An innovative scheme to attract more talent into the built environment sector is being extended after a successful first year. Last year Gateshead College teamed up with a powerful partnership of architects, designers, contractors and engineering specialists to launch PlanBEE in a bid to tackle an industry skills shortage. Together they developed a unique, flexible training programme designed to attract and retain the brightest new talent in the region, plug skills gaps, and create a more flexible workforce capable of working across various construction disciplines. An initial cohort of 13 students enrolled on the scheme last September and all have been retained having completed a Higher National Certificate (HNC) qualification. They will now work towards a Higher National Diploma (HND) in year two and an honours degree in year three and these qualifications will help them secure a guaranteed job on completion of the programme. Now a recruitment drive has begun to hire a second tranche of students, who will start on the programme this September. Rather than follow a traditional training model where students complete their qualifications while working in one company, PlanBEE gives trainees the chance to work across several companies and therefore gain a more rounded understanding of the built environment industry. Working with Gateshead College, the group has created a bespoke higher level skills programme that provides budding professionals with study and off-the-job training at the college’s construction facility on Team Valley, along with a job working with some of the region’s leading companies. It has been tailored specifically for and by the North East construction sector, providing students with a starting salary of £10,700 per year, a professional qualification and a guaranteed job opportunity on graduation. Established by Ryder Architecture, the scheme has already attracted some high-profile names, including Brims Construction, Sir Robert McAlpine, Xsite Architecture, Robertson, 3e Consulting, Cundall, Arup, FaulknerBrowns, Sadler Brown Architecture and Tolent. Matthew Hardman, 19, from Gateshead, initially spent time with Cundall and has been with Sunderland firm Brims Construction for the last few months. He said: “I was keen on a career in construction but was not sure what discipline I wanted to pursue and did not want to get to the end of university and realise I hadn’t really enjoyed my choice, while having amassed £30,000 of debts. “So I’m really pleased to have secured a place on this course through Gateshead College. My first placement was mainly office-based, learning CAD drawing and BIM and I’ve really enjoyed the site engineering experience with Brims including the quantity surveying side. This has definitely been the right choice of course for me.” Brims director Richard Wood said: “We are a fast-growing business and realise how important it is to play our part in nurturing the talent of the future. Matthew is the second placement we have had from PlanBEE and has been a great addition to our team. We look forward to welcoming more students to the company. “We initially became aware of and involved with PlanBEE following discussions with Mark Thompson of Ryder and so far it has been an excellent programme, which we hope inspires a new generation of bright, talented individuals to consider a rewarding career in construction. It is a real alternative to full time education; one that offers a future with no debt and a job offer on completion.” Chris Toon, deputy principal at Gateshead College, said: “Employers across the built environment industry have expressed a need for a greater convergence of skills that traditionally sit within the disciplines of architecture, urban planning, engineering, surveying and landscaping. The PlanBEE programme has been designed to equip students with valuable experience in all of these important subject areas. “This will help to provide industry with a pipeline of work-ready talent that enables companies to become more productive and competitive now and in the long run.” It will also assist the industry’s attempts to overcome a crippling skills shortage. A lack of skills is hindering construction firms’ efforts to service contracts, according to the latest Construction Market Survey from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). Meanwhile, the Construction Skills Network’s most recent ‘Insight’ report has highlighted a growing skills shortage in the industry. The study identifies that an additional 179,000 UK construction jobs will need to be filled from 2017-2021 to meet rapid growth in demand for infrastructure and housebuilding across the country. Many of these new jobs are graduate level roles in technical, professional and management occupations, rather than traditional craft trades – and the need for higher-level skills is a challenge that PlanBEE aims to tackle. For more information about the programme, or to get involved, visit http://www.gateshead.ac.uk/planbee/ or contact Helen Whitfield at Ryder on 0191 269 5454.

Leading learning provider Develop Training Limited (DTL) has strengthened its management team with two new appointments. Nichola Kitching joins DTL as Business Development Manager, bringing with her more than ten years’ experience in the welfare-to-work and education sectors, most recently specialising in apprenticeships and work-based learning in roles covering sales, account management and operations. Marisa Harris has been appointed Skills Funding Agency (SFA) Administration Manager, drawing upon several years’ experience of working for a training provider managing SFA funding and administration with a detailed understanding of funding rules, the Individual Learner Record and compliance relating to apprenticeships. Chris Wood, CEO of DTL, said: “We are delighted to welcome Nichola and Marisa to the team. They join us at an exciting time for our business, as we continue to grow following our listing on the SFA’s register of apprenticeship training providers (RoATP). Our inclusion in the register underlines the quality of our apprenticeship programmes and our ability to deliver training of the very highest level for large organisations in critical infrastructure sectors. We are now in a very strong position to help employers utilise their Apprenticeship Levy payments and to deliver the training that meets both their needs and the wider needs of the country.” DTL can provide specialist training at any of its bases nationwide, in addition to delivering on-site training solutions. All courses are fully accredited by the relevant leading professional industry bodies, which include City & Guilds, ILM, IGEM, Gas Safe Register and IOSH. Visit www.developtraining.co.uk for more information.

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.”