Develop Training Limited (DTL), a leading provider to the utilities and construction sector, believes that apprenticeships can meet many of the challenges thrown up by falling university numbers. Many commentators have blamed high tuition fees for a growing number of young people applying for university, raising fears of a lack
Construction workers can now benefit from a free app that has just been launched to help provide mental health information and advice for those in need. The Construction Industry Helpline is a new collaboration between Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity, construction software firm ‘COINS’ and ‘Building Mental Health’. “The app is
Managing the logistics of your construction site is integral to ensuring time and budget constraints are met. Dan Casey, Marketing Manager at award-winning lifting equipment manufacturer Penny Hyrdraulics, shares four tips to help you do this. When managing a construction site, ensuring the whole operation runs smoothly is of paramount
Sarah Toon is a specialist construction and architectural photographer based in Norfolk. With a lifelong interest in photography, after a decade working as a bookkeeper and practice manager for an accountancy business, Sarah decided to develop a new career as a professional photographer five years ago. Rather than following many other
The shortlist for this year’s Construction Marketing Awards has been announced by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). The companies will compete for awards in 23 different categories, including best use of content marketing, best low, medium and high budget campaign and marketing team of the year. The awards are
A new construction skills course funded by developer Berkeley Homes will provide practical experience of working in construction to a group of Year 10 students from Bay House School’ Enterprise Academy. By funding this new innovative course, Berkeley Homes hopes not only to provide a valuable opportunity to the students
A PMW Communications survey has revealed that the construction industry is rapidly moving away from traditional marketing in favour of digital platforms. The survey, conducted at the recent Construction Expo and UK Construction Week exhibition, asked participants to provide a list of construction companies’ marketing priorities. Digital platforms claimed the
Fixmart Limited, the UK supplier of construction products, has implemented the PODFather System, in order to improve its customer service, productivity, visibility and client communication. With the help of the System, Fixmart’s customer service team will be able to schedule and monitor time-critical deliveries for clients to sites across London
In an industry that is forever changing and adapting, it can sometimes be hard to stay on top of all the latest construction and mining news. If we consider how far we have come since the days where we would have to do all the work machines do today by
The latest alarming revelations from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) indicate that the amount of genuine building skills in the construction employee sector is getting worse as time goes by. The federal group found that the average British bricklayer is not the only one to suffer in the reduction
Develop Training Limited (DTL), a leading provider to the utilities and construction sector, believes that apprenticeships can meet many of the challenges thrown up by falling university numbers. Many commentators have blamed high tuition fees for a growing number of young people applying for university, raising fears of a lack of social mobility. But DTL points out that school leavers give other reasons too, including that they don’t enjoy studying or don’t think they have the necessary academic skills for university. The training company says that apprenticeships have the capability, not just to provide an alternative to university but also to address the wider issues. “Instead of racking up student debt, apprentices earn while they learn, and apprenticeships provide other ways of learning for those who aren’t suited to academia. At DTL, we specialise in practical training for high earning roles in utilities and construction. Yes, there is an element of classroom learning but for most of our apprenticeships, the focus is on learning through well-supervised, genuine on-the-job experience,” said Operations Director, John Kerr. Mr Kerr argued that apprenticeships can also generate social mobility, even beyond what might be expected from gaining a practical qualification and a well-paid job. “As an organisation that believes in providing a holistic educational experience, we support many young people who have fallen behind with academic learning,” he explained. Crucially, he points out, that includes ensuring that apprentices attain satisfactory levels of literacy and numeracy. Ensuring students attain a set level of literacy and numeracy is a requirement made of apprenticeship providers by the educational watchdog Ofsted, and DTL has invested in technology and teaching to ensure that apprentices reach the levels they need, not just to attain their qualification but also to equip them for life. “Clearly, people who have poor literacy or numeracy, or both, are going to be disadvantaged. This is a significant step in giving them social mobility,” said Mr Kerr. With these crucial core skills and the confidence of having completed an apprenticeship, they might well go on to get a university degree or similar-level qualification, he points out. “For us at DTL, this is much more than a question of meeting the requirements of the regulator. You can see this in our response to another Ofsted instruction. We have pioneered the introduction of safeguarding, ensuring that young people are safe in the workplace and the training environment,” he added. DTL’s latest Industry Skills Forum on the subject brought together leading figures in HR in the utilities and construction sector, to discuss safeguarding and the government’s Prevent initiative, which requires education providers to play their part in ensuring young people aren’t recruited into extremism. As an approved provider under the apprenticeship levy scheme, DTL says its customers expect it to deliver well-trained individuals, capable of carrying out their roles effectively and safely. This is particularly important when those roles are often in potentially hazardous environments in the gas, electricity, water and construction industries. “Our first duty is to the apprentices themselves, and we believe that ensuring their safety is paramount. By also ensuring they have those core literacy and numeracy skills, we add value to the opportunities created by their apprenticeship,” John Kerr concluded.
