New apprenticeship funding proposals for small employers Published: 13 August, 2016 New apprenticeship funding proposals announced by the government look like a ‘fair settlement for small employers’, according to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). The apprenticeship programme – launched in 2010 – has already given 2.9 million people the
12 October 2016 | Herpreet Kaur Grewal Corporate cleaning services provider Peartree Cleaning Services has reported growth in the business in its 2016 figures. After 13 per cent year-on-year growth in 2015, Peartree has continued its growth – releasing 2016 figures closing at £15.8 million.
Category: Construction Industry Today | Subscribe to Construction Industry Today Feed Published Mon, Apr 11th 2016 Invisible Connections Special TSS Connectors used alternative to the specified large stainless steel angle supports for the Olympic Athletes’ ‘Village. Posted via Industry Today. Follow us on Twitter @IndustryToday Invisible Connections develop alternative
Former chief scientific advisor to the Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc), Sir David Mackay, has passed away at the age of 48. Former chief scientific advisor to Decc, David MacKay He had been diagnosed with stomach cancer and was being treated at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.
Clugston Construction has secured a contract to build a new £60m Ikea store in Sheffield. The scheme will see construction and fit-out of a 31,500m2 two-storey store for the Swedish home furnishings retailer close to the Meadowhall shopping centre. Construction is due to begin imminently and follows enabling works earlier
Faithful & Gould has been selected as programme and project manager for the 10-year expansion of the University of Glasgow’s Gilmorehill Campus. Above: Image of a redeveloped Gilmorehill campus The £1bn masterplan, for the creation of a new campus for the University of Glasgow on the site of the former
Work is being carried out in order to create Scotland’s first homeless village at West Shore Road in the Granton district of Edinburgh. The work on this project is underway and the independent plant hire company, Jarvie Plant is currently playing a crucial role in the early stages of this
Jet Aire Services, the Drainage and groundworks contractor has announced that they have recently appointed Gavin McCann as the Business Development Manager for the company. Jet Aire Services offers a wide range of professional drainage solutions. This appointment has taken place with the intention of driving continued growth in the
The term, ‘disruptive innovation’ was coined by Harvard Business School professor, Clayton M. Christensen in his 1997 bestseller, The Innovators Dilemma. It refers to a new technology that disrupts an established product, shaking up or creating a new industry. Here, Jonathan Wilkins, marketing director at industrial obsolete automation equipment supplier
New apprenticeship funding proposals for small employers Published: 13 August, 2016 New apprenticeship funding proposals announced by the government look like a ‘fair settlement for small employers’, according to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). The apprenticeship programme – launched in 2010 – has already given 2.9 million people the chance to learn new skills so they can go on to access fulfilling careers and help boost UK business. On 12 August, 2016, the government published proposals for a new funding model for apprenticeships and further details on the Apprenticeship Levy. Under the plans for the Levy, the government has proposed that those employers who are too small to pay the levy – around 98% of employers in England – will have 90% of the costs of training paid for by the government. Extra support – worth £2,000 per trainee – will also be available for employers and training providers that take on 16- to 18-year-old apprentices or young care leavers. Employers with fewer than 50 employees will also have 100% of training costs paid for by government if they take on these apprentices. Apprenticeships and Skills Minister Robert Halfon said: “We need to make sure people of all ages and backgrounds have a chance to get on in life. Apprenticeships give young people – especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds – a ladder of opportunity. Our businesses can only grow and compete on the world stage if they have the right people, with the right skills. “The Apprenticeship Levy will help create millions of opportunities for individuals and employers. This will give our young people the chance they deserve in life and to build