Apprenticeships play an integral role in supporting the future growth of the construction industry, helping organisations to expand their workforce whilst minimising costs and overcoming challenges across the industry with regard to skill shortages. Luckily, it appears that Scottish businesses are stepping up to the challenge, playing their part and
Allison Enterprises recognises that consistency breeds confidence. With customers the focal point for this Perthshire-based fencing, landscaping and fabrication solutions provider, Allison has founded its reputation upon delivering the results client’s desire reliably and effectively, time and time again. A significant part of its success is its dedication to quality,
As property management goes, there are few businesses as broad and encompassing as Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL). Specialising in all things property, and offering a range of services to suit any and all property owners, the company has gained local, national and international esteem and continues to satisfy its clients
Much like within the architecture sector, contractors within the building engineering services sector maintain a positive outlook, with turnovers reported to have increased over 6 months up to last December (reported by BESA). The growth showcases the present state of the sector and its capacity to grow amidst unreliable economic
Most recently the ECA Edmundson Electrical Awards, amongst the most highly regarded and historic awards within the industry, has seen a fresh launch and look. Aiming to catch the interest of the modern engineer and electrocution, the award has been adapted to appeal to a more technical, technology-focused audience. Having
As part of a project both designed and then provided by Minimise Energy, a leading provider of innovative energy-efficiency technologies, Light-Emitting Diode (LED) lights have now been fitted across Farmfoods’ new distribution centre at Avonmouth. Tailored to the needs of Farmfoods, where temperatures may drop to as low as -22°C
From the finish of 2014 through to the start of this year, it has been reported that the Recolight WEEE compliance scheme has had a substantial net growth of some twenty three producers which have been added to its member base; this signals an increase which far overshadows that of
With reference to Savills’ latest Regional Office Market Review & Outlook report, there are growing concerns as to how competition for Grade A space is grossly outstripping the supply presently, and to be made available. With less than one year’s supply of such space confirmed for the market over the
Nodding to the incredible role of The Green Register in improving the awareness and understanding of green methods of construction, Bristol’s Lord Mayor welcomed guests (many of which representing the best and brightest within the sustainable building world) to explore the Bristol Aquarium, an underwater world with complementary tea and
“Property may be about product, but it’s also about people,” argues Adrian Sayer, Managing Director of Metrus, a company dedicated to defining both the meaning, and importance of property management in the present day. Oft described as a “modern classic”, Metrus is one of London’s leading property management specialists, offering
Apprenticeships play an integral role in supporting the future growth of the construction industry, helping organisations to expand their workforce whilst minimising costs and overcoming challenges across the industry with regard to skill shortages. Luckily, it appears that Scottish businesses are stepping up to the challenge, playing their part and have, as such, achieved a five-year high in the number of construction apprentices recruited in 2015. With circa 1,876 apprentices recruited over the course of the year, 2015 represents a great milestone in overcoming the skill shortages by bringing in new blood to the industry. These figures highlight a 32% increase in the number of apprentices taken back in 2011, which sat at 1,422, as reported by the CITB. The figures come shortly before Scottish Apprenticeship Week 2016, which is also set to encourage organisations to take on more apprentices as a method of bringing new staff into their organisations more easily, and more cost-effectively. Funding provided by the CITB is available for all employed apprentices, which sits at £10,250, and offers a much-needed line of support for smaller businesses keen to expand, yet without the cashflow required to recruit further staff. With an estimated 21,000 new staff expected to be required over the course of the coming five years, the funding, and apprenticeships as a whole, offers a simple and effective route for employers both small and large to secure and train new staff effectively. Further information on how organisations can secure apprentices, as well as information on how would-be apprentices can secure positions within the construction industry, can be found one the Go Construct website, heralded by CITB’s Strategic Partnerships Director, Ian Hughes as: “A fantastic resource for employers and apprentices to find out about the support available, and the wealth of careers on offer.” And with the growing need for skilled workers rising with every coming day, we can only expect this vital industry resource to be much-welcomed by the wider sector.
