CITB today launches its new Research Investment Fund – a trial scheme to help the construction industry develop new research and evidence to identify and address skills shortages. Sandra Lilley, CITB Economics and Forecasting Manager, explains the fund and how it could help you. What is the CITB Research Investment
BBGE 100 Bishopsgate Project over 2m Specialists 2016 100 Bishopsgate Dunne: On 19 July, CN revealed workers from Dunne Group had been sent home from sites including 100 Bishopsgate. The story became our most-read of the summer and was the first of six pieces of content concerning the demise of
The construction training charity ‘Building Lives’ is to close down after it was unable to establish a sustainable stream of revenue. Trustees of the charity made the decision to cease its operations, with all 16 of its staff members being handed redundancy notices ahead of its final working day on
Market analyst Plimsoll Publishing has published a study that highlights the UK’s most attractive and largest takeover target areas in the contract cleaning industry. The report has analysed the 1,144 largest companies in the UK and has warned that the combination of elderly directors, low interest rates and stockpiling cash
The latest report from the Renewable Energy Association has claimed that the record growth seen in the renewable energy sector has been threatened by ‘turbulent’ policy changes. Although last year saw record high growth rates and employment levels, the report states that the renewable energy sector in the UK is
Construction firm Wates has been signed up to build the second block of the Stockwell housing development. Wates Living Space Homes secured the £48 million contract for the South London residential development, where work is expected to commence this month. The new Thrayle House development in Stockwell will start with
Worcester, Bosch Group has announced its winners of this year’s Environment 2020 Awards ceremony. The annual event, which was first established in 2000, recognises the best practice in the industry and celebrates the work of those who have showed a commitment to recommending hot water technologies and energy efficient heating
The International Energy Agency says that the ‘golden age’ of natural gas has now been put on hold. Last year saw the consumption of natural gas in China grow at its slowest rate for 17 years, which, according to the world’s leading energy body, is said to be one of
The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has announced the timeline for redesigning the construction industry levy. CITB says it will consult with employers in the construction sector to discuss how its levy could work in relation to the Government’s Apprenticeship Levy. As planned, the Consensus process will take place next
777 Group – Best Practice Under Pressure (The Following is a Promoted Article) The demolition sector has undergone major transformation in the last 20 years; with increasingly demanding standards in regards to anything from health and safety to rates of recycling, as well as advances in technology, those unwilling or
CITB today launches its new Research Investment Fund – a trial scheme to help the construction industry develop new research and evidence to identify and address skills shortages. Sandra Lilley, CITB Economics and Forecasting Manager, explains the fund and how it could help you. What is the CITB Research Investment Fund? The fund is part of CITB’s Flexible Fund and will be trialled across a nine-month period. The aim of the fund is to assist our industry in developing new research and evidence to help tackle skills shortages in construction. It will also help us direct our funding. Who can apply for the fund? In this trial phase, applications must come from a construction federation. They can include collaborative ideas involving employers and other industry representatives, but must be submitted and managed by a federation. How much funding is available for the pilot? The Research Investment Fund has a maximum of £100,000 available over a 9 month period – which will be allocated between a maximum of three successful bids. The CITB research team will evaluate applications against agreed criteria and decide on the three successful bids. Why has the fund been created? We need to make sure that everything we fund will help solve skills issues. This new fund allows industry, and CITB, to gather evidence so we can pinpoint areas which most need support. Doesn’t CITB already conduct research on behalf of industry? Yes, but there are always new areas developing. Federations, working with their members, can be well-placed to spot emerging skills needs that require further research and analysis. When can federations apply for the fund? Applications are welcomed between Tuesday 19 July until Monday 15 August. Successful applications will be notified in September 2016. The application form will be available from 9am on Tuesday 19 July at:www.citb.co.uk/funding/research-investment-fund/ How will CITB support successful applications? Successful applicants will work closely with the CITB research team in developing the research and evidence outlined in the original application. The application is a short and easy process, however CITB are happy to help applicants who are requiring advice and guidance on how to apply. If you would like to discuss a potential application, please contact me (Sandra.Lilley@citb.co.uk) or Lee Bryer (Lee.Bryer@citb.co.uk) Source link
