I’ve long trumpeted the exciting possibilities that come with an engineering degree: remote controlled Jet Skis or electric marzipan shoes. But no one wants to get stuck in. Now my old friend and vacuum cleaner botherer, James Dyson is also warning that Britain faces an engineering skills crisis. He’s not alone; engineering firms yesterday told the BBC that they are struggling to recruit school leavers because of an outdated image of manufacturing among teachers. Sarah Morris, of the CBI said that over 2m UK engineering jobs will be created in the next four years. “We’re calling on the government to invest a modest £120m in specific careers advice, to show young people exactly how promising a career in engineering can be. If we don’t do something, Britain will lose these jobs to foreign competitors.” Mobilise workmates - don’t give in to the hun!

If you are dangerously thin and a fan or clothes that fall apart at the end of a night out, you undoubtedly shop at Zara. The Spanish fashion chain (owned by Inditex) has seen sales rocket up by 9% which means it has overtaken The Gap as the worlds favourite tailor. You may not have thought, but Zara has been Europe’s biggest clothes chain since 2005 when it overtook H&M. Now, the expansion plans coupled with a weak dollar meant that Gap’s preppy, elder crown was ready for the taking – some achievement when you consider they have 3,100 stores worldwide and 150,000 staff. While Gap is struggling to maintain its customers, the arrival of its up market Banana Republic brand has been performing well – despite the lack of air conditioning in their Regent Street branch where they refuse to have any items on sale. Fact fans: Zara was started as long ago as 1968 when Amancio Ortega (still the big boss) took a break from sleeping and boning tourists to make and sell bathrobes from his bedroom in north-west Spain.

Keeping up with those turning a profit in trying times, and with the price of fuel right now, its no huge surprise to learn the oil companies have been raking it in – and how: Greenpeace favourite Exxon Mobil made profits of £11.68bn between April and June, breaking its own record for the highest quarterly profit by a US company. Amazingly the profits disappointed the their investors, who thought that if crude oil prices were double, so should the profits be compared to last year. Ah, oil investors. What lovely people. The figures took into account a $290m fine for the Exxon Valdez oil spill disaster. Given the size of their quarterly profits, “fine” is no doubt the word they had in mind too – the original penalty for the Alaskan spill was $2.5bn. See, its not what you know… Over at Shell the champagne was flowing too with £4bn to play with. And in the UK, BP came in with £4.3bn – or £555 per second. At the start of the week, BP got the green light to embark on one of Angola’s largest oil and gas investments, worth $10 billion.

Still keeping an eye out for those reporting good profits in the credit crunch so you can give them a call with confidence and ask for a handout: British Gas owner Centrica announces a 44% price increase to customers one day, and a near £1bn profit the next – that’s just for the first half of 2008. To get the violins out, the group claims it is the second biggest tax payer in the FTSE 100 – giving 58% of group profits back to the tax man. Cocoa prices up 405 hasn’t stopped Cadbury from upping its profits by nearly 30% - thanks in part to the success of Trident chewing gum (really?) The depression of the 1930s also saw a boom in chocolate sales, so Cadbury many be hoping the recession worsens. They claim we all need little treats in hard times – which is why I have sent a box of Crème Eggs to Basra. Meanwhile the motor insurance group Admiral, based in Cardiff, have made a £100m in profit. I rang them and asked for a better price and they came back with £100.3m.

Your problems are solved if you live by the sea and have a row with your wife: Travelodge is to spend £150m opening 55 new hotels in British coastal towns by 2015. The first locations - Blackpool, Weymouth, Newquay, Bournemouth and Scarborough - will be opening in the next 12 months. The firm is already predicting 30% sales increase in its 30 coastal properties in July and August this year as more Britons holiday in the UK. Holiday camp Pontins has also said sales are up 10% on last year, as more people feel the pinch from rising fuel costs on their airline tickets. Travelodge is still pressing ahead though with its plans to open 100 hotels in Spain partly to appeal to Spanish customers, but also to cater to British travelers with no imagination.