Hull’s £200 million Energy Works has appointed global engineering firm Black & Veatch as the new principal contractor, after M+W Group had its contract terminated due to concerns over significant delays in the build. Once completed, the site will generate enough electricity to power more than 40,000 homes. It also hopes
Mechanical and electrical engineering consultancy McCann and Partners completed the MEP design for a £5M state of the art fire station at Bristol Airport, which has now been handed over. This is the latest in a series of developments that McCann and Partners have and will be undertaking at Bristol Airport, which
A number of promotions have been made across the engineering solutions provider, Boulting Ltd, to further strengthen its business offering. Glyn Shawcross has been appointed as engineering and design director, while Louis Steyn took up the role of IT director and Paul Mannion will move to the position of electrical
BE DESIGN, the multi-disciplinary architecture and engineering practice, has announced four new promotions across its technical team. With 40 years’ combined experience, Dan Edwards, Rhys Bevins, Shawn Loo and Rafail Tsartsaris will now support the senior team directly with project design and client management whilst mentoring and developing the next generation
The recent Why not physics? – a snapshot of females uptake at A-level report foreword from Professor Dame Julia Higgins, claims that “an ill-judged quip that girls ‘can’t’ do maths, or physics is ‘too hard’, can lead to girls making life-changing decisions that alter the subject they study or the
Affiliates and those interested in the building, design and construction industries will be pleased to know that tool manufacturing agency Dormer Pramet have recently signed an agreement with the Advanced Manufacturing Training Center (AMTC) to furnish them with tools, equipment and advice to their engineering students and apprentices. This is
Highways England is mulling several changes to its work procurement methods as part of its £7 billion Routes to Market framework. Jim O’Sullivan, Chief Executive of Highways England, said that the body was in the process of consulting with contractors regarding the structure of the framework and that several changes
From next September, the Dyson Institute of Technology is to offer engineering degrees. James Dyson will open an Institute of Technology that will offer free engineering degrees along with paid jobs at Dyson’s development and research campus in Wiltshire. Under the new plans set out by the Department of Education
Hull’s £200 million Energy Works has appointed global engineering firm Black & Veatch as the new principal contractor, after M+W Group had its contract terminated due to concerns over significant delays in the build. Once completed, the site will generate enough electricity to power more than 40,000 homes. It also hopes to reduce the amount of waste heading to landfill by almost 250,000 tonnes. “Black & Veatch are pleased to be supporting Bioenergy Infrastructure Group to oversee the final stages of commissioning of the Energy Works Hull (EWH) project,” said Peter Hughes, director of business development at Black & Veatch Europe. The drastic decision to terminate the contract of M+W Group was taken in March by shareholders at Energy Works, which includes firm Bioenergy Infrastructure Group (BIG). Energy Works bosses said at the time the move “guaranteed the future of the plant,” amid uncertainty over when it will open its doors. The announcement came after months of delays at the site. Last December, it was confirmed the opening of Energy Works had once again been pushed back , with spring 2019 announced as the target. “Black & Veatch has demonstrated both technical capability and organisational commitment to the renewable energy industry, including as a lead contractor at our Ince Bio Power project in Cheshire,” said Hamish McPherson, CEO at Bioenergy Infrastructure Group, of the new appointment. “We are delighted to have brought them on board in Hull. This represents very good news not only for this facility but for the city of Hull. We have regenerated a brownfield site, will be enabling other local businesses to reduce their carbon footprint, and will be providing clean energy to the local grid,” Hamish added. Over 500 people were employed during the construction phase of Energy Works, and a further 25 jobs will follow in the operational phase. More jobs are being supported in the supply chain. BIG recently announced that Ince Bio Power, its facility near Ellesmere Port in Cheshire which uses similar technology to Energy Works, is fully operational. Ince Bio Power is currently the largest facility of its kind in the UK but will be overtaken by Energy Works once the Hull plant is fully operational.
