New St Helens development from North West housing group, Torus, is using Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) to efficiently deliver much needed homes to the area, whilst also providing work experience, training opportunities and rehabilitation for first time offenders. Penine Close continues Torus’ exploration into MMC and more innovative methods
A major shopping complex in Reading is set to boost its entertainment offering with the introduction of a new independent cinema. Really Local Group has reached a deal with Moorgarth to redevelop a 4,000 sq ft space in Broad Street Mall into a cinema, music and events centre. The developer
Leading UK retailer Primark has selected GRAHAM to deliver four contracts across some of its national stores. The firm will roll out the retailer’s modern new concept in Manchester, Milton Keynes, Liverpool and Southend on Sea against tight deadlines. This builds on the £53 million worth of work GRAHAM has
Plans to redevelop Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium in time for the 2022 Commonwealth Games have taken a major stride forward. Birmingham City Council’s Planning Committee has green lit proposals to transform the facility into a high-quality venue for diverse sporting, leisure, community and cultural events. These works form part of a
Data analysis by LinkedIn reported that STEM had more women enter the field over the last four decades than any other. Philanthropist and former general manager at Microsoft, Melinda Gates, said: “Innovation happens when we approach urgent challenges from every different point of view. Bringing women and underrepresented minorities into
Prospective apprentices are invited to a series of seminars at Newcastle College this week to mark National Apprenticeship Week. On Wednesday 5th February, the doors of the college’s Rye Hill Campus will be opened for an Apprenticeship Open Event, offering the chance to meet employers, ask questions and make an
New St Helens development from North West housing group, Torus, is using Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) to efficiently deliver much needed homes to the area, whilst also providing work experience, training opportunities and rehabilitation for first time offenders. Penine Close continues Torus’ exploration into MMC and more innovative methods of construction, with homes being assembled off-site by first time offenders from HMP Hindley. The houses are being built by the developer, OSCO Homes, who have a factory based at Hindley and have now also opened a factory in Runcorn where offenders can go on to work upon their release. OSCO provide prisoners an opportunity to gain a skill that significantly increases their employability and they have found that the number of their employees who go on to re-offend is considerably lower compared to national averages. The development at Penine Close is well underway. It consists of 10 houses built for Affordable Rent and is part of a significant investment in the area as the housing association looks to build 5,300 houses in its heartlands by 2024. Chris Bowen, Managing Director of Torus Developments, said: “The project highlights how Torus are embracing innovative ways to not only provide high quality housing, but to also shape the communities we operate in. “It is not just about simply building as many homes as possible, it is also about the wider influence we have; and providing opportunities to the people who make up our communities is a big part of that. “This project is very rewarding in that people who perhaps may have previously been left behind by the system are given a second opportunity, they learn a trade and significantly increase their prospects when they are released.”
A major shopping complex in Reading is set to boost its entertainment offering with the introduction of a new independent cinema. Really Local Group has reached a deal with Moorgarth to redevelop a 4,000 sq ft space in Broad Street Mall into a cinema, music and events centre. The developer will repurpose the ground and first-floor unit of the former Argos store to provide a four-screen cinema due to open in summer 2020. In addition, the new space will include food kiosks, outdoor terrace seating area and a café bar run by Compound Coffee, their first venture outside London. The design, by Lyttelton. Yates, uses a bold colour scheme to create a sense of uniformity and symmetry throughout the venue. Both the floorings and walls of the food kiosks, terrace seating area, private hire room and the cinema lobby will be a sage green in tribute to Reading’s colour palate and to unify the neighbouring spaces. The entrance, café and the outdoor seating area on the upper level will be in a vibrant yellow to draw footfall to its warm and welcoming aesthetic, while the carpets, walls and seats in the cinema screening rooms will be a saturated blue. Really Local Group creates and restores cultural infrastructure, acting as a catalyst for the wider regeneration of the local area. The company’s mission is to provide inclusive and affordable venues for communities, which will be uniquely designed to reflect their locality, serving as a community ‘hub’ for the area. This is the firm’s second project, following on from the launch of Catford Mews, which opened in September 2019. Catford Mews, a new cultural hub for Lewisham, includes a three-screen cinema, the first multiscreen in Lewisham in almost 20 years, live entertainment space, pop-up food market including a variety of stalls from local traders and a full-service bar serving local brands. Preston Benson, Founder of Really Local Group commented: “We are very excited about coming to Reading, to enhance the cultural infrastructure offer in a town with an established creative community. Working with Moorgarth and Reading Borough Council, we hope to be able to curate a new ‘cultural quarter’ for the town and secure collaboration opportunities with local independent businesses, artisans and traders.” Gary Lewis: Managing Director, Moorgarth Group Limited added: “We are delighted to be partnering with Really Local Group to deliver our long-held aspiration of bringing an exciting and vibrant new cinema to Broad Street Mall. This is another milestone in the re-imagining of the centre.” Really Local Group is also calling on the people of Reading to help name the new venue. Those with a perfect naming idea which pays tribute to Reading are asked to tweet the developers at @reallylocalgrp with suggestions by the 18 February. The winner will be awarded an annual membership complete with free cinema tickets and further discounted cinema tickets, food and drink, as well as an invite to the exclusive venue launch party this summer (plus 10 friends).