a highly-skilled future workforce that the UK needs.” The proposals also include plans to: Allow employers to use Levy funds to retrain workers in new skills, even if they have prior qualifications, as long as it is significantly different from their previous qualifications Create a new register of training providers from April 2017, to improve the link between training providers and employers, and help employers identify a high-quality provider so they can deliver the skills they need to grow Brian Berry, FMB chief executive, said: “Getting skills and apprenticeships policy right is essential to the UK, and particularly so to the construction industry right now. We face serious skills shortages in our industry at the moment. “The only long-term cure for this is to recruit and train more people, in particular to attract a new generation of talent to take on the skilled jobs the industry creates. Small and medium-sized firms do the majority of training in our industry – micro businesses (those employing fewer than ten people) alone train around half of all construction apprentices. It is therefore crucial that new apprenticeship funding arrangements work for these firms and do not impose higher costs on them.” Mr Berry continued: “The funding arrangements announced today appear to strike a reasonable balance, which takes into account the support that small employers need. Those employers with wage bills of less than £3 million, who will fall beneath the threshold for paying the new Apprenticeship Levy, will be required to pay 10% contributions towards the cost of training and assessment. This means most small employers should not end up paying more towards training costs than they currently do. “Furthermore, FMB members report significantly higher costs and difficulties associated with training apprentices straight out of school. Therefore, it is right that for small employers training 16-18 year olds, this co-investment requirement will be waived and a further £1,000 payment will be paid to employers to help with these costs.” The government is now inviting employers and training providers to have their say on the initial funding proposals, to try to ensure final plans fully meet the needs of all those involved in the apprenticeship programme. Source link
12 October 2016 | Herpreet Kaur Grewal Corporate cleaning services provider Peartree Cleaning Services has reported growth in the business in its 2016 figures. After 13 per cent year-on-year growth in 2015, Peartree has continued its growth – releasing 2016 figures closing at £15.8 million. This is a 16 per cent year-on-year growth representing £2.1 million. Peartree has recently been awarded contracts with organisations including Debenhams, Penguin Random House and KKR. It also works with clients such as Facebook, Selfridges, Foster + Partners, Olympus and Schroders. Source link
Category: Construction Industry Today | Subscribe to Construction Industry Today Feed Published Mon, Apr 11th 2016 Invisible Connections Special TSS Connectors used alternative to the specified large stainless steel angle supports for the Olympic Athletes’ ‘Village. Posted via Industry Today. Follow us on Twitter @IndustryToday Invisible Connections develop alternative to the specified large stainless steel angle supports for the London 2012 Olympic Athletes’ ‘Village. The Athletes’ Village for The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games comprised a series of 8 and 9 storey accommodation blocks. Connecting these were a series of deck units, forming enclosed/glazed bridges. These deck units had to be installed after the blocks were constructed, and had to allow maximum installation tolerance as well as the ability to allow expansion movement between the blocks. We were called in by the precaster to produce an alternative to the specified support of large stainless steel angles. The problems with these were cost, practicality, appearance, and the need to work outside the building line.In addition, the connection needed to span a considerable distance between the bridge and structure, to accept a thick layer of vertical insulation. The alternative we proposed was a special version of the TSS stair connector, with a higher capacity. The TSS telescopic connectors allowed precasting to continue off-site whilst the blocks were being constructed. Recesses left in the slab edges accepted the sliding connectors. The precast decks were offered up between the adjacent accommodation blocks and fitted perfectly every time. The modified TSS connectors are now a standard part of the Invisible Connections range, and branded as ‘DTS’.
