman, part detective, part communicator. They can explain decisions. They act ethically under pressure. And yes, they probably do read the instructions.

Faster training is fine, if it preserves the core essence of real skills, real experience, real readiness.

Because in glazing, and in life, speed without wisdom is just chaos in a hurry.

In 2026, Certass won’t just certify competence as it will champion it.

We’re building confidence ecosystems with our members, where training meets real-world judgment, and paperwork is backed by proof, not just print.

The Certified Competent platform is evolving into a go-to place for homeowners who want more than “a bloke with a van.” It’s trust, with a search bar.

Small firms get tools that let them act big. Homeowners get tradespeople who don’t just do the job but can explain why it matters. Regulators get transparency and everyone wins.

Because in a world hooked on speed, Certass is betting on trust. And that, funnily enough, might just be the fastest route to lasting success.