Construction workers can now benefit from a free app that has just been launched to help provide mental health information and advice for those in need. The Construction Industry Helpline is a new collaboration between Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity, construction software firm ‘COINS’ and ‘Building Mental Health’. “The app is aimed at construction workers and their families and complements our 24/7 Construction Industry Helpline. We recognise that not everyone feels comfortable talking about their feelings or personal situation, so the ‘Construction Industry Helpline’ app is aimed at people who would like to find out more information about how they can perhaps help themselves or if necessary, take the next step in seeking professional help. It is a preventative tool and aims to provide support at the initial stages of a situation so that the problem does not reach a life critical stage,” said Bill Hill, CEO of the Lighthouse Club charity. The Construction Industry Helpline will offer guidance on topics such as stress, anxiety, depression, anger and suicidal thoughts. “Collaborating with the Lighthouse Club in building this important app to help support construction workers and their families has been a privilege. It is great way for COINS to give something back to the construction industry and we look forward to seeing its widespread availability and hope that it will be a great help to both construction workers and their families when they need it the most,” added COINS CEO, Robert Brown. The app was officially launched by Lighthouse at its annual Christmas Lunch at the Westminster Park Plaza Hotel in London and it is available for free on the App Store or Google Play.
Managing the logistics of your construction site is integral to ensuring time and budget constraints are met. Dan Casey, Marketing Manager at award-winning lifting equipment manufacturer Penny Hyrdraulics, shares four tips to help you do this. When managing a construction site, ensuring the whole operation runs smoothly is of paramount importance. Logistics management is key to this, helping to keep the project on time and on budget but, if you want to minimize inefficiency, you’re going to need a strategy. In this article, I will discuss four ways you can improve the logistics of your construction site to ensure that materials are delivered on schedule, you have the right tools and equipment for every job, and all your workers are fully trained and briefed on what they need to do. Start with a plan Projects of all kinds suffer due to unnecessary and wasteful activities. While this can never be fully avoided, creating a logistics plan at the start of your project is key to determining how everything will turn out. The purpose of creating a detailed plan is to increase efficiency and maximise profits, while also preparing as best you can for unforeseen circumstances. Ideally, you want to create a process map and a list of all the materials you’re going to use, which you can keep track of and update each day. Your plan must take into account the various logistical factors of the construction site, such as material transportation, workforce management, and control of equipment and machinery. This will help to avoid any wasted time and energy, and ultimately determine whether or not the project can be delivered on time and on budget. Communicate with your team An integral part of construction logistics is maintaining open communication channels with your workers, suppliers, and higher-ups. You should always be looking for new ways to improve communication, as this will allow you to get on top of problems early and nip them in the bud before they snowball into something bigger. Little things left unchecked can lead to workflow inefficiencies, so it’ll pay dividends to stay on top of things. As construction is a constantly-evolving industry with new practices and requirements being implemented all the time, it is important to maintain open channels of communication. This is especially true for experienced workers who will be able to help spot holes in your plan, so it’s a good idea to get them involved early and stay in contact with them on a regular basis. While a lot of this can be streamlined and done from afar, the site should still be visited regularly so you can chat to workers on the ground. Have the right tools for the job Even the simplest jobs can take far longer than they should without the correct equipment, leaving workers to struggle through at reduced efficiency. This can be something as simple having the correct shovel for the job but, when it comes to larger equipment and machinery, entire processes can be slowed down, and days can be lost. Providing your workers with the tools they need to do the job effectively is a key part of ensuring the logistics of your site are running smoothly. At Penny Hydraulics, we aim to help improve workflow efficiencies with our vehicle-mounted hydraulic crane and SwingLift products, which are used to move and load materials in a safe and efficient manner. Trying to manually load such items can be laborious and time consuming, so having a handy and easy-to-use solution on-site can massively improve efficiency. Jobs that would have previously required two or more people, such as filling a van with material, can now easily be done by one. Use software to your advantage Improving your own workflow will allow you to spend more time on important tasks, such as focusing on the logistics of your construction site. Implementing automated systems will allow you to save time by cutting down the time it takes for you to send out progress reports, manage ongoing budgets, and keep track of day-to-day changes that affect the site. By using reporting and budget management software, you’ll be able to make sure the right people know what’s happening at all times, allowing you to focus on the more important day-to-day logistics management. There are all kinds of other tools you might find beneficial as well, such as health and safety management software, which can help to prevent hazards and keep track of incidents. There will always be unforeseen circumstances that you have to deal with on your construction site but, with careful planning, open channels of communication, and the right tools to help you do the job, you’ll be best placed to tackle them head on.