Allison Enterprises recognises that consistency breeds confidence. With customers the focal point for this Perthshire-based fencing, landscaping and fabrication solutions provider, Allison has founded its reputation upon delivering the results client’s desire reliably and effectively, time and time again. A significant part of its success is its dedication to quality, an extension of which is the company’s robust health and safety practices. The nature of its work – which includes a broad spectrum of specialist fencing solutions, hard and soft landscaping, site clearance, tree works and ground works across Scotland and northern England – means operatives face a number of safety critical challenges on a daily basis. Indicative of Allison’s work ethic, the company values the health and wellbeing of its workforce as its chief priority. It has therefore continued to develop its policies and procedures in order to enhance its overall capability through health and safety best practice. While the commercial benefits of accreditation to such organisations as CHAS, Constructionline and Achilles are clear, Allison is rightly proud of its achievements says Debbie Priest, who oversees health and safety within the company, because it highlights how effective policies have been implemented across the business. Added to this by its ISO 9001accreditation, the company has proven that only the highest standards will do. “Having these accreditations is vital to winning work,” remarks Priest. “But it’s more than that because these audits highlight that you have the relevant training in place, that operatives are properly qualified, and that your procedures towards the wellbeing and safety of the your workforce are robust and effective.” Importantly, she adds: “It gives clients confidence in you as a business.” Allison has successfully utilised an external health and safety consultant to oversee its policies which are then managed by Priest internally with qualified Contracts Managers and Team Leaders monitoring day-to-day onsite. It’s a method that has worked well for the company which recently passed two Achilles audits (one specifically for tackling risk on the railways, and the other its construction-focused Building Confidence) without any non-conformances. These accreditations are an ideal way for a business to track its own performance on an annual basis, in turn helping it to better itself year-on-year. “One of the areas we’ve looked to improve recently is our safety checks on the various equipment we use, particularly making our inspections specific to each type of equipment,” says Priest. This has been complemented by additional day-to-day risk assessments that re-focus attention on safety to ensure it forms the cornerstone of the workforce’s thinking. It’s not easy, says Priest, as operatives want to go out in the morning and get the job done as quickly and professionally as they can. “What we try to instil is an approach that encourages them to take a step back in the morning; to make sure they are doing their daily briefing. We also brought in a policy called Take 5, which is effectively a daily mini risk assessment. It is about trying to encourage the thought process that says: health and safety is just as important as getting the job completed.” Internal training has increased to help staff while toolbox talks have enhanced safety awareness by making it less about paperwork and ticking boxes and more about its wider benefits to the implementation of an effective project. Such group discussions also evoke a more proactive interpretation of health and wellbeing by allowing staff to raise issues, ask questions, and put forward their own ideas. It’s evident that Allison Enterprises gives its staff the same respect its gives its customers. Internal development has created a work ethic based on pride, which has helped the company grow its stature, its client base and its reputation.