BBGE 100 Bishopsgate Project over 2m Specialists 2016 100 Bishopsgate Dunne: On 19 July, CN revealed workers from Dunne Group had been sent home from sites including 100 Bishopsgate. The story became our most-read of the summer and was the first of six pieces of content concerning the demise of Dunne Group CN produced in the following three days, as the company entered administration. Exclusives: Among the dozens of exclusive contract wins we revealed were the preferred bidders for the £4bn Procure22, £2.1bn Quintain Wembley and £750m Gatwick frameworks. Show Fullscreen Willmott Dixon Scarborough Leisure Village 12 Scarborough Leisure Village Football’s coming home: Our most-read project report was on Willmott Dixon bringing football back home for Scarborough Athletic. We also visited sites in London, Newcastle and Scotland for our weekly onsite reports. Rolling coverage: CN introduced our week in motion videos showing highlights of the big news, analysis and features in each week. We also showcased timelapses, skills lessons and visits to Swansea Bay and Hinkley Point C. Show Fullscreen VUCITY London model 4 VUCITY London model Tech week: A 3D interactive digital model of London; concrete sensor technology; placemaking; robotic construction; 3D Crossrail tunnel scans and much more went into our five-day tech week in August. It’s even inspired a new weekly blog from Dan Kemp. In-depth digital analysis: Months of work goes into compiling our longform reports. Last week, the CN Specialists Index 2016 was released. For the first time, the Specialists Index has been separated out from the CN100 report, to focus purely on the fate of specialists in seven different sectors. Next Tuesday will see the publication of the interactive CN100 report. Other analyses have included a profile of our new construction minister and an in-depth look at the growing self-storage market. EU referendum Union Jack European Union flags Brexit_shutterstock_389256961 Informed with CN: As well as a breaking news alert and daily news round-ups each day, CN continued to produce our popular evening briefings. As well as video content, we recorded podcasts and continued to keep our readers informed on the issues that mattered most, from the EU referendum and industry and government policy changes, to all the latest company financial updates and expert opinion. Individuals can try CN for just £1 today, or to discuss a corporate subscription for your company employees, email corporate.enquiries@emap.com. CN will return in print on 2 September Source link
The construction training charity ‘Building Lives’ is to close down after it was unable to establish a sustainable stream of revenue. Trustees of the charity made the decision to cease its operations, with all 16 of its staff members being handed redundancy notices ahead of its final working day on June 30 2016. The organisation said in its statement that the decision was not taken without careful consideration and that it is extremely disappointed not to be able to carry on with its model, especially given the skills crisis in London. The statement also said that further disappointment is caused by the superb value for money that the group provided for the UK tax payer. Steve Rawlings, founder of Lakehouse, started the Building Lives charity in 2010. For a young person to be put through a ‘traineeship’ with Building Lives the cost is £4,000 and an average of eight of 10 people on its ‘Careership’ training programmes have then gone on to apprenticeships or jobs in the industry. Sian Workman, Managing Director of Building Lives, said that Building Lives required £900,000 to continue operating for just another year to deliver 380 ‘Careership’ programmes in four London council estate based training academies. Ms Workman added that in comparison with money spent on no guaranteed job outcomes, the amount is a mere drop in the ocean. She said that the Careership programme led to real jobs in the construction industry, even though it did not fit in with the current funding criteria of the Government. She expressed her deep disappointment that they have been forced to shut down a scheme that reduced skill shortages, unemployment and led people into jobs in the construction industry – outcomes that were beneficial to all. However, Ms Workman concluded that she was proud of the accomplishments of Building Lives since its opening six years ago, in particular its different approach and ability to support young people’s first ventures into the industry.
