The Torbay-headquartered construction company The Cavanna Group has announced three new appointments to its Board of Directors, completing a ten year succession plan for the family business which was established in 1923 in Torquay. The Cavanna Group’s business operations, which include Cavanna Homes developments across the West Country, are overseen
It’s no secret that the construction industry is currently facing an increasingly large skills shortage. The industry has long suffered from a lack of skilled workers, making it more difficult than ever to hit deadlines due to the shrinking talent pool. This is a big problem for the government, whose
ISG has kicked off 2020 with the announcement of two new senior appointments. The firm has added two professionals to the Engineering Services Leadership Board, with Peter Millett joining as managing director for the Europe datacentre business and Jim McCarthy taking up the reins of a new division in his
Leeds College of Building is now offering the Interior Systems Installer Apprenticeship, focusing specifically on the drylining pathway. This is a Level 2 qualification and typically takes two years to complete. Working in partnership with British Gypsum to deliver the course, it includes the supply of materials, training and keeping
While in college, of course, you always face the problem of essay writing. For some students, however, it is not a problem at all. But the number of such people is quite little. The process of essay writing is very complicated. You should have a lot of ideas and creativity.
CHARLOTTE Booth, a chartered environmentalist with more than a decade of consultancy experience, has been appointed as associate director of sustainability and wellbeing at multi-disciplinary architecture and engineering practice, BE Design. Having grown up on an almost autonomous farm in rural Lincolnshire, Charlotte had a keen interest in protecting the
Costain has named its first ever chief digital officer. Nathan Marsh will take on the role, leading the accelerated implementation of Costain’s commercial digital strategy, with responsibility for the delivery of Group-wide digital services enhancing the solutions to its clients. He will also take up a position as a member
According to many experts, the construction industry is experiencing a problem with skilled workers — there aren’t enough of them. City & Guilds, a global leader in skills development, states that that 87% of employers in 2017 found it difficult to recruit the skilled workers that they needed. According to
Health and safety expert Bureau Veritas is encouraging visitors to this year’s Contamination Expo Series to come and witness its intuitive field hazard-testing and air quality technology to see how it is transforming the testing and inspection industry. More than 3,000 contamination professionals are expected to flock to Birmingham’s NEC
The South West’s largest independent homebuilder Cavanna Homes has made two key appointments to its senior team, to further support the firm’s ambitious growth plans ahead of its centenary year in 2023. Paul Furner, Head of Sales and Marketing, brings more than 15 years’ experience in the new home and
The Torbay-headquartered construction company The Cavanna Group has announced three new appointments to its Board of Directors, completing a ten year succession plan for the family business which was established in 1923 in Torquay. The Cavanna Group’s business operations, which include Cavanna Homes developments across the West Country, are overseen by Managing Director Keith Miller who joined the company in October 2017. Alongside Keith on the Board are Andrew Addison who has been promoted to Operations Director, having previously served 12 months as Head of Operations. David Green who has been with Cavanna Homes since 2001 is promoted to Development Director and Scott Murray joins the firm as Group Finance Director, replacing Brian Bargent. Brothers Jeremy and Jonathan Cavanna and their cousin Martin Cavanna, who are third generation members of the family business will remain on the Board but have moved to non-executive roles within the Cavanna Group which remains entirely family-owned. Keith Miller said: “2020 marks a significant milestone in Cavanna’s history as we complete the transition from a family owned and managed business to one that is now managed and directed by non-family members. While the Board of Directors are responsible for driving-forward this very successful company, we are answerable to the Cavanna shareholders, for whom the way in which we do business “the Cavanna Way”, embedding the family ethos in everything we do, is paramount. “We are also pleased to have fourth generation Cavanna family members in the business and look forward to supporting their growth and success in the company.” Paying tribute to the Cavanna family, Keith said; “Cavanna Homes charts a remarkable story of business success from humble beginnings when PD Cavanna arrived in Torquay with the tools of his trade and £200 of his family’s life savings, to a multi-million pound business which achieved national recognition as winner at the Housebuilder Awards 2019. “Over the past three decades, Jeremy, Jonathan and Martin Cavanna have laid solid foundations for the future, having grown the company by a factor of one hundred under their leadership. Their legacy is a strong family ethos, professional standards and a commitment to achieving the highest level of customer and staff satisfaction. “It is an honour and a privilege for me and my fellow directors to take this company to its centenary year and beyond. With the excellent team here at Cavanna Homes we will keep the company safe and profitable well into the future.” Cavanna Homes employs 139 staff from its Torquay headquarters and around 250 contractors working on development sites across Devon, Cornwall and Somerset. In 2019 Cavanna Homes produced a turnover of £50.9million on 169 open market sales and 59 affordable homes. This year the firm will be building new homes in 14 locations including city, coast and countryside developments. In addition to the day to day business, Cavanna staff raised over £15,000 in 2019 for Children’s Hospice South West and have nominated the same charity for their fundraising efforts in 2020. The company was recently named the UK’s Housebuilder of the Year 2019 at the national Housebuilder Awards in the medium category for housebuilders building between 200 and 1,500 homes a year.
