A CITB training centre dedicated to scaffolding is on track to open its doors this autumn, it has been confirmed. The £1 million-plus project, which will be run by Aset International Oil and Gas, is being built in Aberdeen. Based next to the Clinterty campus of North East Scotland College,
Savills won the coveted ‘Residential Adviser of the Year’ at the Estates Gazette Awards last night (20th September). The awards, held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in central London, saw Savills beat a shortlist of: CBRE, Knight Frank, JLL and Cluttons to take the title. In giving the award, the judging
The awards, run by Construction News, are free to enter – but the deadline is now just one month away! Construction News has consistently celebrated training and talent at the CN Awards and Specialists Awards, but is now going one step further to recognise brilliant companies with a dedicated event.
Highways England North-west regional director Alan Shepherd said he hoped the chancellor would give the green light to the project in the Autumn Statement. He told Construction News that the project could be the world’s longest tunnel and Europe’s largest civil engineering project in the past 30 years. Five routes were shortlisted for the proposed £6bn tunnel,
The BBC is on the hunt for a contractor to rebuild the set for popular soap Eastenders. Source link
The world-leading modified wood, Accoya has been included in the development of two new build properties located in the South of England. The wood has been used in bespoke joinery products that have been delivered for the two properties. The first new build property in question is located in Berkshire
Novus Property solutions has announced that they will be undertaking a new project that will see the creation of a new apprentice training centre at The JCB Academy, located in Staffordshire. The national property maintenance, refurbishment and new build contractor has embarked on the development of this bran-new facility which
Skanska, the global construction company, has been operational for 125 years. The well-established business still has modern commitments to sustainability and their future. Skanska’s regional engineering site in South Yorkshire is demonstrative of the company’s intention to be green and their work towards being carbon-free. The facility has been part
Adlington, a developer of both communities and luxury apartments that are designed for a target audience of people over 60, has announced that they will be opening seven new sites this year. This investment of over £80 million should lead to the creation of 385 new homes based around the
The modern trading environment is a challenging one, where increasing competition and the seemingly never ending recession can make it difficult for businesses to thrive, let alone survive. One of the most important considerations is making standing out from the crowd, which is difficult but can certainly be achieved with
A CITB training centre dedicated to scaffolding is on track to open its doors this autumn, it has been confirmed. The £1 million-plus project, which will be run by Aset International Oil and Gas, is being built in Aberdeen. Based next to the Clinterty campus of North East Scotland College, it will take in apprentices and trainees from Dundee to Shetland. The facility, which will cover 7,000 sq. ft., will help to meet the growing demand for scaffolding courses in the region, it is hoped. It is being developed with £500,000 worth of funding from the CITB to cover building costs and training over its first three years. A further £500,000 was contributed by Aset, which has also invested in the land and existing infrastructure. Graham McPhail, head of education and training at CITB, said the centre would give attendees a significant career boost. “It is fantastic to see this project moving ahead at pace and the structure of the building really taking shape,” he said. “This will provide Scotland with a stunning new training facility preparing the next generation of scaffolders for their career.” Aset was chosen as the preferred bidder for the state-of-the-art training centre in 2015. It is being built by Aberdeen contractors North Group, with design by architects Arch Henderson & Partners. Aset chief executive Atholl Menzies said: “We are anticipating a very positive response from employers and individuals alike to the portfolio of courses on offer, which are in the process of being finalised.” Figures from the CITB show that thousands of jobs in construction are to be created by the end of the decade. According to data in the Construction Skills Network Report, annual average growth of 2.5% will lead to as many as 232,000 positions being created. To find out more information about all the opportunities the construction industry has to offer, head to GoConstruct. Source link
Savills won the coveted ‘Residential Adviser of the Year’ at the Estates Gazette Awards last night (20th September). The awards, held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in central London, saw Savills beat a shortlist of: CBRE, Knight Frank, JLL and Cluttons to take the title. In giving the award, the judging panel said: “Often known as the prime of prime, Savills showed that it can still do what it is has always done best, while also branching out into new markets and residential subsectors.” The award was collected by Richard Rees, head of UK Development, who says: “These awards celebrate excellence in the industry and we are delighted to be recognised as the best in our field, it is a testament to the hard work of the teams across the UK”. The evening was hosted by comedian Sean Locke with post-win interviews by Gaby Logan. Savills also sponsored the National Company of the Year award, which went to Derwent London. Tim Maynard presented the award on behalf of Savills. Source link
The awards, run by Construction News, are free to enter – but the deadline is now just one month away! Construction News has consistently celebrated training and talent at the CN Awards and Specialists Awards, but is now going one step further to recognise brilliant companies with a dedicated event. The Construction Investing in Talent Awards are all about recognising and rewarding the people and teams who work so hard to attract and retain the best talent. CN continues the trends of bringing on board a strong expert-led judging panel to ensure integrity and inject rigour into the judging process. The panel is made up of impressive HR and professional development experts from both inside and outside the industry – a chance to get yourself and your business a valuable seal of approval. The organisations and companies involved in judging include CECA, easyJet, Construction Youth Trust, the CITB, Network Rail and HM Treasury. Source link
