The leading chartered surveyors and estate agents, Flick & Son have recently appointed Paul Gray as their Managing Director. This appointment has been made by the business in order to expand their residential sales, lettings and management activities. Flick & Son is known for being one of the longest established
Sweco, the engineering environment and design consultants have recently appointed David Leversha as the Structural Director for their UK buildings division. This new appointment has been made as Sweco continues to focus on growth in their structural design and multi-discipline engineering consultancy market. David Leversha is joining Sweco after working
Unispace has appointed Sam Sahni as Principal for Strategy based in its London studio, with a view to overseeing the European development of its strategy offering. Highly experienced within the consulting and construction industry, Sam has comprehensive experience and knowledge of a knowledge variety of sectors including Finance, FMCG, Real
A Norfolk student has told of her excitement ahead of starting a two-year scholarship sponsored by the East Anglia’s leading independent construction company, R G Carter. Lucie Gresham – Hill, 16, will gain invaluable skills and knowledge in the engineering and construction industry after winning an award from the Arkwright
Bruton Knowles, the national property consultancy company has been established for more than 150 years. The company has 13 different offices around the UK including Manchester, London, Gloucester, Bristol, Leeds, Shrewsbury and Cardiff. The company’s Nottingham-based property consultant, Sam Spencer has been appointed to the President’s Panel of the Royal
It is well known that there is a skills deficit in the construction industry. Research from EY has shown that the East suffers the worst, with five times as many project management positions that there are qualified and experienced people to carry out the work. The skills deficit has had
A group of 12 Redrow graduate trainees has completed a project in partnership with Help Bristol’s Homeless to convert an empty shipping container into a habitable space. This is part of the local charity’s wider goal to help members of the city’s homeless population by providing a roof over
Trendhim, Danish design founded in 2007 offers men more than 5132 products, within a click, thanks to Mikkel Andersen and Sebastian. Currently booming in 19 European markets, competing against every European professional, Trendhim faces a new challenge: Students as Country marketing managers. What can you do when you have to
Roofers and Builders operating in Shrewsbury have been given the opportunity to learn about latest developments taking place in roofing systems. The advanced glass fibre roofing systems are being tested out as part of a training day which will be hosted by the builders’ merchants General Building Plastics, or GB
Kier Group plc is a leading supplier of property residential and construction services. The group has announced that they will be pledging 1% of their workforce, who will be acting as career ambassadors. As part of this scheme the ambassadors will work in schools and colleges over the course of
The leading chartered surveyors and estate agents, Flick & Son have recently appointed Paul Gray as their Managing Director. This appointment has been made by the business in order to expand their residential sales, lettings and management activities. Flick & Son is known for being one of the longest established independent estate agents in Suffolk. The company has their roots in Saxmundham and as far back as 1833. The company has expanded and opened new offices in Aldeburgh and Leiston in 1900 with more recent expansion into Southwold and Halesworth. Paul Gray has gained more than 20 years of experience from working in the industry and has spent the last five years working as a Director at Ludlow Thompson, known for being one of the most respected and successful independent estate agents in London. Paul has said that he was drawn to Suffolk by the beautiful coastline, the inland towns and villages and the mixture of modern and period property around the region that is available to purchasers. Paul accepted the move to Flick & Son as the company is a widely respected brand that Paul can make his mark on and help to grow their market. Paul wants to consistently proving the benefits of dealing with a team of staff in a number of high street offices that are dedicated to delivering great customer service. Moving house is well known for being one of the biggest and most stressful life challenges and it is vital for Flick & Son to develop their excellent reputation for personal service to help their clients and make the whole process slightly easier. Paul’s experience will be an asset to the company and he will, no doubt, ensure that his team continue to deliver first-class customer service to their clients and uphold the ethos of the company in his new role as Managing Director.