Sarah Toon is a specialist construction and architectural photographer based in Norfolk. With a lifelong interest in photography, after a decade working as a bookkeeper and practice manager for an accountancy business, Sarah decided to develop a new career as a professional photographer five years ago. Rather than following many other female photographers and focusing on fashion, weddings and family portraits, she has chosen to specialise in the more male-dominated niche of construction and property photography. Sarah recently completed an eighteen-month project as official progress photographer for the Wells Maltings project in North Norfolk. Working closely with architects, contractors and the client team, Sarah’s images have become iconic in the retelling of this new cultural and arts centre’s story. Other regular clients include regional construction firms RobSon Construction Limited, who were the main contractor for the refurbishment of the Lady Elizabeth Wing on the Holkham Estate, Norwich-based surveyors Daniel Connall Partnership, Chaplin Farrant architects and most recently, Daylight Developments Ltd. She is due to start work on several projects this autumn in London, for a structural engineering consultancy in London. In recognition of her role within a traditionally male workplace, in September 2018 Sarah was selected to take part in the National Association of Women in Construction’s project, Image of Women in Construction. Aimed at highlighting the diversity and strength of women who work within the construction industry, to encourage the next generation of girls to consider it as a future career path, the project is being led by acclaimed architectural photographer Morley von Sternberg, FRIBA. As one of so few women specialising in construction and property photography, Sarah jumped at the chance to be involved in such an inspiring project and has subsequently joined Morley on a number of his commercial shoots. Sarah is keen to promote equality across the sector by showing young women that creative careers in the construction and architecture sector are open to all.
The shortlist for this year’s Construction Marketing Awards has been announced by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). The companies will compete for awards in 23 different categories, including best use of content marketing, best low, medium and high budget campaign and marketing team of the year. The awards are organised by CIM’s Construction Group, celebrating creativity, innovation and effectiveness in marketing across the construction industry. “The construction sector is renowned for its innovation and creativity and when it comes to marketing, the awards confirm that the industry recognises and celebrates the insight, creativity and impact of marketers in construction. This year we’ve received the highest level of entries which reflect the very best in construction marketing talent and are a fantastic way to raise awareness of the originality across the industry,” said Mike Lomax, chair of the CIM Construction Group. “Judged by some of the leading figures from brands such as Tarmac Cement, BMI group, MRA marketing from across construction and marketing, the Construction Marketing Awards set the benchmark for marketing success in the construction sector. We look forward to celebrating with guests at the annual awards ceremony and honouring marketing excellence across the built environment,” Mike added. Nominees include Senior Architectural Systems, BMI Redland, Fibo and many more. The Construction Marketing Awards Gala Dinner takes place on Thursday, the 29th of November at Hilton London Bankside, 2-8 Great Suffolk Street, London. Tickets can be booked individually or in tables of 10 and 12. Dress code is black tie and evening wear and the ticket price includes drinks reception, three course dinner, half a bottle of wine per person, and entertainment!
