Business : Training & Skills News

AECOM Appoints Award-Winning Structural Engineer Roma Agrawal

Global infrastructure services firm AECOM has appointed Roma Agrawal as Associate Director. Roma joins the company’s growing structural engineering team in London and will be responsible for both business development and project delivery work. Roma joins AECOM from Interserve, where she was Design Manager. She was previously Associate Director at

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Skills shortages remain key challenge to infrastructure delivery

Construction and infrastructure workload expectations continue to improve with respondents the most positive since the referendum, according to the latest Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Construction and Infrastructure Market Survey, Q1 2017. The pace of growth has increased across all sectors pointing to a widespread improvement in the sector.

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Unispace Makes Senior Client Relations Hire

Unispace, the global design firm with integrated project delivery capabilities, has appointed Roz Allen as a Senior Associate, Client Relations based in its London studio in Southwark.   Roz was most recently at Soho House where as Project Director she looked after commercial and project management for the UK design and

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New Construction Training Centre in North East England

A new construction training centre in the North East of England is nearing completion. The purpose built facility has been created at Burnt House Farm in Bedlington, South Northumberland. Tony Rutherford is a Northumberland-based entrepreneur who is part of WPR Farms as well as having established Trainbase Ltd. Rutherford has

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Apprenticeships in the UK Expected to Increase Due to New Opportunities

The standard for apprenticeships in the UK is expected to increase due to new apprenticeship schemes in bricklaying and plastering. Brian Berry, the Chief executive of the Federation of Master Builders has suggested that the initial announcement to attempt to increase apprenticeships to 3 million by 2020 could have led

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Latest Issue
Issue 323 : Dec 2024

Business : Training & Skills News

AECOM Appoints Award-Winning Structural Engineer Roma Agrawal

Global infrastructure services firm AECOM has appointed Roma Agrawal as Associate Director. Roma joins the company’s growing structural engineering team in London and will be responsible for both business development and project delivery work. Roma joins AECOM from Interserve, where she was Design Manager. She was previously Associate Director at WSP and has worked on projects including The Shard at London Bridge, One Nine Elms and Crystal Palace Station. Roma has received multiple awards during her career to date, both for her technical ability and for her contribution to raising awareness of engineering as a career. Last year Roma was included in the Top 50 Women Engineers in the UK list, which was compiled by The Telegraph and Women’s Engineering Society, and in 2014 she was recognised by the Association for Consultancy and Engineering with the Diamond Award for Engineering Excellence. She has appeared in engineering documentaries on the BBC and ITV and has featured in various UK newspapers and magazines to help raise the profile of the profession. Commenting on her new role, Roma said: “I look forward to working on AECOM’s wonderfully diverse range of projects while also continuing to promote engineering as a career to young people, particularly among under-represented groups.” Mike Burton, Director, AECOM, said: “We are delighted that Roma is now part of the Award-Winning AECOM team – bringing her engineering expertise to our projects and her passion for the profession to our people.” Roma is a chartered engineering with both the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and is a fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). She holds a masters degree in general structural engineering at Imperial College London and a degree in physics from Oxford University.

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Multitech Site Services Announced That They Are Reinforcing Their Commitment

Multitech Site Services is the leading temporary electrics specialists in the UK. The company has announced that they are reinforcing their commitment to the next generation. This has been achieved by becoming the first contractor of its type to join the 5% Club. This Club is an industry led initiative which is focused on increasing the momentum to recruit trainees in order to change the fortunes of the young people in the UK. Multitech, winners of the Business Excellence Award have been employing trainees since the company started operating in 1998. The company’s aim of hiring young people was to enable them to become more qualified and allow them to start building a long-term career path in the construction industry as an electrician. It has been estimated that 10% of the workforce at Multitech at the moment are trainees. This figure is twice what is required in order to join the 5% Club. The business is the first temporary site services contractor to join the club which is great news for the business and might push more in the sector to look in to hiring more trainees. The 5% Club initiative is great for setting a target for businesses. The initiative shares values and ethos with Multitech and it works to spread awareness of the value in trainees. The campaign for 5% Club scheme was initiated by QinetiQ, the defence technology company. The technology business aimed to get the public and private companies around the UK to commit to increasing the number of apprentices, sponsored students and graduates they allow on to formal programmes. The target is to make up 5% of the business workforce with trainees within five years. It is thought that this campaign will tackle the chronic skills shortage experienced in the industry as well as reducing the youth unemployment in Britain. These improvements should then keep the UK at the forefront of innovation. Members of the scheme are required to publish their progress in an Annual Report.

