It has been forecast that over the next five years there will be 179,000 new jobs created for the construction industry. This is great news as the sector is experiencing a level of growth that has not been reached since the recession. However, there has also been a number of
The EAUC has chaired an event that was held last week. The event was focused on examining the different approaches that are taken towards capital project delivery. The event was organised by the University of Oxford and the University of Warwick and had around 100 people attend from across the
In order to boost the agenda of land-based businesses in Scotland, Scottish Land & Estates has announced that they have created a new structure for the senior management in their business. The Chairman for the organisation, David Johnson attributed a number of major issues including Brexit and the Land Reform
VPS Site Security has announced that they have appointed a new Managing Director. The Security company offer a range of tailor made security solutions for large and remote sites. The company has clients from a mixture of different industries which include Construction, Events, Utilities and Highways. VPS Site Security are
The Lighting Industry Academy has launched their new course that will give information about the legislation around lighting products, Product Testing and Compliance Control of the lighting market. It is thought that this course is suitable for those in the industry that are unsure of all the different legislative requirements
In Nepal it has been announced that the training in the scaffolding industry is continuing to show improvements. In Nepal and the Nepalese scaffolders that work across the Middle East is looking promising. The Construction Industry Scaffolders Record Schemes have just finished their annual accreditation audit for the Kathmandu Aecor/Safety
Conor Ellis has been appointed as the head of Rider Levett Bucknall UK Healthcare sector. The independent business works as a consultant in the construction and property management sector. Connor be working for Rider Levett Bucknall immediately. Conor has spent more than 20 years working within the healthcare sector. As
Fusion Building Systems has successfully passed its transfer assessments to the ISO9001 and ISO14001 2015 revisions without incurring any non-conformance remarks, making them a top quality company to work with. The ISO standards specifically for quality management and environmental systems are key to Fusion’s work in the offsite construction industry,
The Glass and Glazing Federation have been celebrating their 40th anniversary by commissioning and installing a historic timeline. This timeline will be located at the Federation Head Offices which are in Southwark in London. The GGF have been carrying out a marketing plan in order to recognise their 40th anniversary,
Britcon has been appointed to carry out work to refurbish the Central Hall on Campus West of the University of York. The Yorkshire based building and civil engineering company has been awarded after Britcon has successfully completed the refurbishment project that has taken place at the Information Centre of the
It has been forecast that over the next five years there will be 179,000 new jobs created for the construction industry. This is great news as the sector is experiencing a level of growth that has not been reached since the recession. However, there has also been a number of skills deficits found within the construction industry, which will increase as the industry grows. In order to combat this deficit training is being provided in order to help companies hire fully-qualified and able people to fill job roles. The current gaps that have been noted within the construction industry covers several different trades, and it is predicted that Small or Medium sized Enterprises, or SMEs could have the most challenges to deal with over the next five-year period. Within the construction industry at the moment there has been a reported lack of roofer, plumbers and other skilled workers in the industry. The training that is being offered is fully funded and will come at no extra cost to the SME, but is will help the business fill the available job spaces that they have. With predictions that the employment figures in the industry will reach 2.6 million over the course of this period of growth. This will be a 1.7% growth in the sector. Therefore, the training that has been set up by The Skills Support Workforce, or SSW, will help SMEs through their new fully funded training project to reduce the skills gap that is currently being experienced. Being able to fill in these gaps will hopefully help the business to make the most of this fruitful period for the construction industry. The increased pressure to create more and more housing in order to meet demand has been suggested as one of the reasons for the increased growth in the sector. To meet the demand for new homes, approximately 220,000 new homes would have to be constructed. This high demand has a knock on effect and increases the demand for construction trades. However, the skills gap is meaning that the number of skilled workers is being spread quite thin. Hopefully the SSW’s new project will be beneficial for the industry.