Highways England North-west regional director Alan Shepherd said he hoped the chancellor would give the green light to the project in the Autumn Statement. He told Construction News that the project could be the world’s longest tunnel and Europe’s largest civil engineering project in the past 30 years. Five routes were shortlisted for the proposed £6bn tunnel, which will link Manchester to Sheffield, in August this year. Asked whether the UK had the correct skillset to deliver a major tunnelling project of this scale, Mr Shepherd said HS2’s bidders and procurement were “a good analogy” for how the process would work. He said Highways England would look at larger contractors to deliver the project in tandem with international firms, citing current Northern delivery partners Kier and a Balfour Beatty / Mott MacDonald joint venture – “if we need to get tunnellers in from Norway, we can do that”, he added. Mr Shepherd was speaking at the CN Summit 2016 alongside Simon Marshall, joint chief executive of developer Scarborough Group, and Catherine Garnell, assistant chief executive of Liverpool City Council. The panel agreed that East-West connectivity was vital for the Northern Powerhouse agenda, with a strong case for HS3. Mr Marshall said projects like the Ordsall Chord, which will link Manchester’s Victoria and Piccadilly stations, would “lay the groundwork” for better connectivity across the region. He added that increased connectivity would make the North’s core cities even more attractive to international funders, and added that government support for schemes had helped his firm “to go to the Far East with a clear message” for investors. Ms Garnell said investment in Liverpool’s port would be just the start of the city’s investment in its infrastructure, with upcoming investments including a new cruise liner terminal to boost tourism in the city. She added that the city is looking to secure additional government funding in the Autumn Statement for a major overhaul of its public realm, following on from an earlier £40m investment. Source link
The BBC is on the hunt for a contractor to rebuild the set for popular soap Eastenders. Source link
The world-leading modified wood, Accoya has been included in the development of two new build properties located in the South of England. The wood has been used in bespoke joinery products that have been delivered for the two properties. The first new build property in question is located in Berkshire and has been designed with striking exterior doors that have been made using this Accoya wood as part of the joinery package. Accoya was selected in this case as an ideal wood which has been used in this project because of the insulating properties of the wood as well as dimensional stability. The modified wood has a 50 year guarantee and has an aesthetic finish that it was agreed by both the architects and the owners of the property thought would be perfect in order to fit in with the overall exterior of the building. As for the second new home, the development used Accoya as a material for both the exterior doors and frames. This new home has been built in Winchester and the house includes tailor made bi-folding doors as well as French doors in to the property. It is thought that the insulating properties of this modified wood would make it the best option for being able to withstand the changeable weather in the UK. The modified material was included in these two properties was provided by SB Joinery, who believe that Accoya is the best product for both of these construction cases. The company are certified users of Accoya and a large selection of their products are made using the modified wood. The business recommends Accoya timber for use in windows doors and other external applications because it is so durable. The windows and doors that are made using this wood can stay in a very high level of condition as well as needing very little maintenance.
Novus Property solutions has announced that they will be undertaking a new project that will see the creation of a new apprentice training centre at The JCB Academy, located in Staffordshire. The national property maintenance, refurbishment and new build contractor has embarked on the development of this bran-new facility which will offer space for a school for those students that have an interest in both engineering and business. The JCB Academy intends to develop future engineers and business leaders by teaching the students to apply their learning to practical solutions. There has been an investment of £1.2 million that will go towards the new Apprentice Training Centre which will sit on the site of the old Dove First School, which is in Rochester. This work will be significant for the continued expansion of the company’s apprenticeship programme. The project is forecast to last 15 weeks which means that it is expected to be completed in late May 2017. Novus Property Solutions will be involved through the construction of the new 687 sq. m. facility that will be used to train apprentices in a variety of different disciplines when the project is completed. The team on site will work to completely refurbish the single storey school building that is already standing and will remodel it in order to create a new internal layout. The work will also be in line with the requirements of a modern learning environment. As well as this interior refurbishment, Novus will be working to build a new section that will be added to the front elevation. This extension will increase the footprint of the building and also provide a space that will be used as a new entranceway as well as being able to provide the Academy’s students with a social space to relax it. The new training centre will add to the other great facilities that The JCB Academy has as well as allowing the space for the latest equipment and technology. These new facilities will provide the capabilities to educate students in the area of metrology, systems and mechatronics in a higher level of detail.