It’s no secret that the construction industry is currently facing an increasingly large skills shortage. The industry has long suffered from a lack of skilled workers, making it more difficult than ever to hit deadlines due to the shrinking talent pool. This is a big problem for the government, whose plans to build 300,000 new homes a year by the mid-2020s is becoming more of a pipe dream. In fact, according to the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the lack of skilled construction workers is at its highest point since 2007. In order to get back on track, the industry needs to recruit over 200,000 more workers by 2020. Below, industry experts at Vizwear explore what problems the skills shortage in construction is causing for the government’s homebuilding targets — and what companies can do to help fill key positions. What’s causing the skills shortage? The main problem that’s contributing towards the skills shortage is that as a whole, the construction industry is still battling with an image problem. “The industry needs to attract a fresh workforce to keep up with demands”, says Daniel Ure from online PPE retailer Vizwear. “But for many on the outside, the thought of working in construction still conjures up images of wolf-whistling workmen on building sites. To attract a new stream of workers, the industry needs to shake this negative image and show how the industry has developed.” It’s not just the difficulties of attracting new employees that are causing a skills shortage, though: it’s also due to the current workers. Data from the 2011 census showed that in the construction industry, one in five employees were aged over 55. This means that by the early 2020s, when the industry should be hitting its homebuilding targets, most will have reached or be close to retirement age. An ageing workforce and an uphill recruitment battle are a combination that could have a detrimental effect on the industry. What steps can be taken to close the gap? The biggest barrier facing the construction industry is presenting itself as a desirable career path to potential employees. Although often seen in a bad light, there are fantastic opportunities to be had in construction, including mechanics, engineering and electronics. There are a number of ways that construction companies can reach out to the right candidates and ensure them that a career in construction is exactly what they’re looking for. 1. Increase education To ensure that the future workforce in construction is vibrant and engaged, young people need to be re-educated about what construction is really like A survey created by L&Q Group discovered that only one in ten children between the ages of 16 and 18 would consider a career in construction, fearing that the industry would be ‘challenging and unexciting’. Although around 50% said that they were interested in a Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) career, the construction industry simply wasn’t appealing enough. Interestingly, though, the students who said they would consider a construction career said that their reasoning was due to the excitement of the role. Working closely with schools and colleges to promote the industry is a great way to show young people that there are a number of avenues their career path can take in construction. By setting up a formal work experience programme, you can attract future workers with real, hands-on experience to give students the chance to experience the industry for themselves. 2. Don’t neglect training By offering proper training programmes, construction companies have the opportunity to help close the skills gap with new talent. It’s not just labour-intensive roles that are suffering from the skills shortage — there is also a demand for tech and digital skills. But rather than looking externally for these roles, use it as an opportunity to upskill your current staff. Nurturing talent within your business is great for morale; plus, you’ll help to develop your team’s careers, skill sets and better utilise ambitious and forward-thinking workers. The training involved with upskilling current workers can be as simple as one-on-one mentoring, or you can make use of the wide range of online and practical courses available for skill development. There are also government-funded schemes available to help train future construction workers. For instance, we are currently in the middle of an 18-month fund set up by the government, launched with a budget of £22 million. This scheme launched 20 on-site hubs, of which people looking to join the industry, as well as people switching careers, can apply their knowledge in a real-world environment. 