Sweco, the engineering environment and design consultants have recently appointed David Leversha as the Structural Director for their UK buildings division. This new appointment has been made as Sweco continues to focus on growth in their structural design and multi-discipline engineering consultancy market. David Leversha is joining Sweco after working for BuroHappold. David will bring 21 years of experience working in the industry to his new role at the engineering consultancy. As part of this experience, David has been the leader of a number of multi-disciplinary teams that have worked on high profile projects across the UK. These projects worked on by Davis Leversha and his teams include the Lowry Centre located in Salford and Manchester 2 St. Peter’s Square office development. As part of his new role at Sweco, David will be joining the 30-strong team of structural engineers in order to improve the company’s pipeline of more high-end and architecturally-led work taking place throughout the UK. David will be a valuable addition to their integrated engineering, planning and consultancy capability which will then complement Sweco’s strong track record for delivering building services in the public and private sector. David will be an asset to the team in his new role as Structural Director for the company’s UK buildings division. The news of David Leversha’s appointment has been made after Sweco’s appointment to two of the Crown Commercial Service flagship consultancy framework. This framework has been designed to support the government as they deliver £163 billion worth of construction projects that have been planned as a part of the Government Construction Strategy which is expected to take place between 2016 and 2020. Sweco offers advice and consults on a range of major projects from their network of offices. Recently the company has been a part of One Nine Elms on London’s South Bank as well as Bloomberg’s new European headquarters
Unispace has appointed Sam Sahni as Principal for Strategy based in its London studio, with a view to overseeing the European development of its strategy offering. Highly experienced within the consulting and construction industry, Sam has comprehensive experience and knowledge of a knowledge variety of sectors including Finance, FMCG, Real Estate and Engineering. He joins Unispace from Morgan Lovell, where he was Head of Consultancy for more than 3.5 years, working for clients such as Costa Coffee, Superdrug, Prudential, Aviva, and Kleinwort Benson. Anthony Hazell, Managing Director, Europe at Unispace, said: “Sam is a dynamic leader. He has the ability to build business, develop client bases and take accountability for complex projects. A thought leader among his peers, Sam has also been an author of organisational white papers and has presented at a number of industry conferences. He is a great addition to the Unispace team in London and will expand our provision of strategy services across Unispace’s European base. .” As the author and speaker at industry conferences, he has featured as an industry expert in The Times, The Telegraph, Evening Standard & Financial Times amongst many other publications. “The market has changed a great deal in recent years, with very different occupier demand evolving in the market place. Unispace has developed in response to this new market and the brand’s growth in a short period of time is testament to its resonance with clients.” explained Sam Sahni, Principal, Strategy at Unispace. “This new role in the London studio is a chance to combine my experience across multiple sectors for Unispace’s client base and work with its world class European and Global teams.”
A Norfolk student has told of her excitement ahead of starting a two-year scholarship sponsored by the East Anglia’s leading independent construction company, R G Carter. Lucie Gresham – Hill, 16, will gain invaluable skills and knowledge in the engineering and construction industry after winning an award from the Arkwright Scholarship Trust. R G Carter will provide financial assistance, mentoring, guidance and work experience placements for Lucie whilst she continues her sixth form studies at University Technical College Norfolk. Lucie, says: “I look forward to finding my place in engineering whilst learning and interacting with people from across the business. I have always had an interest working in the construction industry and I hope this experience will help progress my career in the future.” Mario Rackham, Operations Director at R G Carter Drayton, says: “As a company, we are dedicated to inspiring the next generation of engineers. We take the responsibility of providing pathways into the industry very seriously which is why we are delighted to support Lucie with this fantastic opportunity.” Alex Hayes, Principal, UTC Norfolk, says: “I’d like to thank R G Carter for their support. It is invaluable for any young person to be able to engage like this with an employer and we regularly see the benefits of this from the year-round work that students at UTC Norfolk do with our employer partners. It is a fantastic achievement by Lucie to have achieved this highly competitive scholarship from the Arkwright Scholarships Trust, and to now have this excellent package of bespoke mentoring and support from R G Carter.” The Arkwright Scholarship Trust works with employers to inspire and nurture school-age students to become future leaders of the engineering profession. To win the scholarship, Lucie completed a detailed application and two-hour aptitude exam. Lucie was shortlisted for interview at the University of Cambridge, where she had to present a practical project. For more information about the Arkwright Scholarships Trust visit www.arkwright.org.uk and for more information on R G Carter visitwww.rgcarter-construction.co.uk.
Bruton Knowles, the national property consultancy company has been established for more than 150 years. The company has 13 different offices around the UK including Manchester, London, Gloucester, Bristol, Leeds, Shrewsbury and Cardiff. The company’s Nottingham-based property consultant, Sam Spencer has been appointed to the President’s Panel of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, or RICS. The RICS President’s Panel has appointed Sam Spencer, who will ow be working with the other members of the panel in order to offer resolutions for land and property industry disputes. It is a great achievement for Sam to be appointed to this panel, and Sam will be able to offer the expertise that he has developed over the course of his career. Sam Spencer is a Bruton Knowles expert who has specialist knowledge in sales, acquisitions, management agreements and business and property valuations. Sam also has experience as a Chartered Surveyor and Registered Valuer. On top of this already impressive CV, Sam also has over 20 years of experience working in the hospitality, leisure and healthcare property sectors. The appointment to RICS President’s Panel is a coveted opportunity and illustrates the hard work and experience that has been gained by Sam Spencer. Bruton Knowles will also benefit from this appointment has they will have one of the most highly regarded specialists in the industry as a member of their team. Sam has a vast knowledge of the commercial and investment sector as well as having specialist knowledge of alternative-use developments. This knowledge will be an asset to the President’s Panel and will help to support and inform decisions made during litigation and other judicial proceedings. The appointment has come after a comprehensive interview process which allowed him to demonstrate his market knowledge, which is of a high quality and will be essential as a part of the Dispute Resolution Service on the RICS panel.