Former chief scientific advisor to the Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc), Sir David Mackay, has passed away at the age of 48. Former chief scientific advisor to Decc, David MacKay He had been diagnosed with stomach cancer and was being treated at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge. Mackay served as chief scientific advisor to Decc between 2009 and 2014, and in 2013 was appointed regius professor of engineering at his alma mater, Cambridge University. He was also widely known for his 2008 book ‘Sustainable Energy – Without the Hot Air’. Energy secretary Amber Rudd said: “David was the model of a scientist in government; challenging, insightful and with the ability to explain the most complex subjects in a clear way. “His legacy, including the 2050 calculator now emulated across the world and his brilliant book on sustainable energy, was deservedly recognised by a knighthood earlier this year. His ideas and arguments will continue to influence how we deal with climate change.” Former Labour party leader Ed Miliband said he was a “passionate, original, brave” and “a truly good man”. Former energy secretary Ed Davey described his death as a “tragic loss”, saying he was “one of the UK’s most brilliant men” who had “shaped key green policies” through his work with Decc. Environmental campaigner and Labour peer Baroness Worthington said he was a “brilliant man” who “left this world he was having such an impact on far too soon”. RenewableUK chief executive Hugh McNeal said “David Mackay made a huge contribution to our debate on energy, helping increase understanding about what was possible and the different trade-offs. “He worked hard to make the vital debate on our energy future a responsible one and he gave us important tools like the energy calculator to allow everybody to contribute. We all need to continue to push for a sustainable energy future without the hot air”. Source link
Clugston Construction has secured a contract to build a new £60m Ikea store in Sheffield. The scheme will see construction and fit-out of a 31,500m2 two-storey store for the Swedish home furnishings retailer close to the Meadowhall shopping centre. Construction is due to begin imminently and follows enabling works earlier this year to remediate the site. The store is expected to open in summer 2017. Clugston Construction managing director Steve Radcliffe said “This I believe will be the largest retail scheme we have delivered in Yorkshire and will generate significant opportunities in the Sheffield area for our supply chain.” The new store will create 300 jobs during its construction phase. This article was published on 19 Oct 2016 (last updated on 19 Oct 2016). Source link
Faithful & Gould has been selected as programme and project manager for the 10-year expansion of the University of Glasgow’s Gilmorehill Campus. Above: Image of a redeveloped Gilmorehill campus The £1bn masterplan, for the creation of a new campus for the University of Glasgow on the site of the former Western Infirmary, is believed to be the biggest procurement project in Britain currently. Faithful & Gould will oversee the provision of six academic buildings, forming a “smart campus” with integrated technology and the development of a new civic square. These are: Learning & Teaching Hub; Research Hub; Institute of Health & Wellbeing and College of Social Sciences; College of Arts; College of Science & Engineering; and Alliance of Chronic Diseases. The campus will include a new civic square and improved pedestrian and cycle links between Byres Road and Kelvingrove Park. “This is a very exciting project and will be one of the most high profile higher education programmes in Britain over the next decade,” said Faithful & Gould director Paul Sherry. It is anticipated that a delivery partner for the construction will be in place early 2017. This article was published on 1 Apr 2016 (last updated on 1 Apr 2016). Source link
Work is being carried out in order to create Scotland’s first homeless village at West Shore Road in the Granton district of Edinburgh. The work on this project is underway and the independent plant hire company, Jarvie Plant is currently playing a crucial role in the early stages of this development. The innovative project was thought up by Josh Littlejohn, who is the co-founder of Social Bite, a social enterprise sandwich shop located in Edinburgh that employs homeless people. The settlement, when finished, will include 10 eco-friendly, purpose built ‘nest houses’ that have been created in order to offer a safe living environment for up to 20 homeless people each year. Each resident will be able to stay in the newly created community for 12 to 18 months and over the course of their stay they will be able to access a range of other support networks such as counselling and employment advice. As a part of the ongoing construction work on this project, Jarvie Plant has delivered to the site a 3 tonne excavator, 24’ accommodation unit and 20’ safe store and an island welfare unit. The company has become involved in this social enterprise project after the independent plant hire company delivered a furnished 12’ static accommodation unit to Social Bite’s Sleep in the Park event which took place in Princes Street Gardens. The company has said that they are happy to lend their support to Sleep in the Parks event as well as help to put equipment on the site is Granton that will be essential to the ground works taking place and in time meet important welfare needs. Homelessness in Scotland is seen as a terrible affliction on the nation and it is great to see people coming together in order to create projects that will make a real difference. Social Bite is making significant strides in order to combat this issue and the creation of such a forward thinking development will play a vital role in the cycle solution for homelessness of housing and employment, both of which will be offered through Social Bite services.