3. Look for skilled workers in the right places Ensuring that next-generation workers are knowledgeable about the industry is vital, but there are other skilled groups that are waiting to be snapped up by the industry. For example, over 14,000 leave the military every year, meaning the construction industry has a pool of highly trained individuals with transferable skills at their disposal. There are a number of companies that have already reaped the benefits of military leavers, and even provide specialist training and learning credits to get them fully trained as soon as possible. Military leavers offer the unique opportunity for construction firms to hire workers that can effectively follow instructions, work well as a team and can keep calm under pressure. It’s a unique opportunity that is too good to pass up. 4. Address the gender imbalance Part of the problem is that construction is a historically male-dominated industry. Between 2007 and 2016, reports found that the number of women workers in construction only rose by 0.7%, resulting in an incredibly low 12.8% total. But it’s not just workers in the industry, nearly half of construction workers claimed that they have never had a female manager. Whatever the role, women in construction are being overlooked. As women make up half of the population, it seems crazy that the industry is ignoring so much potential talent that it sorely needs to help fill the skills gap. Educating female students is a crucial
ISG has kicked off 2020 with the announcement of two new senior appointments. The firm has added two professionals to the Engineering Services Leadership Board, with Peter Millett joining as managing director for the Europe datacentre business and Jim McCarthy taking up the reins of a new division in his role as managing director for customer operations. Commenting on the appointments, Bart Korink, Chief Operating Officer for ISG’s Engineering Services business, said: “I’m delighted to announce the addition of Peter to our leadership team and Jim’s new role in our new customer operations division. “Peter joins from Jaguar Land Rover, bringing with him over 30 years’ experience, expertise and insight in construction. “His client knowledge will prove invaluable in helping us continue to build our data centre contractor experience in Europe and provide the best customer service in the industry.” In his role within the latest ISG division, Jim will also lead the deployment of a new, dedicated customer operations team alongside business development director, Richard Irwin. “Our global datacentre, science and health sectors continue to show good growth,” Mr Korink added. “Moving forward, we want to continue to be contractor of choice for datacentre delivery across Europe and expand our customer base across Europe and Asia. “Key to this function will be building our scalability and capability in new geographies, implementing successful win work strategies and managing key client account relationships to inform future tendering opportunities. “Jim has a wealth of experience working with our key datacentre clients after delivering a number of key projects for our datacentre business in Europe. “Under his leadership, we will be able to create a stable, resilient platform that enables us to achieve our ambitions and support the growth of the wider business.”
Leeds College of Building is now offering the Interior Systems Installer Apprenticeship, focusing specifically on the drylining pathway. This is a Level 2 qualification and typically takes two years to complete. Working in partnership with British Gypsum to deliver the course, it includes the supply of materials, training and keeping apprentices up-to-date with product development. If you are interested, get in touch with the Apprenticeship Team on 0113 222 6041 or email wbl@lcb.ac.uk For full details click here. Key facts Where will the apprentice study? Leeds College of Building Funding band: £1400, non-levy employer contribution £700 Apprentices start: Sept 2020, however early demand could bring the first wave forward to February 2020. Apprenticeship Training Costs: If you are an apprenticeship levy-payer you could fund this course through your levy payments, and for non-levy payers you will be required to contribute 5% of the course cost. If you are a non-levy payer and have less than 50 employees and take on a 16-18 year old apprentice the course will be free. Regardless of whether you are a levy/non-levy paying company, you can claim a one-off incentive of £1,000 for taking on a 16-18 year old apprentice. The college will also support apprentices from out of the area by accommodating them free of charge in a city centre hotel whilst they are in college and also help with the travel costs. With around 60,000 Dryliners active in the UK, Drylining must, as a trade be one of the UK’s best kept secrets. Everybody knows what a plasterer or a carpenter is, but you often get blank looks when you talk about drylining. The fact is that drylining is now emerging as one of the key trades in construction. It is encouraging to see leading colleges like Leeds evidencing this by getting behind it. We now have a new Apprenticeship Standard, new providers and the new funding allows real flexibility about age of apprentices. We are also seeing significant increases in the CITB funding available for companies who take on apprentices – this is over and above the funding that you can get to cover the training. This is a huge opportunity to make 2020 the year of the apprentice, for the sector to embrace this standard as a catalyst for change, to revisit how we invest in training and work with colleges and providers to put drylining firmly on the careers map. Iain McIlwee, FIS chief executive