As property management goes, there are few businesses as broad and encompassing as Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL). Specialising in all things property, and offering a range of services to suit any and all property owners, the company has gained local, national and international esteem and continues to satisfy its clients and, in turn, their tenants, with its winning formula of care and attention. Specialising in real estate services and investment management from the very beginning, JLL has enlarged and diversified both its ambitions and services to become much of a one-stop-shop in property and asset management. Made up of two distinct strands, its business-to-consumer arm and more recently established, business-to-business arm, the residential management team boasts a portfolio of over 3,000 properties across the UK and this figure continues to grow month on month. Within such a large portfolio of properties, lies a diverse range of clients and, thus, a resounding variation in expectation. JLL strives to understand each individual client’s needs from the outset, as Samuel Winnard, Head of London Residential Property Management at JLL, makes clear: “We’re not working to predetermined terms and conditions, we’re managing to different and individual expectations, and our philosophy involves getting to know landlords and what they require of us. We’ve acknowledged that landlords are increasing busy, and they don’t necessarily have the time to get to grips with their legal responsibilities in what is heavily-legislated sector. Our role is very much advisory and, with unrivalled understanding of the sector, we’re able to recommend approaches and strategies specific to each client.” The company extends this same emphasis on personalisation to tenants themselves; making a conscious effort to not only listen to, but incorporate the opinions of residents within its services. [premium_content level=”2″] For JLL, communication is paramount and, in a world where, as Winnard accurately describes it, “Everyone wants something done yesterday,” JLL is incredibly efficient and promotes positive relationships in order to best serve clients and tenants. JLL’s keen attention to both client and tenant is arguably most valuable when it comes to advising investors on the new wave of Private Rented Sector (PRS) schemes coming to the market. Having transitioned management of the a PRS block in East London in March 2015, the company has since increased the rental income of the scheme by approximately 20%, generating some £3m per annum. This comes as a result of JLL driving service improvements, implementing upgrades of communal spaces and the establishment of a cohesive, community feel through a variety of resident engagement exercises. As a further indication that JLL has the perfect mix of expertise for the PRS market the East London scheme has also seen void periods of less than one percent, and zero aged rent arrears Like most managing agents JLL, and their clients, rely upon third party contractors to deliver maintenance services and the company is incredibly discerning when selecting partners. “Anyone we work with is viewed as an extension of JLL,” explains Winnard. “It’s crucial that sub-contractors demonstrate they meet our expectations and can perform with the same diligence we do. We have long established relationships with a modest number of key sub-contractors who are trusted suppliers and have committed to our customer charter.” Not only adding value from an early stage, but maintaining a meticulous and attentive approach throughout the management of a property, JLL offers security on investment and a personal touch to asset management. Despite possessing global reach, the company has yet retained its bespoke, comprising service and, it’s with that, that JLL continues to have a strong foothold in the market. [/premium_content]
Much like within the architecture sector, contractors within the building engineering services sector maintain a positive outlook, with turnovers reported to have increased over 6 months up to last December (reported by BESA). The growth showcases the present state of the sector and its capacity to grow amidst unreliable economic climate; however, as always, there is more to it than that. Over the period, it has been reported that the frequency of enquiries and order books had in fact slowed down as compared to the previous 6 months, with tender prices, yes, rising over the period, but at a slower rate than previously. Combined with a reported rise in material and labour costs, the figures do call into question how the industry will fare in the coming years, however the present state of the sector remains wholly positive. As has been the case for some time within the construction industry, late payments remain a major challenge for businesses, though the situation is reported to have improved marginally. Late payments, in effect, making budgeting and cashflow a severe concern for contractors, remains one of the key factors impeding the growth of businesses, combined with the widely reported labour shortages in comparison to the demand for skilled labour – such as building and quantity surveyors, planners and design engineers. Though the figures do highlight a slowing down of growth across the market, the two aforementioned challenges may indeed be amongst the most prominent factors holding the industry back from achieving further growth and, as such, businesses are increasingly urged to assist in the labour shortages through apprenticeship schemes, training and improving awareness of the opportunities actually available in the industry. After all, it is the next generation of engineers which will define the future of the industry itself. In contrast, the upcoming deadline for businesses to take up Level 2 BIM across any and all public sector works does not appear have drastically impacted the industry as feared, with only a minor reduction in BESA members undertaking such projects (31%, down from 33%). But, of course, in building for the industry of tomorrow, the power is in the hands of businesses to act now in a bid to overcome some of the modern industry challenges, with movements towards addressing the lack of skilled labour being amongst the more important. Jim Marner, President of BESA commented: “The issues of skills shortages, labour costs, and the movement of resources, modern methods of design, project risk, procurement and quality control will all become even more significant in the coming months.” As such, contractors are urged to step up and make a difference.