The EAUC has chaired an event that was held last week. The event was focused on examining the different approaches that are taken towards capital project delivery. The event was organised by the University of Oxford and the University of Warwick and had around 100 people attend from across the post-16 education sector as well as the construction industry. A debate took place that was facilitated by the CEO of the EAUC, Iain Patton which created the opportunity to consider the number of different possibilities and challenges that are created when operational energy performance as part of the construction process is addressed. It is thought that both colleges and Universities are stand alone in their ability to influence their operational energy performance because each of the universities and colleges around the UK are owners and managers of large, complex and ever growing estates. It is thought that making sure the post 16 educational sector is prepared for a sustainable and long lasting construction phase that future developments can avoid a pile of costs related to energy performance that could have been addressed before in the earlier stage of the construction. Other things that were looked at the chaired meeting was it is important that the basic metrics, skills procedures and other contractual arrangements are known and understood in order to allow for the proper delivery of the project. Also considered at the event as whether the sharing of best practice procedures that have come out of previous projects carried out in higher education can help with capital project delivery. The other topic that was discussed as part of the event was the risks, gaps or different opportunities that are available for the client or their supply chain partnerships in order to deliver a project that has both value and quality. By working together, the higher education sector and the supply chain can create more and more successful projects which is positive for both industries.
In order to boost the agenda of land-based businesses in Scotland, Scottish Land & Estates has announced that they have created a new structure for the senior management in their business. The Chairman for the organisation, David Johnson attributed a number of major issues including Brexit and the Land Reform (Scotland) Act has led to the restructuring. It is thought that these challenges will require Scottish Land & Estates to keep changing in order to deal with issues in the future that could have an impact on land based businesses. As part of the reshuffle in the senior management team, Sarah Jane Laing has been asked to join the Board. It is thought that a position on the Board will help Sarah enhance her role as the executive director. Sarah will be joining the Chairman and the Vice-Chairman in order to make a new senior management team. It is thought that Sarah Jane Laing will carry on her work with policy and parliamentary affairs but will also take on more responsibilities from within the organisation. The change to the senior management team will help the company as it goes forward, and it is thought that all companies need to adapt the climate in order to be successful. Sarah Jane Laing is a well-respected member of the company and hopefully she will prove to be an asset to the newly restructured management team. Sarah has already shown she has the ability to work with a variety of different stakeholders and has also managed to provide a strategy for the direction of the organisation’s policy. Sarah also played a vital part of modernizing the organisation’s communication systems and the representational activity. Hopefully the restructuring will be successful going forward for Scottish Land & Estates, and will allow the company to overcome the challenges that are facing the industry.
VPS Site Security has announced that they have appointed a new Managing Director. The Security company offer a range of tailor made security solutions for large and remote sites. The company has clients from a mixture of different industries which include Construction, Events, Utilities and Highways. VPS Site Security are also known for being one of the leading providers of remote 24/7 monitored CCTV security and are the only suppliers of the JCB Smart Tower which is an award winning device that can be deployed quickly and uses thermal cameras in order to deliver a security solution that cut down the number of false alarms and the recording capacity for up to 30 days. It has been revealed that Peter Lalor will fill the position of Managing Director of the security solutions provider. Peter will be joining VPS Site Security after working for Ursa Group, which is a company the works in Africa and offers a range of security products and services. Peter brings a wealth of experience in security operations to the security company. His security background originates from spending time as part of the British Army Intelligence Corps, which he worked as a member of for 14 years. Peter Lalor has a great deal of experience in providing a range of security systems for the intention of protecting people assets and infrastructure. He will be a valuable asset for VPS Site Security, who provide their security solutions for construction companies, remote sites, utilities businesses and rail and road builders. Over the course of his career, Peter has worked in a number of places around the world. Peter Lalor has spent the majority of his career working in locations across Africa and the Middle East. Peter has had a number of different managerial positions as well before being appointed as the Managing Director for VPS. Peter started EITZ which is a company that is based in Tanzania and has also been the Vice President for the international security company The Olive Group.