Mechanical and electrical engineering consultancy McCann and Partners completed the MEP design for a £5M state of the art fire station at Bristol Airport, which has now been handed over. This is the latest in a series of developments that McCann and Partners have and will be undertaking at Bristol Airport, which has planning approvals in place to handle 10 million passengers per annum. “Bristol Airport is going through such an exciting period of growth at the moment and we are delighted to have been involved in its expansion over the past few years. The airport team are continually investing in sustainable, low carbon systems and we’ve been working closely with them throughout 2018 to ensure that this building is extremely energy efficient. Working on this state of the art development has been a huge opportunity for us at McCann and Partners, and we look forward to expanding on this in the coming months,” said Jeff Price, Mechanical Director at McCann and Partners. As well as the new fire station, which is located next to the runway and the existing fire training ground, the upcoming developments will include an immigration hall and new airline building, the first of which has recently commenced. “We are currently completing a variety of development projects at the airport to meet the growth in passenger numbers. Sustainability and energy efficiencies are key factors and decision drivers for all projects and it is great to work with a business like McCann and Partners, who share the same approach in promoting state-of-the-art technology and design in development,” commented Andrew Goodenough, Development Director at Bristol Airport. McCann and Partners specialise in providing the full range of building services associated with mechanical, electrical and public health engineering systems – developing innovative and bespoke design solutions. Working across multiple sectors, its commitment is to developing exemplary, sustainable buildings through a collaborative approach to design.
A number of promotions have been made across the engineering solutions provider, Boulting Ltd, to further strengthen its business offering. Glyn Shawcross has been appointed as engineering and design director, while Louis Steyn took up the role of IT director and Paul Mannion will move to the position of electrical and instrumentation (E&I) operations manager. Glyn Shawcross has been promoted to the role of engineering and design director and will be responsible for engineering design of all mechanical, electrical and instrumentation installations across the non-nuclear business units. He is also responsible for the technical, financial and strategic responsibility of the engineering and design department, which consists of over 60 multi-disciplined designers and engineers. Shawcross joined Boulting as a senior electrical engineer in 2011 and is now a chartered engineer, Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and a certified functional safety engineer with over 38-year experience in the sector. In addition to his role in the engineering and design team, Shawcross voluntarily undertakes the roles of professional registration advisor and continuing professional development advisor on behalf of the IET, as well as being the company’s IET representative. Alongside Shawcross’s promotion, Paul Mannion, who joined Boulting in 1990 as an apprentice, will take up the role of E&I operations manager and will continue his involvement in construction and project management in the pharmaceutical industry. His experience across the business in both engineering and managerial roles means he will continue to support the team to deliver varied client requirements. Having worked at Boulting Ltd since 2007, Louis Steyn and has been appointed as IT director for the business. Steyn has numerous years’ experience in IT management roles across a variety of sectors across the UK and in South Africa. Steyn will assist the board in developing the company’s IT strategy and improving the IT department’s service offering across Boulting’s multiple sites. He plans to improve processes and systems and create a focus on how IT can benefit the business. In addition, he will be developing an IT strategy to help assure the ongoing security of the digital services Boulting offer.
BE DESIGN, the multi-disciplinary architecture and engineering practice, has announced four new promotions across its technical team. With 40 years’ combined experience, Dan Edwards, Rhys Bevins, Shawn Loo and Rafail Tsartsaris will now support the senior team directly with project design and client management whilst mentoring and developing the next generation of engineers and architects at BE Design. Shawn is looking forward to helping to develop junior members of the team and enhancing client satisfaction as BE Design’s newly appointed associate. Dan has been part of the BE Design family for almost five years and has now been promoted to senior engineering coordinator and, during which time he worked on transforming a car park used during the London 2012 Olympic Games into an impressive structure. Rhys studied at Nottingham Trent University and, following a placement year at BE Design, returned to work there full time four years ago and is now the practice’s newest senior architectural technologist. Rafail is experienced in Computer-Aided Design (CAD), Revit and Building Information Modelling (BIM) and is proud to see his work influencing others within BE Design in his new role as senior engineering BIM coordinator. “We’re a close family at BE Design – and one which supports one another and rewards hard work and dedication,” said Stephen Oakden, director at BE Design. “Dan, Rhys, Shawn and Rafail have all worked incredibly hard to get to where they are – showing enthusiasm, passion and technical expertise across every project they’ve designed and delivered. I’m proud to announce their promotions and wish them all the best of luck in their new roles,” continued Stephen. BE Design celebrated its fifth anniversary this year and works across numerous sectors – from retail and leisure to residential and industrial – designing projects across the UK and Europe. Find out more about BE Design at www.bedesign.co.uk or join the conversation on Twitter @B_E_Design.