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Skills shortages remain key challenge to infrastructure delivery

Construction and infrastructure workload expectations continue to improve with respondents the most positive since the referendum, according to the latest Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Construction and Infrastructure Market Survey, Q1 2017. The pace of growth has increased across all sectors pointing to a widespread improvement in the sector. Survey in brief National workloads expectations improve with the most positive sentiment since the referendum. Road and rail set to remain the fastest growing infrastructure sub sectors over next twelve months. Quality of available workers cited as a barrier to growth. Workloads and 12 month projections In Q1 2017 27% more respondents reported an increase in workloads, (up from +18% in Q4 2016). Expectations for the next 12 months also remain firmly positive particularly for activity levels although they have reduced slightly in case of profit margins. The shortage of skilled labour persists in UK infrastructure and construction and is again widely cited by contributors as a factor potentially impacting the performance of businesses working in the industry. Looking at the different sectors, 34% more respondents cited an increase in private housing output rather than a decrease, which puts it above the other sectors for the pace of growth once again; this has been the case since Q1 2013. While the commercial sector saw the largest growth in workload for the quarter (compared with Q4 2016) with 31% more respondents seeing a rise, infrastructure workloads continue to grow steadily with the most significant increases in rail, road and energy categories. These sectors are also viewed as the most promising sectors in infrastructure for the next 12 months. Breaking this down, 60% of respondents felt that repair and maintenance work of existing structures is the most needed type of investment in their area whilst 40% felt investment in new projects was necessary. Growing skills shortages As workloads increase, skill shortages are still sighted as a significant problem to the industry with 53% of respondents stating a shortage of skilled labour to be a key impediment to growth. This is slightly up from 50% in the last quarter. In recent reports, the proportion of respondents noting skill shortages to be the major barrier to growth had come down slightly but the latest results along with surveyors’ comments suggest labour shortage pressure across the UK construction sector is intensifying once more. Alongside this, 65% of respondents reported insufficient availability of quantity surveyors, with skill shortages in this area becoming increasingly prominent since 2012.  The results also point to the quality of available workers (rather than simply the quantity) being the principle driver in skill shortages, with 67% of respondents taking this view. Looking at this further, 59% of contributors feel that improved education pathways and training would the most effective policy response to alleviate labour supply pressures, whilst 31% of contributors feel direct government subsidisation of training would be the most effective. Financial constraints and their impact Meanwhile, financial constraints are still the most significant obstacle to growth with 70% of respondents citing this as an issue. Planning and regulation remains a significant impediment to growth with 61% of respondents citing this as an obstacle (up from 53% in Q4 2016). At the same time, tender prices are expected rise in the next 12 months. Specifically, 69% more respondents believe tender prices will go up in the building sector (rather than fall). The expected increase in tender prices may signal rising costs and shrinking profit margins which is also reflected in the 12 month expectation of profit margins easing from +26% in Q4 2016 to +18% in Q1 2017. Regionally all parts of the UK have observed an increase in pace of output growth in Q1, with the exception of Northern Ireland. The was due to the pace of growth slowing within the infrastructure, private industrials and public non-housing sectors. Output growth gathered the most pace in London and the South East where the net balance rose from +7% to +22%.   From http://www.rics.org  

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Newark and Sherwood Homes Announced That They Will be Launching an Apprentice Scheme

Newark and Sherwood Homes, the housing providers have announced that they will be launching an apprentice scheme. The first of its kind for the company, the Recruiting and Employing Apprentices Championing Housing Champions was launched on the 4th May at the Future First Expo in Newark. The company has dedicated a great deal of time creating their own apprenticeship scheme that will be able to showcase the wide range of careers available as part of the housing sector. This Recruiting and Employing Apprentices Championing Housing, or REACH scheme has been given a boost from the announcement of the apprenticeship levy. This levy is will aim to create as many as 20 million apprenticeship placements by 2020. The Futures First Expo in Newark is a new event that will focus on celebrating everything Newark and Sherwood has to offer in regards to careers training and education. Launching the REACH scheme at the first Expo is a great way to run a new event as well as promote the opportunities that will be available for apprentices in the housing sector. The new apprenticeship scheme will help Newark and Sherwood train those that are looking to develop a career in the housing services sector. The company is planning on growing the number of apprentices that they take on each year, which means that there will be more placements available for those wanting to do an apprenticeship in this industry. At the Future First Expo, Newark and Sherwood were joined by other local businesses in order to discuss the merits of the REACH apprenticeship programme and the career opportunities that will be available within the company. Newark and Sherwood is a company that can offer a great deal of career opportunities and was ranked as 27th in industry magazine as part of the Inside Housing’s Innovation Index.

