Apprentices are the key to improving construction's business and environmental sustainability. ConstructionSkills, as the largest apprentice trainer in the UK, is making sure that its apprentice training schemes leave the participants aware and excited about the low carbon future of construction and ready to make that vital contribution to the sustainability of the industry.
The NFDC recently organised a webinar hosted by Construction News, where representatives from major construction firms BAM Nuttall, Morgan Ashurst and Willmott Dixon discussed how good apprentices were for business - in the short term and long term.
Mark Gelder, of Wilmott Dixon, knows apprentices are vital in making sure his business is ready for future challenges. Throughout the webinar he emphasised that young people often have a different mindset to the older generation and are more environmentally friendly, and so apprentices are vital to help challenge the perceptions of the existing workforce. He stated that by focusing on the environment, apprentices will help the firm to win business and evolve in a sustainable manner as a business.
It is encouraging that these large contractors continue to recognise and value the contribution that apprentices make to their future success, despite the huge challenges that the downturn has presented. However, recent research undertaken by ConstructionSkills shows that nearly a third (31%) of contractors will not take on an apprentice at the moment as a result of the recession.
Apprentices are the future of our industry and it is important that figures such as this are a 'blip' and not a trend, to avoid losing talented people from the industry forever. With large contractors recognising the importance of apprenticeships and training, it is vital they use their influence on their supply chains to ensure that new talent is encouraged into the industry.
Carl Heslop, Special Works Manager and apprentice employer at national construction firm Morgan Ashurst, also gave some insight into the importance of stimulating apprenticeship activity in the supply chain. He said that if companies want to work with Morgan Ashurst they need to share the same values, the same skills and be a sustainable resource. Carl believes that the only way their supply chain can achieve the level of service required and be as sustainable as Morgan Ashurst is to also take on apprentices. It is part of the culture at the firm and something Morgan Ashurst insists on as a pre-requisite for their supply chain.
For companies to remain sustainable and competitive, high standards of apprenticeships need to be delivered. They are still the preferred route into construction for many young entrants and we need to recognise this and find ways to encourage employers to take apprentices on for young people to enter the industry.
For the full article, please click here.
Tuesday 18 May 2010
Tuesday 23 March 2010
Chile seeks help from UK demolition contractors
Following the major earthquake of 27 February, the British Embassy in Santiago has been approached by the Chilean Ministry of the Interior to ask for help identifying UK demolition companies with specialised expertise in bringing down unsafe buildings.
There are seven buildings in the cities of Concepcion, Talca and elsewhere in the most affected region, that are in serious danger of collapse. Some can be brought down in a controlled explosion, others might need to be taken apart bit by bit.
Due to a lack of the relevant expertise in Chile, the Chilean Government are looking to UK demolition contractors to aid with the works.
There is due to be a truncated official bidding process on a commercial basis, though the Government of Chile is expected to favour anyone prepared to do the job at a discount so this opportunity is set to be of particular interest to companies who are looking at broader opportunities in the Chilean market.
The Government of Chile are looking for companies to respond quickly and to demonstrate international experience of similar work before making their decision. Ahead of the bidding process, the English-speaking Chief of Staff to the Minister is expected to talk with representatives of major UK companies who might be interested in bidding for the works.
There are seven buildings in the cities of Concepcion, Talca and elsewhere in the most affected region, that are in serious danger of collapse. Some can be brought down in a controlled explosion, others might need to be taken apart bit by bit.
Due to a lack of the relevant expertise in Chile, the Chilean Government are looking to UK demolition contractors to aid with the works.
There is due to be a truncated official bidding process on a commercial basis, though the Government of Chile is expected to favour anyone prepared to do the job at a discount so this opportunity is set to be of particular interest to companies who are looking at broader opportunities in the Chilean market.
The Government of Chile are looking for companies to respond quickly and to demonstrate international experience of similar work before making their decision. Ahead of the bidding process, the English-speaking Chief of Staff to the Minister is expected to talk with representatives of major UK companies who might be interested in bidding for the works.
Friday 19 February 2010
NFDC joins campaign to reduce waste
The National Federation of Demolition Contractors has joined a growing number of leading companies across the construction supply chain have committed to collectively halve the amount of construction waste sent to landfill by 2012.
Just a few weeks after the launch of The Construction Commitments: Halving Waste to Landfill, over 30 organisations have signed up to WRAP’s (Waste & Resources Action Programme) voluntary agreement - including leading clients and contractors.
You can view the NFDC certificate here or read more about the campaign here.
Just a few weeks after the launch of The Construction Commitments: Halving Waste to Landfill, over 30 organisations have signed up to WRAP’s (Waste & Resources Action Programme) voluntary agreement - including leading clients and contractors.
You can view the NFDC certificate here or read more about the campaign here.
Tuesday 9 February 2010
Green Targets Could Mean Demolition Boom
Huge expanses of British town and city centres built in the Sixties and Seventies may have to be torn down to meet carbon emission standards for buildings.
In an interview with The Times, the Government’s new chief construction adviser said that there may be no choice but to demolish buildings put up in those decades because it is impossible to refurbish them to a sufficiently high standard.
Paul Morrell, who took up his new post at the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills at the end of November last year, said: “In the Sixties, everything was built cheaper, faster and nastier. If you are going to try to fix buildings, then really you won’t have too many problems with anything built earlier than the Fifties or after the Eighties.
To read the full story in The Times, please click here.
In an interview with The Times, the Government’s new chief construction adviser said that there may be no choice but to demolish buildings put up in those decades because it is impossible to refurbish them to a sufficiently high standard.
Paul Morrell, who took up his new post at the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills at the end of November last year, said: “In the Sixties, everything was built cheaper, faster and nastier. If you are going to try to fix buildings, then really you won’t have too many problems with anything built earlier than the Fifties or after the Eighties.
To read the full story in The Times, please click here.
Thursday 4 February 2010
Talk of potential boom for UK demolition contractors in this month’s Demolition News
The UK Government’s new chief construction adviser has said that the Government may be forced to demolish a large number of British buildings erected in the 1960s and 1970s if they are to meet ambitious Carbon Emissions reduction targets.
Speaking in The Times, Paul Morrell, who took up his new post at the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills at the end of November last year, said: “In the Sixties, everything was built cheaper, faster and nastier. If you are going to try to fix buildings, then really you won’t have too many problems with anything built earlier than the Fifties or after the Eighties. Although you can do some things to buildings from the Sixties and Seventies, like replacing the roofs, there are probably some places that need to come down entirely.”
If Morrell’s predictions come true, it will be a fitting reward for an industry that has spearheaded the green agenda with its world-beating levels of materials recycling.
Demolition News, 25th January 2010
Speaking in The Times, Paul Morrell, who took up his new post at the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills at the end of November last year, said: “In the Sixties, everything was built cheaper, faster and nastier. If you are going to try to fix buildings, then really you won’t have too many problems with anything built earlier than the Fifties or after the Eighties. Although you can do some things to buildings from the Sixties and Seventies, like replacing the roofs, there are probably some places that need to come down entirely.”
If Morrell’s predictions come true, it will be a fitting reward for an industry that has spearheaded the green agenda with its world-beating levels of materials recycling.
Demolition News, 25th January 2010
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