The recent Why not physics? – a snapshot of females uptake at A-level report foreword from Professor Dame Julia Higgins, claims that “an ill-judged quip that girls ‘can’t’ do maths, or physics is ‘too hard’, can lead to girls making life-changing decisions that alter the subject they study or the career they pursue.” In anticipation of International Women in Engineering Day on June 23, 2018, Lucy Speed, HR advisor at engineering solutions provider Boulting Ltd, explores what employers in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) industries can do to attract more females into the sector. Engineering contributes 26 per cent of the UK’s GDP every year, yet reports suggest that the industry is facing an unprecedented skills shortage. But what can employers realistically do to encourage the next generation of female graduates to consider STEM as a viable career option? Role models and mentors Adopting a mentorship or simple ‘buddy’ system can help women that are joining the workplace feel like they aren’t alone in a disproportionate sector. Pairing employees up to share experience and knowledge helps to create an inclusive environment and can be beneficial in terms of retaining staff that thrive with social stimulation, particularly women. According to the Women Engineering Society (WES), who set up its own mentorship program to specifically support women in STEM roles, those who participated in the scheme benefited from increased confidence, improved listening and coaching skills as well as employment progression. At Boulting, we support our staff with dedicated mentors who support employees to achieve their goals across all levels of the organisation. Flexibility is key Providing a work environment that accommodates flexibility for different personal needs can also be beneficial in attracting female employees. Having an understanding for an individual’s needs, whether that be childcare requirements or being able to schedule time off work around holidays will allow your team members to reaffirm their work-life balance. Natalie Pancheri, HR policy advisor at the London School of Economics also says that “embedding a culture of flexibility begins to chip away at the types of issues that can prevent women from advancing in their careers.” It really can be win-win all round. Young minds By capturing the minds of the next generation of female STEM graduates, we will begin to see an increase in the number of girls pursuing a career in the sector. However, a lot of the work to do this must start at school level. Integrating STEM-style learning through dedicated activities or guest speaker sessions from those in the industry into classrooms, will begin to pave the way for students to consider their future paths. Working with and supporting teachers to understand what a STEM career can actually entail will also open up conversations with students about what is possible. Additionally, organisations, like Boulting, that incorporate student reach-out or collaboration programmes to help harness the enthusiasm and talent from younger generations has the potential to lead to more interest in STEM education and apprenticeship opportunities. At Boulting we have a longstanding and successful apprenticeship scheme that has been the springboard for many employees’ careers in the organisation. Our scheme offers the opportunity to develop skills, knowledge and experience across a wide range of engineering sectors including chemical, pharmaceutical, petro-chemical and renewable energy markets. While some progress has been made to encourage girls to pursue careers in STEM industries, women are still firmly in the minority. Particularly in UK engineering, where, according to the Women in Engineering Society (WES), the UK has the lowest percentage of female engineering professionals in Europe and only eleven per cent of the engineering workforce is female. It’s important for organisations in the engineering sector to recognise the importance, and potential, of the future female workforce and secure any opportunity to help promote science, technology, engineering and maths as exciting and rewarding prospective career path.