Leading UK retailer Primark has selected GRAHAM to deliver four contracts across some of its national stores. The firm will roll out the retailer’s modern new concept in Manchester, Milton Keynes, Liverpool and Southend on Sea against tight deadlines. This builds on the £53 million worth of work GRAHAM has already completed for the fashion retailer since 2015. Mark Gibson, Managing Director for GRAHAM Interior Fit-Out, said: “The work across all four stores comes with different challenges. Many will be completed in single phases while others will have a period of between 16-34 weeks to allow for a full fit-out. “The fast turnaround time required on each project, demands robust project management and efficiency in decision making and ultimately delivery. Throughout our four-year partnership with Primark we have consistently demonstrated our capacity to deliver multiple projects simultaneously without any variance in the high-quality of our work. “And because Primark is a popular retailer and, like many other fashion names, limiting closure over trading periods is of paramount importance, we will be working with a number of named sub-contractors in partnership to ensure the rollout is delivered on time and on deadline.” GRAHAM’s contract for the new Primark Barton Square store at the Trafford Centre in Manchester is worth over £9 million and involves an “extensive fit-out” covering 65,000 sq ft. The work will be completed in a single phase with an opening set for February 2020. Meanwhile the Milton Keynes store, a contract worth £4.5 million, will cover 75,000 sq ft across three floors with an opening due in April 2020. In Liverpool, GRAHAM’s work on its store will take place over a period of 16 weeks, from January 2020 until May 2020, while the store remains operational. This £3.5 million project will take place as GRAHAM works on the retailer’s most significant scheme next year, the £9.3 million Southend On Sea contract.
Plans to redevelop Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium in time for the 2022 Commonwealth Games have taken a major stride forward. Birmingham City Council’s Planning Committee has green lit proposals to transform the facility into a high-quality venue for diverse sporting, leisure, community and cultural events. These works form part of a wider £72 million plan to regenerate Perry Barr. Initially, the stadium, at Walsall Road, Perry Barr, is set to be the focal point of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, hosting the Opening and Closing Ceremonies as well as the athletics events during the 11-day event which features 6,500 athletes and officials from 71 nations and territories. The redeveloped stadium would increase its permanent seating capacity from 12,700 to 18,000 allowing more than 30,000 during the Games through additional temporary seating. Post-Games it will be at the centre of a regenerated Perry Barr, which is receiving more than £500m of investment in the coming years, which also includes new housing, improved transport and related upgrades to infrastructure and public space. The stadium will provide a new home for the university’s sports and exercise students, as well as becoming a focal point for a range of leisure, health, wellbeing and community activities for local residents and the wider general public. Cllr Ian Ward, Leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “We’ve always been clear that Birmingham 2022 is about much more than 11 days of fantastic world-class sporting action. The Games are about regeneration, improved health and wellbeing, promoting the city on a global stage and building civic pride. “This particular scheme is integral to all of those aims and benefits – the eyes of the Commonwealth and indeed the wider world will be on the venue during the Games, but the longer-term opportunities the improved stadium will offer a regenerated Perry Barr, and indeed the wider region and nation, mean the delivery of this scheme is crucial for the city’s future.” Ian Reid, Chief Executive for Birmingham 2022, added: “The Alexander Stadium is a pivotal venue for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, as not only will it host the track and field events for athletics but it’s also where we will stage our official opening and closing ceremonies for the Games. “Today’s news that planning approval has been granted is therefore a key moment for us as the organisers of the Games and one which we are pleased to be able to celebrate with our partners. “Birmingham City Council will be delivering the new sections of the stadium and we look forward to watching progress over the next couple of years, ahead of us moving into the stadium when we deliver the Games in 2022.” Construction of the new stand will commence in spring of this year, with completion in late 2021. This will be followed by test events ahead of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Data analysis by LinkedIn reported that STEM had more women enter the field over the last four decades than any other. Philanthropist and former general manager at Microsoft, Melinda Gates, said: “Innovation happens when we approach urgent challenges from every different point of view. Bringing women and underrepresented minorities into the field guarantees that we see the full range of solutions to the real problems that people face in the world”. In 2018, Fitbit was criticised for the period tracker having a 10-day cycle. If more women were involved in the creation, they would’ve realised this was three days too long. In the States, the tech industry is one of the highest paying fields — yet women are still paid less than their male counterparts. This