Announcement from Local Authority Building Control

“Some of you will be aware that LABC has been working for some time on initiatives to bring in new recruits to public service building control.

We all know that the building control profession has an aging demographic, and that the requirements of the Building Safety Act will bring additional responsibilities to building control, alongside more stringent requirements for Registration of the profession and Operational Standards and Rules for both public and private sector. All these factors mean that we desperately need to bring new people into the profession, to ensure that we have enough competent people to make the proposed building safety regime work – so that people are safe and feel safe in their homes, where they work and where they play.

We are seeking around 150 new people across England from a wide and diverse range of backgrounds, ages and experience. We are working closely with organisations that support ex-military personnel and with sixth form colleges and other careers services.

New recruits will be taken on a 3-year contract with attractive pay plus fully funded education up to degree level. They will be seconded into local authority building control where they will gain their experiential learning. After 3 years they will be released for permanent employment in local authority teams.

I’m delighted to say that the application process has gone live today, and we will be running assessment centres in London, Manchester and Birmingham in the next few weeks.

I would be very grateful if you could share a link on your social media / comms channels to get information about this opportunity out to as many people as possible.

More information can be found in our press release https://www.labc.co.uk/news/local-authority-building-control-launch-funded-trainee-scheme and by clicking through these links:

• Job advert and application portal  https://opuspeoplesolutions.co.uk/job/trainee-building-control-surveyor
• LABC pages: www.labc.co.uk/new-entrants   https://www.labc.co.uk/node/5178

Thank you to our colleagues in CABE, CIOB and RICS for supporting this initiative and of course to colleagues in DLUHC and HSE for their tireless work on the building safety programme.”

Please do get in touch if you want any further information Lorna Stimpson:  lorna@labc.co.uk Chief Executive, LABC

NMITE has created two 12-week professional short courses in timber engineering and design (TED1 and TED2) that will be delivered in partnership with Edinburgh Napier University and Timber Development UK. The first course will launched on 26th September 2022 (CLICK HERE TO SEE OVERVIEW). It’s aim is to have both TED courses recognised by CIOB and CIAT

Applications are now live and can be accessed at Timber Technology Engineering Design 1 (Timber TED 1) (nmite.ac.uk). The new, purpose-built “Living Lab”- the Centre for Advanced Timber Technology – will be handed over on 1st September, and NMITE look forward to welcoming the first cohort of professional learners for a residential week on 26th September. There are more exciting projects and events taking shape that will run from the CATT Living Lab from Autumn onwards and these will be shared in due course.

NMITE would really appreciate your help in making this first TED short course a success. Industrial uptake of these short courses will help maintain CATT’s momentum, and demonstrate demand for a BSc in Sustainable Built Environment (launching Sept 2023) which will have timber as a core material.

Please support this important work by nominating a built environment professional in your organisation or network who will benefit from structured professional development in timber engineering design, an expanded professional network, career acceleration, and who is capable of creating value return for the sector and making a positive contribution to addressing the climate crisis.

NMITE are at an advanced stage in securing funding to support the tuition fees of some pioneer learners so please do encourage them to apply at the link above, and do encourage them to get in touch if they need any support in the application process. And finally, do support this work by sharing this opportunity in your networks.

At the CE East Midlands Awards this year Steve Wood of Galliford Try chats to James Carpenter about why he recommends joining CE Midlands and what the ways he feels he benefits from his membership.

Construction Innovation Hub have released their latest video showing how the Value Toolkit will be the catalyst from cost based to value-based decision making.

 

The purpose of the short Survey conducted on the 18th and 19th July 2022 was to find out from people:

• How important they think Collaboration and Working Collaboratively is;
• Ascertain how much time they spend in Working Collaboratively in delivering successful contracts and projects;
• Whether they had undertaken and training in Collaboration and Working Collaboratively; and
• If so, how long was this training.

Process
The people contacted were from a data base of those who had attended one or more of the Constructing Excellence Zoom webinars hosted by LeadersMeets between 2020 and 2022.

 

 

 

 

 

 

CE Midlands are excited to take part in UK Construction Week this October. The three-day show will be held at Birmingham’s NEC.

The show will celebrate culture change in construction with three days of debate and discussion from top speakers on how the industry can move forward to tackle its biggest issues, including quality, fire safety, sustainability, offsite manufacturing, mental health, and improving diversity and inclusion.