While in college, of course, you always face the problem of essay writing. For some students, however, it is not a problem at all. But the number of such people is quite little. The process of essay writing is very complicated. You should have a lot of ideas and creativity. Also, you should know the subject well. And what is more, there are many styles of texts and citations. So it is necessary to be familiar with everything. Why it is so important in college? While a student, you develop your skills of writing to be well-educated and literate. Even if you are a student of technology or economics, you should do it. Every field requires the skill of writing. But sometimes, the amount of tasks is so great that it seems impossible to handle everything. And you begin to look for help. Not all people in the world can write good essays. And it is not weird. All people are unique in their talents. So, for some writing essays is real trouble. But there is a way out. Feel free to buy essays here online and forget about boring college writing tasks. It is convenient, fast and reliable. After ordering the first paper, you will understand how it’s cool to have a lot of free time and fewer problems. How to Handle the Task of Essays Writing: The Best Way Out Of course, it is good if you know how to write good and qualitative essays. But do not worry if it is not for you. If writing papers is boring and complicated, it will be much better to put your time on the right track. For example, it will be good to take a job or improve your skills in some other field or just have a rest. Everything you should do is to place an order on the online writing service and wait for your essay completed. But whether it is good to ignore essays writing by yourself? Maybe, it is not. There are a lot of proofs why the skill of writing papers is so important. First of all, even if you apply for a job instead of writing an academic essay, it doesn’t mean that you will no longer face it in your life. Even to apply for a job it is necessary to write a resume, a cover letter and communicate with employers. Everything of that refers to writing. If you have a skill in writing, it is much easier for you to make impression. And it is really important for you at all stages of your life. When you are writing an essay you are doing research at the same time. So, you improve your analytical skills. It helps you to choose only the most important information from all the material. And, of course, it will be necessary for you in your future career whatever it will be. Writing requires attention, persistence, and determination. Of course, it takes much time and effort. But to write a qualitative essay you should consider a lot of facts and read a lot of information. What is more, you should extract the most important and do not miss anything. Also, you should be attentive to communicate to others why your topic is so important and relevant for today. And if you develop these traits well they will bear good fruit for you in the future. Essays are the best way to improve imagination and creativity. Even if you are a technician, it doesn’t mean that you cannot be creative and imaginative. If you write essays systematically, it will become easy for you to convey your thoughts and opinions. While writing you reveal your inner world, its ideas and so on. A person who knows how to communicate his or her own thoughts to others is a successful person. And that is not all. Those are only a few proofs why the skill of writing essays is so important. Following them, you are sure to become a well-educated, literate and successful person. College Education: How to Cope With Everything When the variety of tasks is great in college, of course, it seems impossible to handle everything. Especially if it concerns writing essays, students often wait until later. But it is not a way out. The amount of assignments is increasing all the time, so later, you cannot handle everything. It will affect your academic performance and, probably, bear bad results. So, think about whether you want it. Many students consider writing essays in college english class as an ancient educational practice. But it is not at all. A person’s knowledge and educational attainment are defined by the skill of writing. What is more, you will use this skill in the different stages of your life. So, take into account all those facts and try to improve your skill of essay writing.