A new construction skills course funded by developer Berkeley Homes will provide practical experience of working in construction to a group of Year 10 students from Bay House School’ Enterprise Academy. By funding this new innovative course, Berkeley Homes hopes not only to provide a valuable opportunity to the students taking part, but also to inspire more young people to consider a career in construction related industries. Initially twelve students will take part in the 30-week course, which starts this month and will run through the school year, resulting in a BTEC Level 1 Extended Certificate in Construction. This will involve attending Highbury College in Portsmouth once a week to undertake modules in topics such as carpentry, plastering and bricklaying, as well as health and safety. The teenagers will gain hands-on experience of working at Berkeley’s nearby Royal Clarence Marina development in Gosport. Regular visits will give students a chance to set foot on a live construction site, watch The Bridge House develop, and meet the Project Team. “We are pleased to welcome the students to this unique programme that offers a wide range of practical and employability skills that we hope they will find positively engaging. The construction industry is crying out for more young people to take an interest in jobs in this sector, so we want to give them a taster of some vocational skills that could lead to stable employment. For students that find traditional academia challenging, school can be a disillusioning place so it is great to be able to provide a different kind of opportunity to those young people,” said Chris Gilbert, Managing Director of Berkeley Homes (Southern). Bay House School’s Enterprise Academy, based on Military Road, is a facility designed for young people that need extra support and who can find it more challenging to work in a classroom environment. As well as doing core GCSEs in English, mathematics, science and ICT, they work towards accredited qualifications in vocational and business skills. This course is delivered in partnership with Highbury College in Portsmouth, which is experienced in providing pre-16 courses and has excellent construction course facilities.
A PMW Communications survey has revealed that the construction industry is rapidly moving away from traditional marketing in favour of digital platforms. The survey, conducted at the recent Construction Expo and UK Construction Week exhibition, asked participants to provide a list of construction companies’ marketing priorities. Digital platforms claimed the top three spots in the list. “PMW is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, so we’re in a great place to see how marketing options have evolved and expanded. The results of the survey reflect the fact that technology has become integral to our daily lives, as we no longer rely fully on adverts in newspapers or magazines, instead choosing to Google, or look on a company’s website or social media platforms for the information we need. It’s therefore now vital for businesses to optimise SEO so they appear on the first page of online searches, or to be engaging with customers over Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn,” said Peter Sutton, Managing Director of PMW Communications. Delegates at the trade shows were given 10 tokens each, which represented 100% of their marketing budget in 10% denominations. Participants were then asked to place the tokens into six category boxes: social media, traditional advertising, brochures, PR and events, website, and digital advertising. Over 200 people participated in the survey, representing a number of different companies within in the construction industry. The top priority for delegates, with 24% of the vote, was to have a professional and informative website. Digital advertising came second with 20%, and social media completed a digital top three with 19%. Brochure design and PR and events were tied in fourth with a respectable 15%. Traditional advertising methods were the lowest priority picking up 7% of the vote. “Despite the expected growth in digital options, there is still a place for more traditional marketing activities in the construction industry. Creative PR is a really cost-effective way of reaching target audiences, and can offer excellent value in terms of ROI, and events give a company the chance to engage with potential customers in person, which is something the digital world can never replace. It’s difficult to predict what marketing options will be available to construction companies in the next 10 years, but in such a fast paced industry, we’re excited to find out,” Peter Sutton concluded.