Most recently the ECA Edmundson Electrical Awards, amongst the most highly regarded and historic awards within the industry, has seen a fresh launch and look. Aiming to catch the interest of the modern engineer and electrocution, the award has been adapted to appeal to a more technical, technology-focused audience. Having been run since 1975, the awards exist to apprentices and trainees to reap credit for their work, thus facilitating their ascension up the career ladder within the electrotechnical sector; naturally, a range of prizes are offered also. It won’t be until June that regional winners will, in fact be announced, however anticipation is rife over the newly relaunched awards. Following on from the announcement, judging will then be undertaken over the course of summer, with a winner finally being decided in September and presented in front of leaders within the industry as well as other entrants – an exciting event to say the least. As Edmundson Electrical has a proud running history of investing back into its workforce, it is no surprise that the organisation continues to strive to support those entering the industry on an apprentice or trainee level. “People make a company and people make an industry,” explained Gordon Love, Managing Director of Edmundson Electrical, and this statement flows though the backbone of the awards, set to identify those people making a difference. In addition, the awards also showcase the excellent level of workmanship which employers might hope to employ through finding apprentices of their own, which is something traditionally heralded as a way forward in the present times of skill shortages. Keen to encourage more individuals to pursue a profession in the industry is Steve Bratt, Chief Executive of ECA who highlights the “misleading impressions” put into the minds of people about the opportunities available in the wider industry. It is hoped that, through the awards, awareness may be improved as to the real opportunities available improve interaction with aspiring professionals. He added that the awards represent a: “Fantastic way of recognising the achievements of young people in our member companies.”
As part of a project both designed and then provided by Minimise Energy, a leading provider of innovative energy-efficiency technologies, Light-Emitting Diode (LED) lights have now been fitted across Farmfoods’ new distribution centre at Avonmouth. Tailored to the needs of Farmfoods, where temperatures may drop to as low as -22°C where frozen-food is stored, the completed project is able to effectively withstand these low temperatures as well as responded to changing levels of natural light across other areas of the centre, such as office spaces, and provide great benefits for Farmfoods as a result. As a leading partner for organisations looking to reduce their on-going energy reduction goals, as well as enhancing the bottom line also, Minimise Energy works across a wide range of energy saving, monitoring and reporting products, most notably including LED lighting. Additionally, the organisation also offers specialist lighting and optimisation for electric motors, gas and electric boilers, and also for air conditioning systems. The centre now has multiple roof lights which are able to cover approximately 15% out of the ambient area of the root, admitting forms of natural light which have also been factored into the lighting design as a whole. Additionally, sensors have been added to the ambient parts of the centre so that these lights can then respond to whether or not there are individuals actively in the building at a given time, and adjust the available lighting accordingly – a major contributor to the energy efficiency of the building. Providing some commentary on the exciting project, Farmfoods’ Property Development Manager, William Scanlon explained the importance of balancing the maintenance of its frozen-food, in the perfect conditions, alongside that of promoting energy efficiency to be of the utmost import. He also added that the designing of the perfect LEDs as well as property lighting control is one of the key ways in which Farmfoods will be aiming to achieve its efficiency goals.
From the finish of 2014 through to the start of this year, it has been reported that the Recolight WEEE compliance scheme has had a substantial net growth of some twenty three producers which have been added to its member base; this signals an increase which far overshadows that of any additional like-scheme within the UK. And if that wasn’t enough, the figures also highlight the scheme’s largest growth figured since its establishment back in 2007. Operating in a manner far apart from that of other WEEE schemes, Recolight offers its member’s customers free-of-charge services for recycling, as opposed to buying lamp recycling evidence in a bid to demonstrate their dedication. What that means is that, with Recolight, the service offered is one which, yes, maintains the benefits of most other WEEE schemes, but also provides additional ones which can drip down to the end customer as an extra added benefit. One of the other key ways which seems to have contributed to the popularity of this particular WEEE scheme is the way in which Recolight handles its fees. The mechanism, which is on a static “per item” sold basis, allows for the membership to effectively plan and budget for the future, with the entire year in mind. Though this may seem like a small matter, due to the present, unreliable nature of the economy, caution is the word with many UK businesses and, through effective budgeting and planning, success can be all but assured. Year on year, the Recolight producer membership has been stated to have grown by approximately 16% and, given these recent figures, the expectation is that the organisation will continue to expand upon that membership and take an increasingly central stage as a leading WEEE scheme.