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Unispace Makes Senior Client Relations Hire

Unispace, the global design firm with integrated project delivery capabilities, has appointed Roz Allen as a Senior Associate, Client Relations based in its London studio in Southwark.   Roz was most recently at Soho House where as Project Director she looked after commercial and project management for the UK design and build element of its business.   Before Soho House, Roz was at Mace where she worked her way from a graduate joiner to commercial manager working on a broad spectrum of construction projects from fit outs for JP Morgan Chase and Invesco to the large-scale refurbishment of Café Royal.   Anthony Hazell, Managing Director, Europe, said: “As Unispace continues its rapid expansion across the UK and Europe, our team continues to grow – Roz is a highly talented individual with valuable experience working on the client side for a high-end design and development brand. She has been described a “star in the making” by the property press and we are very fortunate to have her on board.” Roz will be based with the client relations team in London, working on projects across Unispace’s European offices including those in Madrid and Lisbon.   “Joining Unispace is an exciting prospect” explained Roz Allen.  “The firm promotes an innovative, solutions focused methodology to clients that is founded on exceeding their expectations.  It is great to be part of a dynamic team and delivering the best service to the industry.”  “There is a real demand from the clients in the market for an alternative approach and, I believe, that Unispace is capitalising on this.  The firm is challenging established conventions and bringing its singular methodology to bear on leading projects around the world.”

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NEBOSH Confirmed That UK Employers Expect Applicants to Have Relevant for Health and Safety Positions

The latest Jobs Barometer research carried out by NEBOSH has confirmed that UK employers expect applicants to have the relevant qualifications for Health and Safety positions. Applicants are expected to have the relevant professional qualifications for a Health and Safety position before applying. The research has shown that 90% of the job advertisements in the Safety, Health and Environment sectors specifically asked applicants for at least one NEBOSH qualification. This percentage is up from 83% when the research was carried out last year. The NEBOSH Jobs Barometer Survey is research that takes place every year. The Barometer reviews 100 health and safety positions that are advertised nationally in the UK. The research looked at positions available between the 25th January 2017 and the 24th February 2017. 50% of all the positions advertised during this period specified a NEBOSH Diploma, which is a degree equivalent degree. In these potions, where a NEBOSH Diploma was required, the advertised salary was up to £49,000. This is 16% above the £42,000 top end salary that was advertised when a Diploma was not specified. More employers are requiring a higher level of qualification from their applicants, it is thought that this is an attempt to reward those who have chosen to continue their professional development. 51% of vacancies advertised nationwide wanted a NEBOSH Certificate-level qualification, this is an increase from the 45% found last year and the 38% that were found in 2015. It is thought that the top industry qualification is NEBOSH and it is often specified when advertising jobs as the preferred qualification. It has also been found that the position is more likely to require a NEBOSH qualification if the hiring manager has followed the same qualification route and has had a positive experience. Construction and engineering are thought to be the dominant sectors in the Safety, Health and Environment positions, although they have experienced a fall from 39% to 35% of the job advertisements since last year.

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New Construction Training Centre in North East England

A new construction training centre in the North East of England is nearing completion. The purpose built facility has been created at Burnt House Farm in Bedlington, South Northumberland. Tony Rutherford is a Northumberland-based entrepreneur who is part of WPR Farms as well as having established Trainbase Ltd. Rutherford has invested £350,000 in to building the new centre for construction training. When the facility id finished it will be opened to provide accredited training and testing across several different awards bodies in order to offer the widest opportunities for the users of the center. Ther will be a large range of CPCS, NPORS training as well as other short courses, street works and Level 2 Plant NVQ’s. Rutherford’s new business has already created four new jobs before it is open for business. There are two training administrators as well as a tester and assessor already hired for the training center. However, this number will increase when the center is finished. Tony Rutherford identified the opportunity to build the construction training centre after discovering that many businesses in this sector send their employees out of the region in order to gain the necessary qualifications that will soon be on offer in this facility. The gap in the market will soon be filled by Rutherford’s facility that aims to offer high quality training across a wide variety of professional courses. It is believed that Trainbase will be the largest facility of its kind in the North East region of the country. It is also expected to be the only facility that will offer a full range of courses all from one location. The training centre will be located at Burnt House Farm which is a 20-acre site that incorporates a 15-acre all weather digging area. The facility will include an outdoor training area, as well as office accommodation with more space for training, testing and conference rooms.