It is well known that there is a skills deficit in the construction industry. Research from EY has shown that the East suffers the worst, with five times as many project management positions that there are qualified and experienced people to carry out the work. The skills deficit has had the most impact on the commercial, financial and project management labour sectors. The skills deficit has led to a premium being paid for work to be completed, driving up development costs. The time to find and appoint qualified skilled workers can also lead to delays. With £500 billion of investment planned before 2021, with projects such as Crossrail and Hinkley Point in the pipeline. this deficit is likely to get worse. EY have come up with a number of recommendations that could help to take the edge of the challenges faced by the industry. Firstly, as projects develop and the demand for talent requirements changes, skilled workers should be shared between other teams at the earliest opportunity. When there is a lack of resources, organisations would benefit from setting refreshed project timelines in order to avoid false competition for the same limited talent pool. Another recommendation is project leaders should seek to be more flexible in their approach to finding new talent. The way the UK labour market has changed creates an opportunity to change recruitment processes and move from employment contracts to shorter more flexible contracts with workers. Next, promoting remote working wherever possible allows skilled individuals to work on more than one project at a time, and makes sure that the talent available is used more efficiently. Following on from this, collaboration between public and private sectors will lead to innovation, a distribution of industry knowledge and help to attract and manage the flow of industry talent in order to make sure that the right people are matched to the right projects. It is also important to plan ahead and track more complex projects in order to make sure that the right people are employed for the role. Finally, it is important to make sure that the skills shortage should be addressed sooner rather than later to ensure that any impact is minimised.
A group of 12 Redrow graduate trainees has completed a project in partnership with Help Bristol’s Homeless to convert an empty shipping container into a habitable space. This is part of the local charity’s wider goal to help members of the city’s homeless population by providing a roof over their heads whilst they receive help finding permanent accommodation. The graduates received no funding, resources or help from seniors and instead relied on the skills acquired during their first year with Redrow. This meant they had to utilise contacts and relationships they had built up within the industry to source essential materials, deploy their project management and problem-solving skills and work closely together as a team. They acquired and fitted a kitchen and sanitaryware that was unable to be sold, but still worked perfectly, and ensured the whole container was finished to an exceptionally high standard. The end result is a shipping container that has been transformed into a well-furnished living quarters complete with a kitchen and wet room bathroom as well as fitting windows and skylights. Most importantly it will provide the perfect fresh start to those in the local community that need it most. Clare Horton, New Entrants Programmes Manager at Redrow, comments: “A career in housebuilding can be both rewarding and challenging, requiring a broad range of skills from strong communication, problem-solving, negotiation and excellent time management. These graduates had to demonstrate these qualities in bucket-loads to get the job done and we hope this project captures the imagination of young people considering their career options. “These graduates come from a variety of areas within the business and had to work together to make a success of this task in a very short space of time. As well as the practical element of fitting out the container, they deployed the skills they have been building over the last year to gather materials and solve problems along the way. It’s great to see how much progress they have made during their first year with Redrow and even better that it’s helping such a brilliant cause.” Manjeeta Pathak, now an Assistant Site Manager, who helped lead the project, said: “It was incredibly challenging, but so enjoyable, to work as a team to complete the project and empowering to be trusted to make sure we finished on time and to a high standard. I still can’t believe we managed to get it all finished in only five days and that included sourcing all the materials we used. It feels really special knowing that our handiwork will now be used to make a difference to people’s lives.” Every year Redrow’s newest batch of graduates take part in a community challenge which aims to support a good cause whilst putting them through their paces. Before the container becomes a temporary home for a homeless person, it will be transported to the South Downs Festival at the end of September to raise awareness of, and additional funds for, the charity.
