SIX NEW classrooms and a 690 m2 sports hall at Henlow Church of England Academy, Bedfordshire have now completed, completely reimagining the 600 pupil school’s teaching facilities and sports opportunities. PCMS Design designed the modern, new extension to the original school site, with Building Services Design (BSD) providing mechanical and
Leading apprenticeship provider Develop Training has welcomed news that large employers are now able to transfer their levy funds to other organisations. However, the company cautioned that firms will have to manage the process well to maximise the potential business benefits. It also warned that the move is adding more
SIX NEW classrooms and a 690 m2 sports hall at Henlow Church of England Academy, Bedfordshire have now completed, completely reimagining the 600 pupil school’s teaching facilities and sports opportunities. PCMS Design designed the modern, new extension to the original school site, with Building Services Design (BSD) providing mechanical and electrical (M&E) engineering support for the project. “The six classrooms and sports hall are a standalone block,” explained Adam Middleton, senior electrical engineer at the national M&E practice, BSD. Adam continued: “The new sports hall comprises four new Sport England compliant courts, which are to be used for both the school’s own netball, basketball and hockey teams as well as for community hire; making it an incredibly inclusive space – and one which will support not just the school but the wider Henlow population. “There are also attached changing rooms as well as a 88 m2 storage facility.” BSD provided technical support to PCMS Design to ensure that the delivery of the M&E engineering services for electricity, gas, water and the fire alarm system ran smoothly and to specification. “There were a couple of challenges on this project; time constraints meant that the scheme had to be completed for the beginning of term but, through working closely with the delivery team, we managed to complete the project on time and on budget. “The new building is a standalone building, separate to the main school. Services had to be provided to the new site and connected to existing services without impacting on the school’s day to day operations,” added Adam. The sports hall has a standing seam zinc roof, which is curved to the hall and pitched to the storage room, as well as architectural louvres which allows for air flow through the area. Alex Bond, PCMS design director and project manager said: “PCMS Design engaged BSD to advise on the performance specification for the mechanical and electrical installation on a large educational sports hall and classroom block project at Henlow Church of England Academy. “We found its services to be invaluable in the early planning stages, and throughout the specification process when specialised M&E skills and knowledge were needed.” Head teacher Caren Earp said: “Thanks to the incredible design team, we now have a fantastic new building which is going to be of huge benefit to our children, increasing the number and range of opportunities for sport that we can now offer.” The project was funded by Central Bedfordshire Council and the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA).
Leading apprenticeship provider Develop Training has welcomed news that large employers are now able to transfer their levy funds to other organisations. However, the company cautioned that firms will have to manage the process well to maximise the potential business benefits. It also warned that the move is adding more complexity to a system that many employers have had difficulty in understanding. From May, large employers who pay the Apprenticeship Levy will for the first time be allowed to transfer up to ten per cent of their annual funds to other organisations. It means firms can use some of their unspent levy funding, which would otherwise go to the exchequer, to support smaller employers to take on apprentices. “There are potential business benefits for larger businesses to support firms in their supply chain to take on apprentices. I would recommend working with your chosen supplier and an apprenticeship provider to align the scheme with your own training programmes and to focus the money where it will benefit you both the most. You should be aware that apprenticeships can cover management training as well as the kind of trade-based training traditionally associated with apprenticeships,” said Chris Wood, CEO of Develop Training. “Putting some thought and effort into this process will pay dividends all round, for the large employer, the supply chain business and the apprentices who go through the scheme. As with everything to do with the levy, it makes sense to get expert help and advice from specialists such as ourselves,” he added. Initially, firms will only be able to transfer funds to one organisation. After user feedback from the first phase, they will likely be allowed to split their ten per cent funding into several smaller payments across multiple organisations. The ESFA has advised those transferring the funds to be aware of “the funding rules around transferring apprenticeship funds, which will be published at a later date”. Once a transfer is made, it cannot be refunded. Apart from their own supply chain, levy-paying employers who want to transfer funds can find companies who want money for apprenticeships in a number of ways. These include making contact with an approved Apprenticeship Training Agency such as Develop Training or working with regional partners. After Develop Training’s Industry Skills Forum in November revealed concerns among major employers about the levy, it has been offering advice on the levy process and guidance about the kinds of training that can be provided under the scheme.