With reference to Savills’ latest Regional Office Market Review & Outlook report, there are growing concerns as to how competition for Grade A space is grossly outstripping the supply presently, and to be made available. With less than one year’s supply of such space confirmed for the market over the course of the next three years, rents, specifically in regions such as Cardiff and Bristol is set to spike considerably. Presently, the average take-up across UK regions sits at approximately 4.6m, with availability down by circa 18% from the levels reported back in 2007. Speculative figures on developments have also risen by approximately 128% from last year, coming in at approximately 3.5m sq ft, yet, with 28% of that pre-let, it is expected that it will be mostly absorbed over the course of 2016. This lack of space has proven to be one of the key, driving factors for rising demands amongst value-add office opportunities to help cover the excess demand as opposed to supply – in fact, this January represented the 41st month of considerable refurbishment activity in a row. As a clear consequence of the demand and supply gap, so too has the gap between new-build rents and refurbished rents, with a deprecating differentiation between the average figures. This is a clear result of increasing rents, with Bristol potentially seeing the highest growth in rents of 12% by the end of 2016, as reported by Savills. Attributing the rise in UK-wide job creation as a driving factor behind the rising demand for quality space in prime locations, Claire Bailey, Associate Director of Savills Commercial Research has highlighted the potential for a pinch on new-builds between 2016 and 2017 due to the sheer quantity of developments already being pre-let and the rising demands for those in prime locations. As explained by Richard Merryweather, Joint Head of UK Investment at Savills, it is expected that occupier demands for space is more than likely to persist onto and into the future, where investors are then likely to continue looking into securing secondary assets in prime positions. This is effectively to take advantage of opportunities that may exist and to help fill the gap left open by limited available new developments; however, it may also develop a gap in the supply pipeline itself.
Nodding to the incredible role of The Green Register in improving the awareness and understanding of green methods of construction, Bristol’s Lord Mayor welcomed guests (many of which representing the best and brightest within the sustainable building world) to explore the Bristol Aquarium, an underwater world with complementary tea and crumpets – a preamble to heading upstairs to the venue’s rooftop training room. As the not-for-profit membership organisation championing sustainable construction practices within the wider industry, The Green Register offers expert and unbiased training across the board so as best to, firstly support the construction sector, but also promote best practice in areas of sustainability and green building processes. Presently, the register is celebrating its 15th year representing and supporting sustainability within the industry, offering key training, membership and networking avenues to the wider sector. At the event, there were a series of short sessions with technical advice to highlight key areas of importance such as heat loss, air tightness and moisture control. Additionally, a number of longstanding members of The Green Register also gave a series of talks, walking guests through their experience of membership with the register and how it has benefited them. Commenting on the day, Lucy Pedler, Director of The Green Register enthused: “We were absolutely delighted to celebrate with so many of our members and guests at the Bristol celebration – it makes all our hard work worthwhile and we had some terrific feedback about our plans for the next 15 years.”