CHARLOTTE Booth, a chartered environmentalist with more than a decade of consultancy experience, has been appointed as associate director of sustainability and wellbeing at multi-disciplinary architecture and engineering practice, BE Design. Having grown up on an almost autonomous farm in rural Lincolnshire, Charlotte had a keen interest in protecting the environment from a young age and has since led on energy and sustainability strategies for some of the UK’s largest urban regeneration projects. “From a young age, I recognised the importance of living sustainably,” said Charlotte. “On my family’s 250-hectare arable farm, we grew the energy crop miscanthus, ran our vehicles on biofuel, designed wetlands and wildflower meadows to encourage biodiversity and heated the farmhouse via a ground source heat pump, solar thermal and PV panels. You could say that a passion for sustainability and wellbeing is in my blood. “After completing my degree in Natural Sciences at Durham University – where I specialised in climate change – I went on to study for an MSc in Building Energy and Environmental Performance Modelling at the Welsh School of Architecture. “This greatly contributed to my understanding as to the impacts of development on the environment and led me to pursue a career in the construction industry. “I’ve advised affordable housing providers, local councils and private developers on the environmental impacts of their construction projects. I’ve worked closely with teams to project manage multi-million-pound masterplanning and regeneration schemes. Seeing low carbon, sustainable and biophilic-focussed designs come to fruition is incredibly rewarding. “I’m now looking forward to putting all of this experience into practice at BE Design.” In her new role, Charlotte will be collaborating closely with the team to provide sustainability management, wellbeing and biophilic design support – through accreditations including the WELL Building Standard – and energy and low carbon strategies to BE Design’s clients. Charlotte added: “We want to embed sustainability and wellbeing practices into the heart of our designs. There’s an incredible team here, who are committed to creating exceptional places to live and work in, which have minimal environmental impact and which are fit for future generations. “This passion for sustainability, along with the collaborative and holistic approach to design, is what attracted me to BE Design. “Climate change is a very real threat, one that isn’t going to go away, so we have to be incorporating sustainable practices into everything we do in terms of building design. Businesses and councils are declaring states of emergency. But now, we have to deliver practical solutions to deliver the net zero carbon aspirations of our clients.” Charlotte’s role will significantly strengthen the Nottinghamshire-based practice’s offer relating to sustainable and wellbeing and bring an elevated service to its national and international clients. Director Anna Tsartsari added: “Sustainability isn’t just a buzz word – it’s a practice, an ethos, a commitment to the future of our planet. ‘Designing sustainably for the future’ has been at the core of our business’ approach to design from day one. At BE Design, we very much subscribe to the idea of sustainable placemaking, creating spaces that people want to live and work in. That’s why we’ve also signed up to Architect’s Declare. “Charlotte will hugely benefit our clients, bringing an incredible amount of sector knowledge to their projects. She has already proven to be a fantastic addition to the team and we’re delighted to have her on board.” Find out more about BE Design at www.bedesign.co.uk or join the conversation on Twitter @B_E_Design #BESustainablePlacemaking.
Costain has named its first ever chief digital officer. Nathan Marsh will take on the role, leading the accelerated implementation of Costain’s commercial digital strategy, with responsibility for the delivery of Group-wide digital services enhancing the solutions to its clients. He will also take up a position as a member of Costain’s Executive board. With over 20 years’ experience working in digital transformation, Mr Marsh has held roles at SNC Lavalin, McKinsey & Co, EY and AON. Commenting on the appointment, Alex Vaughan, CEO said: “Ensuring that every service we offer is digitally optimised, and that we offer our clients new solutions founded on the application of digital technology is core to our new Leading Edge strategy which is why we have appointed our first chief digital officer. Nathan’s key industry relationships and experience of enabling digital capabilities across the UK’s critical nature infrastructure will ensure Costain shapes the future adoption of digital solutions and supports our clients in the implementation of this transition.” Nathan Marsh, chief digital officer, added: “I am incredibly excited at becoming Costain’s first ever CDO. Our sector is undergoing a wholesale digital transformation and it’s fantastic to see progressive industry leaders like Costain invest in and prioritise digital. I’m looking forward to helping our people and our clients leverage the full benefits of digital connectivity, designing, building and operating infrastructure for the future.”