The Lighting Industry Academy has launched their new course that will give information about the legislation around lighting products, Product Testing and Compliance Control of the lighting market. It is thought that this course is suitable for those in the industry that are unsure of all the different legislative requirements before placing a lighting product on to the market. The course that is put on by The Lighting Industry Academy can be completed in a day and will cover in detail the different regulations and directives that are connected to the lighting markets. There are currently twelve different bit of legislation that are required before products go on to the markets which include the LVD, EMCD, RoHS and ERP. All of these requirements can have an impact on manufacturers, importers, and distributors of lighting products therefore it is imperative that those involved in the industry have the correct level of knowledge regarding the law around lighting. One the product complies with the requirements it then needs to undergo varying degrees of production control in order to make sure that all of the products are the same and all show conformity. The Lighting Industry Academy also has a Quality Assurance model in order to allow those in the industry to appreciate the importance for putting in to place the controls as well as making sure everything stays up to standard. Those on the course will also learn how this can affect the controls on imported goods. After the theoretical aspects of the course is complete those attending will enter the laboratories in order to allow hands on product testing which is an important part of the product conformity in the lighting industry. The attendees will be shown how to use the reliable Clare test equipment, that is the traditional way of carrying out product testing, and the HAL tester which is the cutting edge production electrical test equipment. Those on the course will have access to this modern equipment because of a partnership that has been formed between the Lighting Academy and Seaward Group.
In Nepal it has been announced that the training in the scaffolding industry is continuing to show improvements. In Nepal and the Nepalese scaffolders that work across the Middle East is looking promising. The Construction Industry Scaffolders Record Schemes have just finished their annual accreditation audit for the Kathmandu Aecor/Safety and Access Ltd centre. This training centre offers the Overseas Scaffolder Training Scheme, or OSTS. The auditors that visited the training centre were said to be impressed by the work that is being carried out there. The centre has been open for just 12 months and the CISRS scheme Manager that carried out the annual audit was pleased with the progress that the training facility had made. The facilities available to carry out the raining are said to be of an excellent standard. The centre is said to be a credit to Aecor/Safety and Access Ltd as they have managed to construct a great area for the training of scaffolders in Nepal and the Middle East. Over the course of the last 12 months it has been calculated that more than 300 scaffolders have received training at the Kathmandu centre to CISRS Level 1 OSTS. Of these trainees, eight complete a Basic Inspection course and nine have undergone Scaffolding Supervisor courses. Apparently one of the supervisor courses was being carried out when the audit was taking place. It is thought that after completing their training in Nepal, these scaffolders then move in order to work in the Gulf Co-Operation Council states which are Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait. It is thought that in this region there are thousand s of Nepalese people who are working as scaffolding operatives. It is thought that the operatives who have carried out the CISRS training and is therefore linked to CISRS UK and the standards of workers required here make them more in demand when looking for work. Connections to the UK arm of the training certification implies quality, and reassurance of skill to clients.
Conor Ellis has been appointed as the head of Rider Levett Bucknall UK Healthcare sector. The independent business works as a consultant in the construction and property management sector. Connor be working for Rider Levett Bucknall immediately. Conor has spent more than 20 years working within the healthcare sector. As part of these 20 years, Conor has been involved in hospital management in the UK for around a decade. While involved in hospital management, he has held a number of different senior management roles. These roles have been in the private healthcare sector and includes being a Partner of Tribal. Most recently, Conor has the role of Head of Health at Citrica. Over the course of his career, Conor has been working in a variety of different areas of health organisations. Conor has worked for private sector operators as well as investment houses, government departments and contractors. In these roles he focused on trying to reach the highest quality of evidence based practice in clinical and non-clinical designing and spaces. Part of his previous roles included total asset and estate solutions. It is thought that this wide ranging previous experience will prove useful while working at Rider Levett Bucknall. As part of his new position, Conor Ellis will be leading Rider Levett Bucknall’s expansions in the Healthcare sector. It is hoped that Conor’s international healthcare experience and dedication to customer service will help the business expand. Conor frequently lectures at international conferences; he also participates in panels for NHS England Estates, DQI, a number of strategy design forums and is involved in the completion of NHS toolkits. Conor will be working alongside a number of healthcare customers of Rider Levett Bucknall. These customers include Public Health England, Public Health England and a number of NHS Trusts and University Hospitals around the UK.