“Property may be about product, but it’s also about people,” argues Adrian Sayer, Managing Director of Metrus, a company dedicated to defining both the meaning, and importance of property management in the present day. Oft described as a “modern classic”, Metrus is one of London’s leading property management specialists, offering a synthesis of traditional values within a modern framework, and thus allowing the company to offer a cutting edge service on a personable, interactive and thoroughly transparent level. Established some 35 years ago, Metrus toes the line of being large enough to offer a comprehensive property management service, yet still of a size where a friendly, more personal approach can be offered. Able to fill the gap in the market left by the departure of a number of middle-sized firms, Metrus leads the way in offering this balanced, flexible and yet incredibly professional service required by firms seeking something of a more personal touch yet unavailable from some of the larger, international agency firms. Metrus offers a complete commercial and residential property management service, with about 90% of its current portfolio made up of commercial property. Yet, increasingly the company has been approached by residential clients seeking a like-service and, as such the company has recently laid the foundations for a highly specialised residential department to target this demand. Across these two arenas Metrus offers a vast number of complementary services including: agency, retail, office, lease advisory and asset management service for specific refurbishment and development projects; effectively, the whole package. Originally created from the internal perspective of managing its own property interests, Metrus was born out of the perspective of the client itself and, as such has a profound understanding of both where property management can go right, or wrong. Over the years, this understanding has since been built upon through the acquisition of further, external clients and the diversification of the business out into offering a fully comprehensive service portfolio for clients; yet, to this day, it is this understanding from the customer perspective of what a property manager can offer which defines the organisation’s service to this very day. Building further upon Metrus’ understanding of customer needs is also the way in which the company both sources, nurtures and supports its property management teams. Through the predominant recruitment of individuals possessing extensive experience within the property arena, combined with the company’s ability to retain such individuals, Metrus maintains a position in the industry unlike any other: a position whereupon clients can develop a mutual understanding, a relationship and a cooperative partnership with the team itself. As an industry plagued by low staff retention and fluid career movement, the ability to develop a working relationship with the property manager is one unique to Metrus’ clients. Bringing with it a whole host of benefits such as a pre-emptive, not solely responsive, property management service which can plan for the future needs, expectations and requirements onto and into the future. This enables for a far more collaborative property strategy which goes above and beyond the bare management of an asset, and instead pursues a strategy for maximising the efficiencies and value of the asset itself. As Sayer attests: “Due to the majority of us either having worked in property companies or owning property directly, we understand what clients are seeking and we can fulfil their expectations as well as grow with those clients organically as the business grows forward. It’s absolutely essential and, mostly on the surveying front, many of our clients have also been with us for many many years and they like coming back to the same people who have an increasingly intimate understanding of their properties and needs. “Similarly, on the accounting side it’s a crucial part of property management which always needs to be done well, but often isn’t with other companies. The understanding of what the client needs in terms of day-to-day reporting, wider bank reporting and providing flexibility to the client is also key to how we try to differentiate ourselves from the masses.” Of no surprise, given the company’s approach to working alongside clients, is that much of Metrus’ work comes from recommendation and repeat business with existing clients, going so far as to step on the toes of some of the big agents in offering a service which can offer a solution to many of the challenges its clients have found in past experiences with other property agents. The company’s reputation has also gone so far as to attract quality staff, and quality product to further enhance its own ability to deliver an increasingly competitive service. Retaining such clients, alongside the retention of these key staff members also adds to the quality of the service which Metrus can offer yet further, as Sayer illustrates: “You do need to know your clients, their backgrounds and the types of properties that they’re dealing with. For example, we look after Burlington Arcade and we have a particularly experienced manager who is able to understand a lot of the interaction of the individual operators who, many of them, have been situated in there for many decades now. They need that personal touch, the caring approach but they also need the understanding of the commercial perspective that the client is trying to achieve – it’s trying to achieve that balance between personal approach and also the business side as well. Finding that balance is really important and is one of the key considerations when we’re placing people on individual jobs.” And further adding to the proud reputation of the company is the way in which Metrus increasingly promotes corporate responsibility values across the property portfolio. Having achieved 14001 most recently, Metrus is keen to display its own commitment to sustainability and environmental best practice, whilst simultaneously pushing that process out to clients and encouraging engagement in the process at every possible level: “While, as the landlord, you’re in control of certain resources in the operation of a building, the occupiers are utilising as much, if not