Market analyst Plimsoll Publishing has published a study that highlights the UK’s most attractive and largest takeover target areas in the contract cleaning industry. The report has analysed the 1,144 largest companies in the UK and has warned that the combination of elderly directors, low interest rates and stockpiling cash has left many of the companies open to acquisition. This is also thanks to the sector beginning to prosper, evolve and consolidate once more. The study also reveals that 294 companies are making a loss, 310 companies are ready to be taken over, 157 companies lose over a quarter of their value and 155 companies are in danger. Plimsoll’s Lead Analyst, David Pattison, said that the businesses studied named as very attractive takeover targets are demonstrating the classic criteria required for acquisition. Mr Pattison added that all these companies are seeing their financial strength decline, with many still privately owned and others with ageing board members. Given the circumstances, he continued, it is possible that many of these directors will be looking to sell up or retire in the not too distant future. He said that he expects to see an increase in acquisition activity in the wake of these findings, but believes that acquisition should not necessarily be viewed as a negative concept. Rather, Mr Pattison believes, it provides a chance for both the seller and the buyer – the seller is given a new future and the opportunity to belong to a new company, while the buyer invests in and takes on a new business. The study shows which areas of the UK are home to the most attractive acquisition prospects. It shows that the Northern Home Counties lead the way with 68 prospects, while the Southern Home Counties are a distant second with 35 and Thames Valley comes in third with 26. At the other end of the scale, South Wales is home to the least number of prospects with just four.
The latest report from the Renewable Energy Association has claimed that the record growth seen in the renewable energy sector has been threatened by ‘turbulent’ policy changes. Although last year saw record high growth rates and employment levels, the report states that the renewable energy sector in the UK is to suffer from repeated policy interventions. The REA’s REView 2016 report, which was released earlier in the week, says that these interventions have ‘blind sided’ the industry. The data reveals that the impressive rates of growth in the renewable energy sector, which increased in value by 4% more than any other sector of the UK economy in 2015, is set to slow down over the next few years due to ‘severe and sudden’ changes in policy by the Government. The statistics gathered by the REA show that the sector’s total market value last year reached over £15.9 billion, which is an increase of almost £1 billion (£982 million) and a 6.6% growth rate. While the rest of the economy grew by only 2.5%, the renewables sector was able to add 4,760 jobs in the same space of time, which raised total employment numbers to 116,788. However, even though renewable energy sources accounted for 22.3% of power in the UK last year, the lack of movement in transport and heat generation, along with political uncertainty, has resulted in a ‘turbulent’ future being painted for the industry. Nina Skorupska, Chief Executive of the REA, said that 2015 saw another record breaking year for the renewable energy sector in Britain and once again saw the industry outperforms growth rates of the UK. However, she continued by saying that many business have been left reeling by the severe policy changes and deployment has started to slow down. Despite this, Ms Skorupska said that things will continue to grow as the industry will innovate and preserve.
Construction firm Wates has been signed up to build the second block of the Stockwell housing development. Wates Living Space Homes secured the £48 million contract for the South London residential development, where work is expected to commence this month. The new Thrayle House development in Stockwell will start with the demolition of the existing three storey building on the site. Planning permission for Thrayle House was granted in April this year and sees the construction of the £200 million Stockwell Park regeneration programme conducted by Network Homes. The development, which was designed by PRP Architects, will see the provision of 177 new homes, with 96 for private sale and 81 for social rent and will also have a community and retail space of 1,358 m2. As recently as last week, Wates Living Space Homes gave Network Homes the completed Park Heights development, a £28 million contract for a 20 storey Stockwell Park apartment building. The site was previously a 1960s apartment block. Joanne Jamieson, Managing Director at Wates Living Space Homes, said the company’s role as the Thrayle House developer is built on its strong connection with Network Homes and its ever-present role in transforming the Stockwell Park Estate. She added that the company fully shares the ambitious vision of Network Homes for the regeneration project, and will be working towards the creation of a high specification, high quality homes development that will be of great benefit to the local community. Vicky Savage, Director at Network Homes, said that the project is a significant landmark in the Stockwell Park Estate regeneration project and is of great importance to the company, the local community and its residents. She added that the company is looking forward to working with Wates Living Space Homes who will contribute their top standard of resources and expertise to the project.