Fusion Building Systems has successfully passed its transfer assessments to the ISO9001 and ISO14001 2015 revisions without incurring any non-conformance remarks, making them a top quality company to work with. The ISO standards specifically for quality management and environmental systems are key to Fusion’s work in the offsite construction industry, where developers can be severely penalised for not demonstrating due diligence. Revised in 2015, the new standards require an organisation to demonstrate the use of a continual improvement-based management system, supported by that organisation’s senior personnel. Over the past 18 months, Fusion has done just that – for example, by training many of its employees in the recognised ‘Six Sigma’ techniques and tools for process improvement. And, by re-assigning one of its key personnel Adrienne Clark, from purchasing manager to continual improvement coordinator, making her solely responsible for the operation of Fusion’s Targets to Improve (TTI) system. Under Fusion’s TTI system, each department is required to present ideas for improvement projects and provide justifications which consider financial, health and safety and environmental implications. If ideas are accepted, implementation teams are set up and progress monitored against set targets. This system has proved so effective, it has now become a fundamental and permanent part of Fusion’s operations. Drew O’Mahony, Fusion Building Systems’ head of technical quality, said: “As it states on the ISO website, International Standards make things work. They provide an assurance of quality, services and systems and our business certainly couldn’t have achieved the success it has without these stamps of approval. “We challenge ourselves on a daily basis to improve the way we work, to innovate our products and to find ways of developing new solutions which can help drive the offsite construction industry forward. Having our working practices recognised and approved under the latest revisions of ISO9001 and ISO14001 means as a team we can be satisfied that we’re amongst the best in the industry, and our clients can have peace of mind that we continue to be worthy contractors.” To view the full requirements of these ISO9001:2015 and ISO14001:2015 visit www.iso.org www.fusionbuild.com
The Glass and Glazing Federation have been celebrating their 40th anniversary by commissioning and installing a historic timeline. This timeline will be located at the Federation Head Offices which are in Southwark in London. The GGF have been carrying out a marketing plan in order to recognise their 40th anniversary, and part of these celebrations are the new graphics and branding designed in to the interior of the Federation offices. This interior design has been a vital part of celebrating the heritage of the Federation. Throughout the GGF headquarters, visitors will be able to see the growth of the group and their plans for the futures. It is thought that the installation also works as a tribute to all of the members of the Federation that have helped the company adapt and expand in to the GGF it is today. The timeline installation in the Southwark offices is made from six different graphic panels. Each panel depicts a different section in the Federation’s history. The panels extend up until the most recent accolades for the company, including being awarded with the G16 Derek Bonnard Award for Unrivalled Excellence. Also depicted in the panels is GGF’s move to their new facilities and the availability of meeting spaces for their members. The GGF’s heritage spans back past their recognition as one of the earliest trade membership body to the Guild of Glaziers which was formed in the Pre-medieval era, in London in 1328. The GGF Timeline has also been created on a digital platform. As well as the new installation at the headquarters, in order to celebrate the anniversary, the Federation are having a “Life Begins at 40” party. This party will take place at The FIT Show on the 24th May, with drinks and live entertainment on offer in order to celebrate.
Britcon has been appointed to carry out work to refurbish the Central Hall on Campus West of the University of York. The Yorkshire based building and civil engineering company has been awarded after Britcon has successfully completed the refurbishment project that has taken place at the Information Centre of the University. The refurbishment of the Information Centre cost £68,000. The new contract for the University of York’s Central Hall is worth £700,000 and makes up part of a programme of refurbishment works that is planned for the University. This planned refurbishment will take place over the course of the next three years. The project at Central Hall has started, with Britcon working on upgrading the existing mechanical and electrical infrastructure. The building and civil engineering company will also replace all of the existing windows in favour of curtain walling which will improve the energy efficiency of the building. The scheme of work that have been planned for the University of York project is expected to last for ten weeks. Britcon has a wealth of experience with carrying out work for clients in the education sector. The business has recently finished work on sites including The University of Bradford, The University of Huddersfield and Queen Ethelberga’s Collegiate. Britcon has also completed contracts for Royds Hall School in Huddersfield, Roundhay Primary School, which is in Leeds and Ward Green School in Barnsley. As well as carrying out work within the education sector, Britcon engages with the same education establishments in order to support learning practices in the construction sector. This support comes in a number of different forms and includes setting coursework around the projects they are carrying out, providing educational site visits and opportunities for placements. The building and civil engineering company has been established for over 26 years and has more than 90 directly employed staff members. Britcon is currently listed on the London Stock Exchange and was recognised by being included in its latest report of 1000 Companies to Inspire Europe.