Visitors will also be able to find sections dedicated to Building materials, Digitalisation, Infrastructure, Energy, HVAC, Surface & Materials, Timber, Offsite Construction and Skills & Careers.

Officially opened by architect and Channel 4 presenter George Clarke, UKCW Birmingham will also feature sessions and seminars led by industry experts across the show’s six stages:

• UKCW Main Stage – used to tackle overarching construction industry topics, with a mixture of keynotes, panel debates and case studies from industry leaders.
• Sustainability Hub – forming the conference programme at the heart of Timber Expo, the hub programme will tackle the issues, layout strategies and present exemplar case studies to help the sector reach its net zero targets.
• Infrastructure Hub – the main feature content of Civils Expo, the Infrastructure Hub will deliver a three-day programme of case studies debates, networking opportunities, keynote speeches on crucial issues, from digitalisation to improving quality and sustainability.
• Digital Construction Hub – the show’s beating heart of innovation, the Digital Construction Hub will deliver a series of presentations and panel discussions including topics such as Information Management using BIM.
• CPD Hub – a mix of industry relevant CPD’s delivered by industry experts, association partners, government departments and exhibitors.
• Offsite Alliance Hub – three days of debate, looking at how to change the way we think about construction to deliver high quality homes for future generations.

In addition to the main stages, the Careers Centre will provide a series of talks aimed at those interested in a career in construction, whether that be graduates, students in further education, or those looking at a career change.

UKCW Birmingham will see over 6,000 products on display from over 300 exciting exhibitors including Bosch, Schneider Electric, Google, Graco Distribution, Wavin, Cemex, Hanson Plywood and many more. This year, the multi award-winning show has also attracted an abundance of overseas exhibitors, including brands from as far afield as Australia, India, Norway, Turkey and the UAE. With more than 75% of exhibitor slots already taken (full list available online here) UKCW Birmingham is on track to be the biggest and best yet.

Designed to connect the whole supply chain and be a catalyst for growth, UKCW Birmingham is the must-attend construction event this Autumn and is expecting around 25,000 attendees.

The 2022 show has an even stronger emphasis on future development in the industry and this year’s theme is Celebrating Culture Change in Construction that will be present throughout the show which is backed by all the industry’s leading organisations, including AICO, Bosch, Hanson, Northgate and Quadrant Building.

Key show features include:

• UKCW Role Model Awards – UKCW Birmingham will also host the UKCW Role Model Awards, celebrating the pioneers of construction. The award ceremony will be taking place on the main stage on 5th October
• Seminar programme – details of the comprehensive seminar programme and CPD opportunities will be revealed in July
• Innovation Zone – a dedicated showcase of innovative products
• UKCW Careers Fair – launched at the show in London and coming to Birmingham, get free face-face career advice and meet and network with top employers at the UKCW Careers Fair

Nathan Garnett, UKCW show director, commented: “This will be the seventh edition of our Birmingham show bringing together the whole industry. Following the hugely successful launch of the first-ever London show earlier this year, the standard has now been set for UK Construction Week Birmingham and we can’t wait to unveil the exciting plans and features we have in store for this year.

“Although the construction sector makes up a significant proportion of the UK’s working population, we’re all aware of the huge skills shortages in the industry, and with the impact of the global pandemic and current climate, the importance and the appetite to raise awareness of the fantastic opportunities in this sector has only increased. As one of the youngest and most dynamic cities in Europe, Birmingham is the ultimate setting for this show, and we can’t wait to be back.”

Co-located events at UKCW Birmingham include Timber Expo, Green Living Live (5-6 Oct only), and Grand Designs Live (5-6 Oct only). Ticket Holders will gain free access to all co-located events. There will also be an Institute of Builders Merchants conference on 5th October (paid for entry).

To register for UKCW Birmingham for free, go to UKCW Birmingham registrations

You are invited to take part in Make UK’s national Meet the Buyer event.

Are you looking for new suppliers to solve supply chain challenges or source new technology? Perhaps exploring green technology is on your to do list, or you are looking to move your supply chains to the UK. Or maybe you are in construction and want to build relationships with manufacturers. If so, this event is for you.

This unique event is free to attend for buyers, and will take place on the 29^th November from 9am – 5pm, on a virtual platform.

Throughout the day you will have the opportunity to meet new trading partners, through 1-1, secure virtual meetings. You will be able to submit your shopping list of requirements in advance and pre-approve all meetings.