According to many experts, the construction industry is experiencing a problem with skilled workers — there aren’t enough of them. City & Guilds, a global leader in skills development, states that that 87% of employers in 2017 found it difficult to recruit the skilled workers that they needed. According to Construction News, official figures show that 12.6% of UK construction workers come from overseas, with 5.7% originating from the EU. This rises to a staggering 60% in London. Furthermore, 30% of British-born construction workers are now over the age of 50, meaning businesses will feel the pinch of those departing over the coming years through retirement when Brexit comes into play. But, could the solution to the skills-shortage issue lie in apprenticeships? Apprenticeships could be more crucial than ever, especially following Brexit. Nation Apprenticeship Week was at the beginning of March, and with an influx of publicity circulating, it has encouraged employers to think about the future of their workforces — could apprentices fill the employee shortage? Construction, Planning and the Built Environment — alongside Engineering and Manufacturing — show the greatest number of apprenticeship starts. In the 2016/17 academic year, the Engineering and Manufacturing sector witnessed 74,000 starts, while the Construction sector had 21,000. Leading UK housebuilder, Redrow, released its second annual research report which revealed that, thanks to a positive shift in attitudes and the perception of construction, the apprenticeship pathway has improved. There was even a 14% increase in young people considering a career in the industry. “This year’s results illustrate that apprenticeships and careers in construction are being viewed in a more positive light. Apprenticeships are a way of futureproofing the UK workforce, particularly in sectors where there is a skills shortage, such as construction, so it is pleasing to see that progress is being made,” commented Karen Jones, group HR director at Redrow. Clearly, there are successes in the field of apprenticeships, which is hoped to carry on thanks to a new way of funding apprenticeship programmes. While some employers have snubbed the new levy as just being ‘another tax’, both large and small employers can benefit from the fund, meaning that 90% of apprenticeship training costs are funded by the government. Furthermore, employers within the construction sector can use up to 10% of the funding to train employees across the full supply chain — something not to be snubbed with the current shortage in skilled workers. But are apprentices really as useful to an employer as other workers? Research suggest that they are. According to UK Construction Media, 86% of employers say that apprenticeships are helping them develop skills relevant to their organisation and 78% believe they improve productivity. “Working with some of the UK’s largest utility firms, our success rates have been very high. We and our customers have no doubt that, managed well, apprenticeships do work,” commented Chris Wood, CEO of Develop Training. He went on to say: “New initiatives such as Trailblazer Apprenticeships and the Apprenticeship Levy have raised awareness across the UK. Even so, and despite huge skills shortages, many employers are still only scratching the surface of what they could be doing to use apprenticeships to attract new people to join the industry and improve the skills of existing employees.” Since the construction industry is struggling to fill its desired workforce, apprentices could be the fast and efficient solution the sector needs. Downing Street has committed itself to creating three million new apprenticeships by 2020. The construction industry could be on the receiving end of a large chunk of those programmes, which will be an opportunity to deliver a new generation of highly skilled workers — something that the industry is experiencing a lack of right now. In fact, the Director of the National Apprentice Service, Sue Husband, predicts that 2018 will be crucial for programmes. As more opportunities become available, now could be the time to cut yourself a slice of the apprenticeship programme success — and secure your future workforce now. This article was researched and produced by Niftylift, a leading UK retailer of cherry pickers. Sources
Health and safety expert Bureau Veritas is encouraging visitors to this year’s Contamination Expo Series to come and witness its intuitive field hazard-testing and air quality technology to see how it is transforming the testing and inspection industry. More than 3,000 contamination professionals are expected to flock to Birmingham’s NEC for the event on 11th and 12th September this year, which brings together suppliers and partners from across all aspects of contamination including land, spill, clean air, hazardous, waste, nuclear and geothermal. With an established reputation for providing bespoke consultancy services around regulatory compliance in areas of hazardous chemical and environmental management, Bureau Veritas’ respected thought leaders will be on hand at stand F85 to share best-practice advice and guidance in areas including emergency response planning, asbestos, air quality and hazardous materials – to name just a few. Fire science consultant, Sarah Bergin, will also be delivering a presentation in one of the ‘speaker slots’, discussing the air quality considerations during a major incident, bringing in her own experience