The government has rolled out a new apprenticeship scheme that seeks to force companies to pay more to train new workers. The CECA (Civil Engineering Contractors Association) said they had concerns that this new system could result in companies paying more to train apprentices, in some cases companies could be
Work on a wind turbine farm in West Sussex has been halted by spawning fish; the work has been halted on the farm after just started on the foundations for the farm. The work is scheduled to resume in July on the Rampion Offshore Windfarm so not to disturb shoals
Recent news from Interserve Press Office reports that the international construction group have been awarded a 5 year contract valued at approximately £230 million. The international construction project will also include additional works and work with the MoD DIO (Ministry of Defence – Defence Infrastructure Organisation) to provide further facility
Great news for the international infrastructure group Balfour Beatty. The company has won a contract with by BAE Systems, the leading global defence company, to carry out the £82.5m contract to build their engineering and training facilities at a site in Norfolk. The RAF Marham in Norfolk will be getting
The government has rolled out a new apprenticeship scheme that seeks to force companies to pay more to train new workers. The CECA (Civil Engineering Contractors Association) said they had concerns that this new system could result in companies paying more to train apprentices, in some cases companies could be paying twice to train the same apprentices. Alasdair Reisner said this could actually cause the fall of apprentices potentially interested in joining the construction industry. The CECA chief executive discussed his fears about the future of apprentices in the construction industry. If forced to follow this new initiative companies will be less inclined to hire apprentices who will require more training, time and investment. It will become less affordable and less profitable for companies to train or hire apprentices. Companies would have to pay into the new scheme as the recent scheme actually asks that companies hiring apprentices should also pay in the government’s apprenticeship levy fun. The company would have to also pay thousands in additional training costs that will not be covered by the fund. The current system has the government contributing nearly £2bn to support apprentice training. The employers are expected cover the remainder of training costs. The new system will see this support removed for companies whose annual pay bills are over £3m. The new scheme requests that they pay 0.5% into the levy fund for apprentices. The apprenticeship type will be banded with maximum limits on what can be spent on each type of apprenticeship, contractors fear limits are lower the amount it actually costs to train certain types of construction apprentices. Stating that companies will have to food the extra cost. Early indication from the government are actually causing major concerns for industry professionals, the government are pushing the limits down to a point where it is no longer a viable option for most companies to invest time, money and effort into training apprentices.
Work on a wind turbine farm in West Sussex has been halted by spawning fish; the work has been halted on the farm after just started on the foundations for the farm. The work is scheduled to resume in July on the Rampion Offshore Windfarm so not to disturb shoals of the black seabream in their spawning season. The construction of the windfarm also had issues earlier last month when they discovered an unexploded ordnance so their teams will be spending this break trying to find a solution for the situation. The 116 turbine initiative is hosted by E.On and the UK Green Investment Bank said the the construction remains on track and is unaffected so far by the recent issues with the construction. Experts are currently determining the best course of action moving forward. A spokesperson for the project stated that 18 turbine foundations had now been installed and, as planned, piling and further work has been paused to help protect the black bream spawning season that could potentially slow down progress on the project. A spokesman for MMO (Marine Management Organisation) stated that the recent spawning issue was identified after the MMO recently received a marine licence application with the intention of disposing the unexploded ordnance and relocate boulders. The MMO placed a condition of the licence, stating that the work could not be completed between the 15th of April and the 30th of June in any year due to the natural environment. The condition can be waved if Rampion can provide evidence of high sufficiency stating the form of noise modelling proving beyond reasonable doubt that there will be no effect to the spawning black seabream. Boulder relocation can go ahead during the restricted person, though the MPI Discovery vessel used to lay new foundations has left the site and will return when major works resume.
Recent news from Interserve Press Office reports that the international construction group have been awarded a 5 year contract valued at approximately £230 million. The international construction project will also include additional works and work with the MoD DIO (Ministry of Defence – Defence Infrastructure Organisation) to provide further facility services to the US Air Force’s UK estate. The USFP (United States Forces Prime) is the prime contact for the project and combines the 4 existing facilities support contracts with the USAF (United States Air Force) main bases in the UK. The 6 bases will provide their associated satellite sites in conjunction with the project. Interserve will be combining the facilities management and engineering services maintenance for the wings of the USAF. The 3 operational wings of the USAF include the 48th Fighter wing, the 100th Air Refuelling Wing and 501st Combat Support Wing. The partnership begins in November 2016, many of the sites that will be managed by Interserve will be using the outsourced support services that the USAF has used previously. The USAF estate will now be managed by a single provider, which the company hopes will help them become more efficient, allow for flexibility and accommodate changes required in future for funding etc. The combining and amalgamation of contracts is hoped to help the company with providing the vital support required for the US Air Force Military Operations and Training whilst not being burdened with any complications or inefficiencies. The Interserve chief executive, Adrian Ringrose stated the company had a long-standing, highly successful relationship with the Armed Forces and the MoD, and that the company had repeatedly proven their ability to deliver integrated support services in a manner that is efficient and cost-effective. Bringing the US Air Force facilities under this single arrangement is a significant undertaking, the company hopes to deliver real synergies for their client.
Great news for the international infrastructure group Balfour Beatty. The company has won a contract with by BAE Systems, the leading global defence company, to carry out the £82.5m contract to build their engineering and training facilities at a site in Norfolk. The RAF Marham in Norfolk will be getting new state of the art facilities in preparation for the arrival of the first F-35 Lightning II aircraft in the UK, the aircraft is set to be in the UK by 2018. The news has been well accepted since the announcement in March 2013 from the Secretary of State for Defence confirming that RAF Marham would soon become the chief operating station for the F-35 Lightning II jets of the UK’s fleet. The Balfour Beatty will be constructing 3 new facilities on behalf of BAE Systems to support the appearance of the F-35 Lightning II aircraft in 2018, the new builds include an Integrated Training Centre, Logistics Operations Centre and a Maintenance and Finishing Facility. The company will be utilising digital tools like 4D modelling and BIM throughout the construction of the 25,000m2 technical accommodation across three individual sites on the base. Balfour Beatty MD of UK Construction Services, Dean Banks, stated that they were committed to making the development a success. He mentioned the company had an excellent track record BAE Systems and their history of delivering defence projects in the UK. Their expertise in the industry of defence and aviation stemmed their progress in successfully acquiring new bigger projects. The company developed technically advanced delivery solutions, in an aim to ensure the RAF Marham’s operational capability is maintained efficiently throughout the construction activities on the base. Balfour Beatty has worked with the UK Ministry of Defence’s Lightning Project Team and BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, and Royal Air Forces Marham over the past 6 months as one of their Preferred Suppliers.