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Apprenticeships in the UK Expected to Increase Due to New Opportunities

The standard for apprenticeships in the UK is expected to increase due to new apprenticeship schemes in bricklaying and plastering. Brian Berry, the Chief executive of the Federation of Master Builders has suggested that the initial announcement to attempt to increase apprenticeships to 3 million by 2020 could have led to an ideal that quantity is better than quality. However, this week the Government has improved its commitment to working with the construction industry by increasing the quality of the apprenticeship training and approving these new standards alongside the increased encouragement to deliver more apprenticeships. Research carried out by the FMB has shown that two-thirds of SMEs, or Small and Medium Enterprises, think that the overall quality of apprenticeships in the construction industry has decreased over the past 30 years. The research has also revealed that over 70% of smaller construction companies would be more likely to train an apprentice if the quality of construction apprenticeships and standards improved. It is noted that SMEs in the construction industry are who train two thirds of all apprentices, and if they are reluctant to take on apprentices due to the low quality of training. Therefore, the government putting their weight behind improving the quality and standards of apprenticeships will be reassuring for those construction companies when taking on apprentices. Named the Government’s Trailblazer process, the intention is to give more control back to the employers in order to make sure that the apprenticeship training does actually reflect what is required when working on site. A number of different large and small employers have given up their time in order to create these apprenticeship standards. Because of this the standard reflects what will actually be necessary to work in the construction industry. The standards set out by the construction companies means that there will be a higher standard of training for apprentices, which will mean that they will be taught to perform more technical tasks.

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Thameslink Using Apprentices to Inspire Young People in Doing an Apprenticeship on the Railway

Thameslink are using Apprentices to inspire young people to consider apprenticeship on the railway. A group made up of work experience students, apprentices, and engineers from Network Rail’s Thameslink Programme are celebrating National Apprenticeship week by visiting schools local to the London Bridge station in order to inspire young people to consider railway sector apprenticeships. Thameslink has had the benefit of utilizing 98 apprentices working across Network Rail and their partners since 2012. Delivery partners include Costain, Balfour Beatty Rail and Siemens Rail Automation. The apprentices that are a part of the Thameslink Programme have gained valuable experience working on a variety of different sites including the London Bridge redevelopment project. The apprentices are required to build their skills both on and off the rails and have had experience in the commercial side of the business as well as being a part of the front-line railway. Network Rail’s Apprenticeship has a higher rate of retention that the national average for engineering. 75% of apprentices who complete the scheme then go on to be employed by Network Rail. The National average retention rate is 55% for engineering. This high rate means that with apprenticeships becoming more popular it is possible to be developing a career from the start of the course. On the 6th of March the team of promoters headed to Octavia House. This is a therapeutic school that specialises in providing education for student who have social emotional and mental health concerns. The group gave a presentation to the 15 and 16-year-old students as well as holding a workshop on the role of the apprentice. A presentation was also given to 180 students at Walworth Academy. The students at the Academy heard about the journeys and experiences of each of the apprentices, with the intention of trying to inspire the students to consider an apprenticeship on the railway.

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New Research Has Come Forth that Consumers are More Likely to Hire Builders who Employ Apprentices

New research has found that half of consumers are more likely to hire builders who employ apprentices. A study carried out by One Poll from 2000 home owners across the UK has revealed that 50% of those asked would rather hire builders that employ apprentices. With National Apprenticeship Week starting today, the results suggest the public support of apprenticeships. The survey also uncovered that two thirds of those home owners asked look more favorably on building firms that are known to offer apprenticeships. With half of those asked saying that they would be more likely to hire companies that train apprentices if that was a deciding factor. The research also found that more than two in five of those home owners asked would recommend a company that offered apprenticeships to friends and family members. Also, the study found that two thirds of the people involved in the study believed that companies should expressly highlight that the train apprentices and encourage the next generation of the trade industry in their marketing material. In a competitive industry, building companies are all looking for an edge over their competitors. Therefore, the results of this study reinforces that apprentices are good for business in allowing them to gain an advantage over those in their field. Companies who hire and train the next generation in the building sectors presents the companies in a strongly positive light to home owners looking for stronger core values of a company. The Government is about to implement a new Apprenticeship Levy on larger firms. It is hoped that this action will encourage larger companies to take on more apprentices; especially since this study has revealed that including apprentices amongst the staff is commercially viable for companies, leading to more contracts as well as training future tradespeople. Currently more apprentices are hired by small and medium size companies rather than larger firms.

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