Worcester, Bosch Group has announced its winners of this year’s Environment 2020 Awards ceremony. The annual event, which was first established in 2000, recognises the best practice in the industry and celebrates the work of those who have showed a commitment to recommending hot water technologies and energy efficient heating over the past year. Across the seven installation categories, the firm has received hundreds of entries, with the winners presented with their prizes at the prestigious ceremony in Stanbrook Abbey, Worcestershire. Presenting the awards were special guests from the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering, Roger Webb and Paul Williams. Among the winners were Lee Hatch, of LH Gas Hertfordshire (Greenstar gas-fired boiler installation), Jamie Sinclair, of SJS Plumbing & Heating Hertfordshire (Greenstar oil-fired boiler installation) and Nick Critchley, of Radiant Heating Solutions Lincolnshire (Renewables installation). Worcester’s E2020 awards also recognised a group of environmentally aware young people aged up to 16 through an art design competition. The competition aims to reward exceptional artwork inspired to combat climate change and improve energy efficiency. The winners of this year’s competition were 10 year old Harry Stone from Bristol, five year old Zaki Rynne from Hampshire and 17 year old Niamh Ni Iceadha from Dublin. All of the winners were awarded £500 in leisure and shopping vouchers for their exciting works of art. Chief Executive Officer at Worcester, Carl Arntzen, said that as always it was a pleasure for the company to hold the award ceremony and that he gives thanks to all those who entered, with special congratulations to all the worthy winners. He said that Worcester continues to be a manufacturer inspired by having so many installers who are already trying to reinforce the commitment of the industry to the protection of the earth’s valuable resources. CIPHE President, Paul Williams, said they are always looking to highlight the excellent work carried out every year by heating and plumbing engineers.
The International Energy Agency says that the ‘golden age’ of natural gas has now been put on hold. Last year saw the consumption of natural gas in China grow at its slowest rate for 17 years, which, according to the world’s leading energy body, is said to be one of the factors that will hinder the commencement of the fuel’s ‘golden age’. The country, which is being transformed into a consumer-driven economy, has seen a deceleration in gas demand growth to around 4% last year, which was the slowest rate since 1998. That is a significant fall in average growth compared with the 15% rate between 2009 and 2014. IEA Executive Director, Faith Birol, said that China remains in the best position in terms of gas demand growth, however it has considerably slowed down from its previous rate. He says that as a consequence of this, the arrival of the golden age of gas has stalled. In industrialised countries from the US to Europe there has been subdued economic growth which has also contributed to the slowing global energy demand growth. Mr Birol said that this has created ‘headwinds’ for natural gas, at a time when it was anticipated that it would play a bigger role in the global energy mix. He also commented that the fall in gas prices, which can be linked to the collapse of oil over the last year and a half, has not resulted in a stronger than expected demand. Gas is now not just facing competition from cost-wise alternative, but also the new climate agreement signed in Paris, which has mobilised renewable technology support. As a result of all this, gas has found it difficult to compete. In the period up to 2021, global gas consumption growth will fall to an average yearly growth rate of 1.5%, compared with the 2.5% rate over the last six years.
The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has announced the timeline for redesigning the construction industry levy. CITB says it will consult with employers in the construction sector to discuss how its levy could work in relation to the Government’s Apprenticeship Levy. As planned, the Consensus process will take place next year, which will see a full consultation with a variety of employers from the industry to discuss the CITB Levy. The industry asked for this timetable to make sure that all employers in the construction industry will be able to submit their views on how the CITB Levy should be modified for a potential new Levy Order in the next two years, as well as considering the CITB support that this could fund. Before the formal Levy consultation, CITB will meet employers to discuss the best way the organisation can meet their needs. One of the ways to be considered is making the existing grants scheme more accessible and relevant, especially for smaller businesses. CITB is also set to re-establish the Levy Working Party, which will be made up of representatives from all around the construction industry. The meeting will see the firms come up with different possibilities for a possible new CITB Industry Levy. Included in the working party is CITB Board Member Diana Graham, Ian Rogers from the Scottish Decorators’ Federation and Hannah Warburton from Laing O’Rourke. For 2017 only, the timeline will require a temporary transition agreement in order to lessen the impact of the CITB Levy and the Apprenticeship Levy on firms. This is due to the fact that organisations with a payroll in excess of £3 million will be required to pay both levies next year. However, CITB insists it will assist these companies in claiming back a significant proportion of their CITB Levy contribution through enhanced funding for the training they do.