year however has seen some of the biggest names and influential figures in the industry being women, such as Kate Bouman, the woman who engineered the first image of a black hole. In this article, we track how more women have entered STEM than any other field in the past four decades. In fact, statistics from 2017 show that women made up only 23 per cent of the STEM workforce. Although this is low, this is 105,470 higher than the number in 2016. Battling the taboo… We’ve been raised with the idea that men are better suited for certain jobs than women. Charles Darwin described women as intellectual inferiors and universities rejected women up until the 20th century. Laura Segal, senior vice president for the American Association of University Women, said: “Teachers and parents provide explicit and implicit messages starting in early childhood that boys and men are ‘better’ at math, and the gaps in the professions reinforce the opportunities, culture and lack of role models that perpetuate male dominance”. As a result of this, since 2012, there has been an increase in initiatives from schools, universities and recruitment agencies in the UK to encourage females to pursue STEM-related careers. Previously, female students reported avoiding STEM courses because of a lack of female role models to identify with. If girls were taught about female role models like Marie Curie, for example, who discovered the effects of radiation, perhaps they’d be more inclined to pursue a career in the field. To combat this bias, exam boards have introduced more content with famous women in the industry. Rosalind Franklin, a woman central to the understanding of DNA, has been taught across the nation. This has been linked to this year’s A-level results, which saw female students studying STEM courses (50.3%) outnumber male students (49.7%). Funding Many women have been reported leaving male-dominant work environments like engineering due to a toxic masculine culture. They noted that they had to work twice as hard to be taken seriously and to earn respect. Philanthropists keen to fix the gender gap in STEM industries have donated towards supporting women in the industry. $25 million has been funded to boost girls’ interest by changing the narrative that they’re masculine careers. It’s expected to inspire other girls to follow other successful women. Lyda Hill Philanthropies have introduced 125 female ambassadors to represent the different STEM-related careers. Part of the donation will be used to fund grants for women to study STEM courses. How are Apprenticeships helping? Apprenticeships have an equal gender balance, yet only nine per cent of STEM apprentices are women. A disappointing statistic, the government is trying to fix this disparity by helping women become more informed about apprenticeships to help them access STEM-related careers. In fact, according to a report by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, a lack of skilled STEM workers in the UK is costing the nation £1.5 billion a year. Lookers, retailers of used cars for sale, launched a female apprenticeship scheme back in 2018. The aim is to double the amount of their female apprenticeships and provide a positive environment to encourage and attract women to STEM. Civil Engineering Consultancy, Patrick Parsons are also an example of a company that are trying to break the taboo. Positive steps are being taken forward, such as having STEM advertisements use more gender-neutral language. However, there is a lot of progress to be made for women in STEM… Sources
Prospective apprentices are invited to a series of seminars at Newcastle College this week to mark National Apprenticeship Week. On Wednesday 5th February, the doors of the college’s Rye Hill Campus will be opened for an Apprenticeship Open Event, offering the chance to meet employers, ask questions and make an application. Lee Tennant, Head of Apprenticeships at Newcastle College, said: “Apprenticeships are vital to the future of skills and employment within the region. Helping young people find their path into skilled careers and from the other side, businesses sourcing the right people for their workforce, are among our key aims at Newcastle College.” An apprenticeship sees students employed within a business, doing a real job, while being supported through nationally accredited training. Anybody over the age of 16 can apply for an apprenticeship. This week’s national campaign has a Look Beyond theme, which celebrates the diversity of apprenticeships. With more than 30 apprenticeship routes on offer, there is something for everyone at Newcastle College. During the Apprenticeship Open Event, which runs between 3.30–7.00pm, presentations and Q&A sessions will be held to discuss a range of career paths. To mark the end of National Apprenticeship Week on Friday 7th February, the Newcastle College Apprenticeship Awards will be held at St James’ Park. The awards will celebrate and recognise apprentices who have made a significant contribution to their workplaces. Among the categories this year are the Personal Achievement, Special Recognition, and Outstanding Apprentice of the Year awards. Mr Tennant added: “This event helps us to highlight the importance of apprenticeships and shine a light on the powerful differences they can make to individuals and companies across the North East.” Sign up for the Newcastle College Apprenticeship Open Event. For more information on apprenticeship courses at Newcastle College, visit https://www.ncl-coll.ac.uk/school-leavers/subject-areas/apprenticeships Picture caption: Pictured are winners from the 2019 Newcastle College Apprenticeship Awards