Trendhim, Danish design founded in 2007 offers men more than 5132 products, within a click, thanks to Mikkel Andersen and Sebastian. Currently booming in 19 European markets, competing against every European professional, Trendhim faces a new challenge: Students as Country marketing managers. What can you do when you have to adapt and adjust your business to the demands of 19 European markets and you do not have the necessary language skills? Trendhim has the answer. Hire University students to carry out the commercialization on the different European powers. As the founders of Trendhim explained, at the beginning everything was going well, they had specific translations, but as the business grew, they encountered challenges in most of their daily operations. In particular, in the marketing side, they were not able to keep their markets up to date. They had to find an alternative solution to the translator. They had to ensure that the different markets had a reasonable market position, as the Danish market. Sounds easy, but Trendhim covers one of the most competitive markets: men’s accessories, such as bracelets, neckties, earrings for men and lapel pins, among many other men’s accessories. These types of products are sold in many online shops, for that reason the market is highly pressured. “We have learned that surviving in this market requires optimizing the website continuously and marketing is the key to success.” – Establishes Martin Højbjerg Christiansen – CTO in Trendhim. Here is where Horsens, where Trendhim’s headquarters are located, offers them incredible opportunities. VIA University, Denmark’s largest university, with an emphasis on applied sciences, offers Trendhim new employees to build an international marketing department. Therefore, Trendhim solved their challenge thanks to these students and their intercultural skills, who contribute to the company, giving their best to increase the sales and profits of their assigned market. Sara Lopez Alaguero, ICT Engineering student at VIA University and Spanish marketing manager explains: “It is very difficult to get a job in Spain, and almost impossible to find a job when you are a student and therefore you don’t have any experience. I has never imagined I would find a student job related to marketing, and even less that I would be responsible for an entire market. It’s hard to hear from the ones back in Spain, who have lots of experience and are struggling to get a low paid job.” Trendhim has given these students the opportunity to start their business careers in marketing. This demonstrates how in Denmark and more specifically in Trendhim, the number of experience one has, the field in which one is specialized, is not valued, they give everyone a chance to improve themselves. If you don’t know something, it’s only a matter of time until you learn.
Roofers and Builders operating in Shrewsbury have been given the opportunity to learn about latest developments taking place in roofing systems. The advanced glass fibre roofing systems are being tested out as part of a training day which will be hosted by the builders’ merchants General Building Plastics, or GB Plastics. The training day is planned to go ahead on the 21st September and GB Plastics have been working with the materials supply company Cromar in order to host the event at their Shrewsbury branch. The event will take place on the Battlefield Enterprise Park later this month and give the attendees the opportunity to try out the latest roofing solutions. The Shrewsbury training day will explore the features and applications for the brand new Cromar Pro GRP system. This product is an advanced liquid applied glass reinforced polyester flat roofing solutions that has been specifically engineered for a wide range of flat roof applications across the UK. The new ProGRP is a fully integrated seamless system. All of the components of the system have been designed to work together and can be installed on a wide range of flat roof types. These different types are up to and including vertical surfaces such as the sides of a dormer or the inside face of a mansard or parapet style roof. GB Plastics’ training day will be ideal for builders and roofers that are keen to install these types of roofing solutions as part of their portfolio of work. The training day will also form part of an ongoing commitment to supporting roofers and other building trade professionals as well as keen DIY-ers and other customers who are looking to improve their flat roofing skills. This training day looking at the Cromar ProGRP solution will be the fourth training day to be held by GB Plastics across the Midlands and the third to be held at this Shrewsbury branch. There are around sixty local roofers and installers in the local area and many of these have signed up to take part in the training day.
Kier Group plc is a leading supplier of property residential and construction services. The group has announced that they will be pledging 1% of their workforce, who will be acting as career ambassadors. As part of this scheme the ambassadors will work in schools and colleges over the course of the next y12 months in order to try and increase the amount of people considering a career in the industry. A new report has been published recently which shows that parents have shown a significant level of concerns about the quality of careers advice which is made available to secondary schools. The concerns are heightened as GCSE results decline. Kier, the FTSE 250 construction and services group commissioned the report which included 2,000 parents, teachers and careers advisors of children who are aged between 12 and 18 and in the UK state education sector. The survey revealed that two thirds of the teacher and careers advisors involved had a negative view of the construction industry and the potential career routes on offer. Over 80% of the parents involved in the survey weren’t aware that it was possible for big construction companies to pay for university degree courses. And 90% of teachers across the UK didn’t know about the recruitment shortfall that is being experienced in the construction industry. As a result of this survey, Kier have pledged a minimum of 15 of their workforce for the role of Career Ambassadors in order to establish a better relationship with schools and colleges across the UK. Through this scheme, Kier hope to engage with at least 10,000 pupils over the course of the next 12 months. If every company in the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 followed this 1% pledge in order to commit to the improvement of employment and skills, a powerful and influential network could be created that would be able to work to inform and inspire the next generation.