as a scientific advisor during the Moorland fires of 2018. Keen to showcase how its technology is helping to improve testing, inspection and certification, experts from the renowned Bureau Veritas Technical Centre are calling on visitors to pop along to its stand to see its latest solutions. Bureau Veritas’ scientists have combined the capabilities and strengths of the existing HazMat testing kits to create a wet chemistry testing system designed to allow emergency responders to quickly and accurately classify unknown chemicals. The CHASE kit, which will be demonstrated at the Expo, enables the responder to quickly identify the hazards of the substances involved and understand the implications of this when planning the emergency response, as well as protecting emergency responders, other personnel, and the environment, in the process. Mike Shaw, Principal Consultant at Bureau Veritas, comments: “Our specialist Technical Centre leads the industry in providing innovative solutions that add value to customers. As a business we are dedicated to best practice in health and safety and we’re excited to showcase our latest solutions in hazardous chemicals management, air quality issues, industrial risk assessment and asbestos management at the Contamination Expo Series. “So whether you are seeking to invest in new compliance services, or simply looking for help and advice on everything from fire science and emergency response to air quality and asbestos inspections – we’d urge all attendees to pop along and talk to our thought leaders to find out more.” Bureau Veritas offers a wide range of specialist services to help firms achieve compliance. Attending and conducting demonstrations at the Contamination Expo will be thought leaders and experts from across the Bureau Veritas business, including fire science, who are dedicated to the provision of appropriate scientific advice at emergency and other incidents; asbestos, who offer assistance overseeing asbestos surveyors, as well as supporting with feasibility studies, risk assessment and management studies; and air quality, who work with a large number of organisations to undertake feasibility studies, bring forward air quality compliance and assess the potential benefits of air quality improvement measures prior to implementation. For further information on Bureau Veritas, call 0345 600 1828 or visit www.bureauveritas.co.uk. To find out more about attending the Contamination Expo Series, please visit the Contamination Expo website or contact Daniel Rogers on 0117 990 2005.
The South West’s largest independent homebuilder Cavanna Homes has made two key appointments to its senior team, to further support the firm’s ambitious growth plans ahead of its centenary year in 2023. Paul Furner, Head of Sales and Marketing, brings more than 15 years’ experience in the new home and property sector, and Victoria Potter, Head of HR, joins the firm with a strong background in human resources management and employee professional development. Paul joins Cavanna Homes from Countrywide Plc, where he managed the new homes division for the South West. He will oversee the sales and marketing teams at the Torquay headquarters and across all development sites to ensure visitors and customers have the best experience possible. Paul said: “Buying a home is one of the biggest purchases most people are likely to make, so we need to make that experience as informative and as pleasurable as possible. We want our homeowners to be as proud of their new homes as we are! “This is an exciting time for Cavanna Homes, with the recent opening our stunning new show home at Cavanna @ Wolborough Hill in Newton Abbot and with more developments lined up to open later this year. I’m really pleased to have joined the fantastic team at Cavanna Homes, and I’m looking forward to getting stuck into this new challenge supporting the company’s growth plans and encouraging people to come and visit our sites to see our beautiful new homes”. Victoria Potter, who was previously Head of HR and Training at British Ceramic Tile, will be supporting the company’s 130 employees with a focus on raising awareness of mental health through training programmes. Victoria added: “Moving into homebuilding has been a big step, but the ethos and goals at Cavanna Homes are inspirational and we have a great team here to deliver them! “My role is all about attracting, training, and retaining the best talent and supporting the business to achieve its goals. I’m looking forward to working with the business managers and employees to continue making this firm a great place to work”. Andy Addison, Operations Director at Cavanna Homes said: “We pride ourselves in having employees who are passionate about what they do, and Victoria and Paul are shining examples of this. “Cavanna Homes is a long-established company in the South West and has gained a strong reputation for building brilliance. Having a forward-thinking and enthusiastic senior team will support the company’s continued growth and success”. Cavanna Homes currently has the largest number of live developments to date in its 96-year history, including Newton Abbot, Dawlish, Paignton, Tavistock, Newton Poppleford near Sidmouth, Barnstaple, Stoke Gabriel, and Bodmin, with sites in Holcombe, Wincanton and Exeter set to open later this year. The firm has also welcomed its largest number of apprentices to date as part of its commitment to nurture new talent in the construction sector.