Jet Aire Services, the Drainage and groundworks contractor has announced that they have recently appointed Gavin McCann as the Business Development Manager for the company. Jet Aire Services offers a wide range of professional drainage solutions. This appointment has taken place with the intention of driving continued growth in the North East region. In his new role as Business Development Manager, Gavin is based at Jet Aire’s Middlesbrough office. Gavin will be an asset to the company in this role as he brings with him a wealth of industry experience including knowledge from working in a range of senior roles for different construction and drainage companies. Previous positions held by Gavin include Operations Manager at GSH, during this time Gavin was responsible for all maintenance and drainage contracts nationwide across the retail and banking sectors. Gavin McCann has also been the National Sales Manager for CGL Facades. In his new role, Gavin will be working to oversee Jet Aire’s business development throughout Teesside, Tyne and Wear, Northumberland and County Durham. His vast range of knowledge and experience gained during a diverse career will help Gavin to thrive in this new role and hopefully help the drainage and groundworks contractor to continue growth in the North East of the country. The Director of Jet Aire Services is Keith Ferris and he has said that over the course of the past year, the company has been working to significantly expand, with the growth of their sales team. Gavin McCann is seen by the company as an essential appointment by the company and will be in charge of an essential area for the company’s growth plans. Gavin has a knowledge of a wide range of sectors, which Keith Ferris feels will help the contractor to further increase their presence in various markets such as chemical, manufacturing, construction, environmental, highways and utilities.
The term, ‘disruptive innovation’ was coined by Harvard Business School professor, Clayton M. Christensen in his 1997 bestseller, The Innovators Dilemma. It refers to a new technology that disrupts an established product, shaking up or creating a new industry. Here, Jonathan Wilkins, marketing director at industrial obsolete automation equipment supplier EU Automation, discusses three sectors that automation and robotics have disrupted. There are examples of disruptive technology across every industry sector. In consumer technology, the personal computer and the smartphone permanently changed the way we do things. Not only can new technologies create new markets, they can also have a huge impact on industry. Industrially, technologies like additive manufacturing are changing the way products can be manufactured. But it is not just manufacturing and consumer technology that have been affected. Here, we look at three industries that have been forever changed by automation. Automotive The automotive industry was quick to adopt automated technology and automotive production lines already feature some of the latest industrial robots. Automation has been a useful technology in automotive manufacturing as it is flexible and able to respond to the dynamic needs of the industry. Of all manufacturing sectors, industrial robots have made some of the biggest waves in automotive manufacturing. As well as automation being used in automotive manufacturing, vehicles are getting smarter. Many already offer partially automated functions, for example predictive emergency braking and parking-related functions. There are a number of technologies in the pipeline to improve the driving experience and fully automated systems are expected to be implemented after 2025. Construction Companies are combining emerging technologies to build complex structures. Robots can now be used to construct beams, lay bricks or drill. In fact, nearly any job in the process can be automated. In future, this means construction could be planned and coordinated remotely, performed on site only by robots. Construction environments are less structured and more unpredictable than most manufacturing facilities, which can make it more difficult to integrate autonomous technologies, particularly if they are mobile. However, vision and inspection systems are proving extremely popular in the industry. Healthcare In the healthcare industry, many of the skills needed in certain roles are impossible to automate, especially those involving human connection. However, there is still a role for robotics in this sector. One area where automated technology is booming is the surgical robot market, which is currently worth approximately $4 billion a year and is expected to grow to $20 billion by 2024. Surgical robots allow doctors to perform complex procedures with improved precision and control than was previously possible. Automation is common across a number of manufacturing sectors, but it has branched out to a range of industries. Companies operating in the construction, automotive and healthcare sectors are certainly being shaken up and there is more innovation to come.