Fixmart Limited, the UK supplier of construction products, has implemented the PODFather System, in order to improve its customer service, productivity, visibility and client communication. With the help of the System, Fixmart’s customer service team will be able to schedule and monitor time-critical deliveries for clients to sites across London and the M25 corridor, straight from the company’s extensive warehousing facility in Kent. “Delivering products that are scheduled to arrive at a construction site are often time-critical with tight delivery windows so there are no delays to a particular phase of work. Failure to meet these can result in possible time and cost implications as well as financial penalties. The PODFather system will ensure that we deliver materials to our customers when they need them and also enable us to optimise our route planning to make the most efficient use of the fleet. It is just one of a number of recent initiatives we have undertaken to help our customers save time and money, maintain a competitive advantage and mitigate risk,” said Carl Ghinn, Managing Director of Fixmart Limited. Improved estimated times of arrival will be communicated to customers when the delivery is en-route with traffic information and delays provided in real-time. The system will also enable Fixmart to evaluate mileage, vehicle weight capacity and to create the most optimal delivery runs within the set time-window requirements of their customers. “Effective route planning should sit at the heart of any logistics team to help ensure the best chance of delivering on customer promises. Fixmart has taken PODFather to provide accurate delivery ETAs to their clients and they now know in advance if these are going to hit the required delivery time window. Electronic proof of delivery documents are sent in real-time back to the office and the customer stating the exact time of delivery, who received it, and where it was delivered,” commented Colin McCreadie, Managing Director of PODFather. Fixmart offers construction related products including fixings, containment, pipe support, brackets and ductwork.
In an industry that is forever changing and adapting, it can sometimes be hard to stay on top of all the latest construction and mining news. If we consider how far we have come since the days where we would have to do all the work machines do today by hand, the significance of knowing about and understanding the latest developments is truly highlighted. The following news has been collated from happenings across the globe, which also shows the wide-reaching and global significance of this industry and why it is so important to remain knowledgeable about the developments taking place within it. Drone Adaptation The power of drones has yet to reach its full potential and this is made all the more evident in the fact that drones are now being adapted to be used in the mining and agriculture. Drones essentially are being programmed to offer more advanced solution to problems on construction sites, mines and quarries. From a safety point of view, drones could also be really beneficial with minimising the risks faced by construction workers on a daily basis, something which is very much welcomed. EW60E Wheeled Excavator Introduced Volvo has just debuted its latest EW60E wheeled excavator that not only offers increased efficiency but also a smaller engine. This development has proven to be very popular with the construction industry who are always looking ahead to make the work they do more efficient. The excavator even features a number of attachments such as a hydraulic coupler and is compatible with other hydraulic breakers. Sand Prices on the Rise According to the reports of certain construction stakeholders, there has been concern with regards to the fact that the price of sand needed for construction work has increased considerably in recent months in Asia. This has also coincided with the fact that other raw materials are also seeing an increase in price which is hitting the industry badly in the fact as it now cost more to extract the materials and transport them too. With sand and gravel being the most extracted material in the world, the problem of expensive sand is likely to have a significant impact on the rest of the construction industry, globally. Women in Construction The Mining Journal has recently reported on the increase in the number of women learning about construction in the form of electricity, welding and woodwork. While this is not directly related to mining, it is significant in the fact that it suggests that more women are being encouraged to take on careers that would have previously been considered to be male dominated. Through encouraging the younger generation to see construction as not just offering career opportunities for one gender, this is likely to have a significant impact on the future of construction and related industries. The future of the mining and construction industries is beginning to shift and this is significant in the fact that it is pioneering the change of challenging gender roles in the workplace.
The latest alarming revelations from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) indicate that the amount of genuine building skills in the construction employee sector is getting worse as time goes by. The federal group found that the average British bricklayer is not the only one to suffer in the reduction of skills crisis that has plagued the building and construction industry. For example, the findings of the FMB indicate that 46 per cent of site managers and construction officials are finding it harder and harder to employ professionals to work on roofs. To make this trend worse, figures have shown that the level of plastering and electrical workers are lower than they have ever been in the last four years. Furthermore, the fact that there are less and less skilled workers operating in the construction industry in Britain is surely a sign that Theresa May and the government need to do something fast to rectify the situation before Britain runs out of skilled workers altogether. Mister Brian Berry, CE of the Federation of Master Builders, explains that the skills set in construction has significantly decreased in the past few years and is an issue that needs to be addressed. A lack of apprenticeships and the growing costs of training and materials is an alarming sign that many construction firms are in danger of losing many of their assets and acquisitions over the years, and Britain’s decision to leave the European Union will surely equally have an impact on the situation of building and construction in the country. The current fluctuations of the English Pound are also a worry for manufacturers in the country, and trade relations with the European Union will need be certified by the government so that the FMB does not have to report any more bad news for the construction industry. There is hope however that 2017 will be a wake-up call for the building industry to seek the government’s help to safeguard its future.