777 Group – Best Practice Under Pressure (The Following is a Promoted Article) The demolition sector has undergone major transformation in the last 20 years; with increasingly demanding standards in regards to anything from health and safety to rates of recycling, as well as advances in technology, those unwilling or unable to evolve run the risk of falling by the wayside. At the forefront of innovation, 777 Group exemplifies where the sector ought to be and takes the idea of best of practice to the next level. Founded in 1964, and with over 50 years’ experience, 777 Group’s ambition always remains to improve transparency and working practices within the demolition works sector. 777 has stayed true to its ethics of responsibility and currently stands as one of the UK’s leading demolition and environmental specialists. With adjoining divisions dedicated to recycling and health and safety, the firm stands as one-stop-shop in all aspects of deconstruction and, as such, it continues to attract a wide variety of clients in the commercial, industrial, retail and leisure and residential property sectors. Whilst the ability to undertake all works and thereby financially de-risk a project is undoubtedly compelling for clients, The 777 end-to-end service also allows greater control over a project’s realisation and, specifically, how health and safety as well as environmental impact are managed. Health and Safety has been a key area of investment for the firm and something which Mike Pearce, Managing Director of 777 Group, stresses is its “number one priority”. As well as putting in place stringent health and safety policies on-site, adequate training has been crucial to maintaining such an ethic. As Mike explains: “We have a very progressive attitude to ensuring staff are suitably qualified; for example, all our labourers, operatives and supervisors are all enrolled in the NDTG qualification scheme. Part of our ability to ensure contracts are fulfilled to the highest standards is based on giving staff the best training available. Failure to do so would not be a consideration.” As a further measure of assurance for clients, 777 Demolition is also an accredited member of a horde of health and safety specific associations, including: Constructionline, Achilles, NFDC, ARCA, the British Safety Council (BSC) and Worksafe Contractor to name a few. Whilst each has a significant role to play in ensuring standards of safe working practice are maintained and continually improved, Mike Pearce pinpoints membership with CHAS as crucial for both effective health and safety management and business prosperity. Indeed, in order to tender for business with many of the company’s clients, our CHAS accreditation has been a pre-requisite and thus sustaining association membership is a means of remaining competitive. All projects require high standards of H&S but one particular project that springs to mind which required strong health and safety certification was the demolition of the IMAX complex in Bournemouth. Located on the town’s sea front in a busy retail and leisure district, the demolition project required attention and diligence from the outset so as not to present risk to either the neighbouring properties or the passing public. And having acquired an infamy with residents owing to its gargantuan size eclipsing the bay from view, locals were in full throng as 777 Demolition’s giant, high-reach demolition rig arrived on site and work commenced. Maintain absolute control throughout, the firm managed to carry out all works within the building’s original footprint –employing ring-fenced, manned access system of entry to mitigate risk to the public. In spite of the physical limitations of the site, 777 was nonetheless able to conduct waste management in much the same way as any project, as Mike Pearce highlights: “By carefully planning the process of deconstruction we were able to safely demolish the building and ensure material was segregated in a timely and efficient fashion. Felled material was separated and stockpiled by a 30 tonne excavator equipped with a rotating grab attachment. In all, some 13,500t of waste was separated and removed from the site with 3000t of steel and 8000t of concrete successfully recycled. Recycling rates exceeded 97% despite the restrictive nature of the site.” As becomes clear, 777 Group is not just favoured for its leading position on health and safety but furthermore, its capability when it comes to recycling and environmentalism. As support for greener methods of development (and demolition) increases, the firm’s attention to recycling becomes an ever greater asset for clients and some now even demand it. Doing more than simply meeting requirement however, 777 has proven it is capable of exceeding expectations in every respect – including rates of recycling. Following initial assessment and the identification of waste streams, the company puts in place a Site Waste Management Plan (SWMP) to run concurrently with health and safety procedure as well as time and cost schedules. Abiding by each, 777 delivers projects on time, on budget, to specification and with strong values of health and safety and environmentalism. Delivering high-value, high quality workmanship on some of the most ambitious demolition projects throughout the UK of recent years, the 777 Group continues to rise in stature within the industry. With well-founded growth ambitions for 2016 and beyond, and with express commitment to industry standards as well as acuity when it comes to innovation, the firm will doubtless remain strides ahead of the competition for years to come.
