Building surveyors inspecting the 17 Edinburgh schools that have been closed for safety concerns have found faults of some kind at every single one. Above: Brickwork fell off Oxgangs Primary School in January because header ties were missing And it has been revealed that some of them could be quite difficult to put right. Edinburgh Schools Partnership (ESP), the public-private partnership that built the latest generation of schools in the city and is responsible for their upkeep, has been surveying 17 recently-built schools after brickwork collapsed at one during a storm in January. It later emerged that header ties were missing. Miller Construction was responsible. Miller was also the contractor for Lourdes Primary in Glasgow, which had was temporarily closed for urgent repairs in 2012 when the same structural problem – missing header ties – was identified. ESP’s failure to provide reassurance that the Edinburgh schools were safe prompted the council to keep the schools shut after the Easter holidays. Alternative schooling arrangements have now been put in place for the affected children. Council leader Andrew Burns said: “Yesterday evening the council received early indications that suggest evidence of faults across all 17 affected schools to a varying extent.  At the moment it is too early to say what the impact will be as full survey results from Edinburgh Schools Partnership have not been yet been received.   Some faults may be easy to fix and may not present a major problem while others could be longer term. “What is certain is that we won’t take risks with the safety of our schools children and schools won’t reopen until Edinburgh Schools Partnership can assure us of their safety.  As part of the contract, Edinburgh Schools Partnership own, maintain and assure the safety of the affected buildings. “We will publish further information on individual school surveys when these are formally received and of course provide an update to parents on their individual schools and the remediation works required.” The programme of structural surveys arranged by the Edinburgh Schools Partnership is continuing.     This article was published on 15 Apr 2016 (last updated on 15 Apr 2016). Source link

CITB has created a new Industry Relations Director role to boost industry engagement at a time of critical change for employers. Construction firms face major changes, including the economic uncertainty caused by Brexit, an overhaul of skills policy and Further Education, and the Apprenticeship Levy. At the same time, CITB itself is changing to be a more streamlined organisation, using insight from its industry research to identify skills needs and target investment to benefit the whole industry.  The new director will lead on engagement with employers and federations across England, Scotland and Wales, supported by CITB’s Partnership Teams in each area. They will join an executive team led by CEO Adrian Belton, together with Corporate Performance Director Sarah Beale, Policy Director Steve Radley and Delivery and Customer Engagement Director Carl Rhymer. Steve Radley, Policy Director at CITB, said: “At a time of major change, we need to work effectively with the whole industry, from the smallest firms to the biggest. This means putting even more effort into hearing employers’ views, helping them navigate the changing environment, and making clear how a modernised CITB will help them get the skills they need. “Together with our ongoing reforms to improve our targeted funding, and get CITB support to thousands more employers, this new role will help us meet the changing needs of our industry.’ Recruitment for the position has begun, with an appointment expected later this year. Source link

Ofgem has outlined plans to reform the way the domestic electricity and gas markets are regulated in a move towards more principles-based regulation over the next year. In an open letter published yesterday (2 June), the regulator sets out the “key milestones for 2016/17” including aims for when a significant amount of “unnecessary prescription” will be removed from the supply licence and how the operating model, currently used to enforce rules, will be adapted. The letter follows a consultation in December which discussed ambitions to reform the regulatory framework that applies to the “rapidly transforming domestic supply market.” Ofgem said: “To fulfil our role effectively, we need to reduce the amount of prescription we use and increase our reliance on principles. “If this increased reliance on principles is to result in suppliers taking responsibility for treating consumers fairly, it is vital that we also adapt the way we operate as a regulator.” The reforms come ahead of the publication of final remedies from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigation into the energy market, which included the removal of Ofgem’s ‘simpler choices rule’ as part of the Retail Market Reform (RMR). Ofgem have committed to publishing a statutory consultation on principles in line with the CMA provisional recommendations on RMR and a policy consultation on broad principles to be included at the front of the restructured supply licence by the end of 2016. “We plan to discuss how to best maintain momentum for this reform programme at a senior stakeholder event after the summer,” the regulator added. The final CMA investigation recommendations are expected at the end of this month. Source link