Skanska, the global construction company, has been operational for 125 years. The well-established business still has modern commitments to sustainability and their future. Skanska’s regional engineering site in South Yorkshire is demonstrative of the company’s intention to be green and their work towards being carbon-free. The facility has been part of a four-year project that has led to a zero carbon office facility being produced. This project and the completed facility has managed to achieve a 94.6% BREEAM Outstanding score. The facility, Bentley Works is the engineering and manufacturing facility for Skanska UK. The facility is located 3km north of Doncaster and it is thought that the project costs £14 million. The company acted as both developer and main contractor as part of this project and were involved in the demolition of the buildings that were previously on the site. The new sustainable facility has been developed on the site of some office and workshop buildings, that were torn down in order to make way for the 1,800 sq. m. office building. The floor space for the office building is separated over two floors and the facility also has 3,135 Sq. m. workshop for fabrication and machines. There is a workshop building and a paint shop building that were saved from demolition, which has undergone refurbishment. The buildings on the project are classed as “Deep Green” which essentially means that they have a near zero impact on the environment as well as being designed to be future proof. The environmental rating of this project is the best ratings received by Skanska. The project is also a UK first and was designed in conjunction with BREEAM methodology. The features of the project that made it more sustainable include Skanska not sending any waste to landfill and employing local contractors. Only employing contractors from the Yorkshire area means that they also provided a boost to the local economy.
Adlington, a developer of both communities and luxury apartments that are designed for a target audience of people over 60, has announced that they will be opening seven new sites this year. This investment of over £80 million should lead to the creation of 385 new homes based around the North West and Staffordshire. It is thought that these seven developments will create 175 local jobs as a full time and multidisciplinary team will be needed to design Adlington’s buildings. There will also be subcontracting opportunities for a wide variety of trades during the construction sections of the projects. The projects that have been announced by Adlington will be a welcome and significant boost to the local economies. The number of different developments include Adlington House which is located in Urmston and also be Brooklands House in Stafford, both of these projects are under construction. There are also five other locations for Adlington projects which include Macclesfield, Cheadle, Southport, Ramsbottom and Romiley. Adlington will be developing homes specifically designed for older people. The plans for the developments highlight the demand there is for such specific properties and it is hoped that Adlington’s expansion and new developments will be able to address some of the concern in this area of the property market. Concerns has been raised in a Housing Whitepaper that independent but suitable retirement living accommodation for the older generation is needed. The plans laid out by Adlington have shown the company’s commitment to expanding and developing the retirement development sector. The company has also invested in two new recruits in order to expand their team. Alan Smith is joining Adlington after taking on a director’s role at Caulmert. Smith has been appointed as a structural engineer and will bring several years’ experience of construction as well as a broad knowledge of the industry. Jonothan Croft has also joined as the Senior Land Manager and will add 20 years of experience of the retirement development industry to Adlington.
The modern trading environment is a challenging one, where increasing competition and the seemingly never ending recession can make it difficult for businesses to thrive, let alone survive. One of the most important considerations is making standing out from the crowd, which is difficult but can certainly be achieved with the right approach. This article aims to provide guidance to allow businesses to have longevity and be well placed within their market, and incorporating these will bolster your chance of running a successful enterprise. Plan Planning often stretches beyond documentation which is used for raising money, and is critical to remain competitive in industry. The importance of planning is outlined by the requirement to constantly review your practice and follow a direction which is embedded in your strategy, though this should be flexible and open to change in accordance with external factors. By utilizing tactics, it is possible to benchmark your business against them, which assists with quality control and ensures you stay on track. It is important to continuously think about where your company is positioned relative to customer perception, while adopting conservative estimates with monthly reviews. Know the Numbers Numbers are often considered taboo in business, especially among those who are less comfortable with them. Often the finance team will have a grasp on the numbers, but as a business owner it is important to also have an understanding to successfully modify your plan and strategy. This includes but isn’t limited to financial measures, incorporating quantitative measures such as website traffic statistics and conversion rates. By measuring everything that moves and taking time to learn the tangible results of proceedings, you position yourself for optimum success as a business owner. This is helped by having a financial team around you who can communicate the meaning of complex information which is difficult for non-financial people to understand, suggesting the role of the accountant is evolving. Surround Yourself with Good People Successful business is achieved with great people, and if you have surrounded yourself with compatible individuals who are united towards a common goal, you too are more likely to achieve great things. This critical consideration is highly relevant in today’s environment, where even in a time when outsourcing is highly prominent, it is mandatory that everyone shares the same vision. With people you trust, delegation is easy and it is possible to relieve pressure while empowering your colleagues. The results of this are staggering, where everyone pulling in the right direction bolsters your ability to generate profit as a company. Continuously Improve – Innovate Innovation can help businesses improve their practices, and with constant technology improvements and a willingness to change, it is possible to speed up processes with a view to continuous improvement. An example of this is in the construction industry, where advancements have made The Automatic Hook a realistic prospect. If companies can afford this impressive equipment, handling becomes significantly easier and efficiency consequently increases, justifying an openness to improve with the times.