Affiliates and those interested in the building, design and construction industries will be pleased to know that tool manufacturing agency Dormer Pramet have recently signed an agreement with the Advanced Manufacturing Training Center (AMTC) to furnish them with tools, equipment and advice to their engineering students and apprentices. This is fantastic news for the AMTC, located in the city of Coventry. Under the wing of the Manufacturing Technology Center (MTC), itself founded in 2011, the AMTC (set up for only just over a year now) has become a key and very popular location for various individuals from all over the country wishing to learn about the engineering and construction trade. Having come a long way since 2015, the AMTC specializes in a number of different engineering trades and it is clear that Dormer Pramet’s declaration of support for them is a welcome sign that they will be able to progress into the future by ensuring that the future generations of engineers in this country are educated with the right set of tools and enthusiasm by a specialist in the trade. Not only will the faculty benefit from a fresh and reliable supply of tools and materials, but Dormer Pramet’s commitment to them will mean that talks, seminars and networking events will be able to be organized in order to increase enthusiasm levels from students, interns, apprentices and staff members alike in what the engineering trade has to offer to its members. An experienced and well established initiative, Dormer Pramet supply tools and technical help to more than 30 different offices around the world involved in over 100 different markets all around the world. It is hugely hoped that their commitment will ensure the survival of the industry at a time when all too legitimate concerns with the skills base in this country are at their very highest at this time.
Highways England is mulling several changes to its work procurement methods as part of its £7 billion Routes to Market framework. Jim O’Sullivan, Chief Executive of Highways England, said that the body was in the process of consulting with contractors regarding the structure of the framework and that several changes were being considered. Among the potential changes is the procurement of major road projects away from the framework. O’Sullivan said that the scale and size of schemes such as the A303 tunnel and Lower Thames Crossing made it a clear step for the organisation to take. He also confirmed that there is a high possibility of mini-bids being scrapped and replaced with a system of allocation based on the successful delivery of previous jobs. O’Sullivan explained: “If you deliver the last job to budget, to quality and to time, then we will try to roll it on to the next job. “If you are in a particular lot, then we will simply allocate the next job to the most successful contractor or team.” He also said that Highways England was looking at new methods of dividing the Routes to Market framework and was eager to add more flexibility to the lots. Its existing Collaborative Delivery Framework is divided lots organised by project value, with the smallest covering work up to and including £25 million and the highest comprising projects between £100 million and £450 million. Mr O’Sullivan said the organisation was reviewing whether lots based strictly on project values was the most efficient way to move forward. “We recognise that it is not a straight line correlation between complexity and size; a smaller complex project may find itself in the wrong lot if you are working on the basis of capital value,” Mr O’Sullivan said. He added that there had also been situations on the current framework where five £20m projects, which could have been procured as a £100 million job, were instead divided between contractors across different lots.
From next September, the Dyson Institute of Technology is to offer engineering degrees. James Dyson will open an Institute of Technology that will offer free engineering degrees along with paid jobs at Dyson’s development and research campus in Wiltshire. Under the new plans set out by the Department of Education in a recent white paper, the Dyson Institute of Technology will apply for degree awarding powers, which will allow it to become a new university. Dyson is hoping to use the institute to tackle the growing skills shortage of the industry and foster the next generation of engineers as he looks to double the engineering team at Dyson by 2020. Applications are now open for the first cohort of engineering students to begin in September next year. Through the institute, Dyson is set to invest £15 million over the course of the next five years and is planning to offer the “brightest aspiring engineers” a viable alternative to a traditional university degree. The new degree will combine academic learning with hands on experience with the development of Dyson products along with the current engineering team of 3,000 at Dyson. The idea behind the scheme is for students to come away from higher education without any debts, having earned a salary throughout their studies, and with the prospect of earning a full graduate wage having completed the four year scheme. James Dyson commented: “The UK’s skills shortage is holding Dyson back as we look to increase the amount of technology we develop and export from the UK. We are taking matters into our own hands. The new degree course offers academic theory, a real-world job and salary, and access to experts in their field.” Dyson engineers and WMG Warwick University developed the bespoke engineering degree, with the aim of bridging the gap between academia and industry.