To effectively advertise, your main goal is to grab your audience’s attention, but many businesses in the building industry find this tricky. Arguably, one of the most effective methods of making someone pay attention is with a large billboard placed strategically in a public place. Originating in New York around 1830, the earliest record of a leased billboard was documented in 1867. But now, the billboard is an essential part of marketing — it’s even had a film made about it (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri). Find out exactly why your building business needs to revaluate your marketing campaigns to include billboards, and what tactics you need to adopt to make them successful. How influential are billboards? Output from the construction industry in 2017 hit nearly £164 million — more than double that of the year 2000. Clearly, there’s a lot going on in the sector and you need to ensure your company stays a step ahead — which is where shrewd marketing comes into play. According to Route, the average Brit is classed as ‘out and about’ for three hours and ten minutes every day, spending around 16 minutes in the view of advertisements. Considering this fact, it’d be a mistake to not try and advertise to these potential consumers by placing a large, well-designed billboard somewhere that benefits from high footfall and traffic. Perhaps you need to recruit quality employees quickly to meet demand. No construction company wants to pass on a project just because they don’t have the resources or manpower. In the construction sector today, 87% of employers are facing an issue due to a shortage of skilled workers, according to City & Guilds. A billboard could be the tool you need to advertise the employment opportunities you have to offer — and it shouldn’t take you too much time to put together. A billboard is a single page of design that is simple to design and print, which saves you time and means you can promote vacancies quicker. If you’re trying to sell your services or products, not recruit new employees, billboards remain an essential marketing method. Heard of the ‘Marketing Rule of 7’? Basically, this rule means someone has to hear or see an ad seven times before acting on it. If you put a billboard design on a site that people might pass more than once a day — like on the way to work or school — your potential customers will achieve this magic number of viewings in just a few days. Clearly, billboards can help construction companies with their marketing goals. But how do you go about designing one? Billboard Many billboards are placed on main roads, so it’s vital to create a design that is short, snappy and to the point. Think strategically about what you want on your billboard — someone driving past at 40mph+ is only going to be able to take in so much. Do you want to sell a specific product? Are you spreading brand awareness or promoting an event? Only include the essential marketing message information — like contact details, name of product, date and location of event, and call to action. A billboard is the ideal home for an eye-catching image. According to research, people generally only recall 10% of information they hear three days later. However, using a relevant image alongside this information increases retention by 55%. When designing your billboard, try and think of an unconventional image that will grab a passer-by’s attention — even something as simple as having a large, black-and-white photo of a construction site with only the workers’ construction helmets in yellow would stand out. Also, make sure all the information on your billboard is clear and easy to digest. Utilise bright and bold colours to catch the eye — contrasting colours are reportedly stay in people’s memories for longer, too — and opt for a simple background and large, readable text — Sans Serif is a good shout. Perhaps you’ve decided to place your billboard on a major road. This means plenty of people will pass it, but remember, a motorist only has between five and ten seconds take in an advertisement. So, the more relevant and informative your image is, the less you should need to convey with text — stick to a brief, punchy message of seven words and you should get your marketing message across, no problem. Are you advertising new jobs to young builders? Do you need skilled tradesmen? Are you advertising your construction products to other businesses? Whoever you’re targeting, bear this in mind when choosing your billboard location. For example, if you need young, entry-level employees, find a site near a college. Or if you’re trying to secure deals to work on commercial buildings, go for somewhere near a retail park or area where there’s a lot of trading. Otherwise, you could reduce your ROI due to not being in sight of the people who are most likely to act on your ad. If you’re promoting to businesses in a specific area, create a connection with locals by referencing their town. Include an image of a local landmark to create a sense of familiarity or reference the local traffic in a funny way. Humour generally works in advertising. According to a review of 6,500 ads, the funniest were usually cited as being the most appealing and memorable. What’s more, adopting this creates a more welcoming brand persona, which should encourage custom.   Improve your marketing campaigns with these billboard tips and boost your share of the construction sector in 2018!   Author bio This article was researched and produced by Where The Trade Buys, retailer of professional printed PVC banners and other printed materials.