For more information, or to register please email: MemAdmin@makeuk.org

According to Alice Cooper, “School’s out for summer.”  But there’s little respite for construction learners as we continue to respond to the conveyor belt of change that keeps delivering up ever more challenges. To name just two in our learning inbox – how to respond to the Building Safety Act and tackle the growing climate crisis.

This month, Martyn Jones reaffirms the need for learning to respond to these challenges but more specifically probes our ability or capacity to absorb and exploit the enormous and ever-growing amount of information and knowledge available to us.

What do we mean by absorptive capacity?  Well, it’s the measure of an organisation’s ability to identify, assimilate, transform, and use external knowledge, research and practice for the benefit of the organisation.  Put simply, it’s a measure of an organisation’s ability to learn and to make use of that learning for value creation and increasing competitive advantage.

The model of absorptive capacity provided in the diagram above breaks it down into its component parts.  It starts with knowledge sources that are available.  And there are many sources of external knowledge available to us including our partners in project teams and supply chains.  We all know how much we rely on the knowledge on offer from specialist and trade contractors and material and component manufacturers.

And beyond the boundaries of supply chains there’s the knowledge to be harvested from trade and professional bodies, universities and, of course, Constructing Excellence’s offerings through events, Here to Learn workshops, case studies, guides to best practice  and the excellent Construction Webinar Series offered in partnership with LeadersMeets.

As can be seen from the diagram, at the heart of absorptive capacity are mechanisms for learning, innovation and value creation, which are needed to transform and exploit potential knowledge capacity and convert it into realised capacity.

The final step in the model are the outcomes: The emergence of increased competitive advantage through enhanced performance, innovation and the shaping of new value propositions.

The clearest and ultimate measure of the effectiveness of our learning and absorptive capacity is the extent to which we increase our competitive advantage.  For example, more satisfied customers, less defects, less waste, less carbon, more value, enhanced reputation, increased profitability.

And we can measure our performance in each part of the model too by scoring ourselves against these typical challenging statements.

• New knowledge plays an important part in our business strategy
• We are aware of developments in the outside world and how and in what directions competitors, legislation, technologies and ways of working are changing
• We are good at acquiring, evaluating and assimilating new knowledge from outside our organisation and connecting it to our people inside our teams who need to know
• We are good at matching new knowledge from outside our organisation with what we already know inside to create new products, services, and processes
• We work with universities and other institutes to support our development activities
• We’re good at translating the knowledge of our customers and suppliers into something we can use in our business
• We have mechanisms and procedures in place to support learning and to manage and continuously update our knowledge
• We are growing our business through offering a steady stream of new knowledge-based products and services
• We carry out post-project reviews and uses the learning to improve what we do next time around
• We measure how our learning and absorptive capacity is increasing our competitive advantage

The summer holiday season may be upon us but there is no let up in the challenges and pressures our colleagues, business and industry are facing.  Holidays are hopefully a time to relax, recharge and reflect.  Recent times have presented a relentless set of issues and it is my belief that they can only be overcome through collaboration and connecting.  The importance of our Constructing Excellence community joining together to support our people and businesses (suppliers and clients) is needed more now than ever before.

The journey to Net Zero will only be solved through deep collaboration of all tiers across policy makers, regulators, supply chains and clients.  We need to understand the inputs and outputs of every party, with opportunities to innovate and provide tangible alternative lower and no carbon options, in part by being more efficient and reducing / eliminating waste – embracing digital will be key to succeeding in this area.  Additionally creating effective incentivization models which reward innovation, productivity and sustainability not just cost.

Inflation pressures, in part caused by the Ukraine Crisis, needs to be tackled by clients and suppliers alike regardless of the stage of projects – (i) investment strategy stage to reappraise Business Cases, update risk and mitigation measures, understanding costing assumptions and caveats; (ii) Pre-contract stage to consider early purchasing, mapping supply chain requirements, considering alternative materials, adapting commercial models and incentivization, scenario testing; (iii) Post contract stage to understand contract terms, enhance supplier assurance, consider early payment for off-site materials, prepare for additional payment claims.  Whether it is pressures caused by inflation or recession conditions, engagement with, and understanding of, suppliers is important for successful delivery outcomes.

Skills and resource gaps are now increasingly prevalent – as an industry we need to connect and collaborate to support training centres of all types and constantly work to improve our industries brand and attractiveness.   As all sectors of the economy return to growth, even with recessionary warnings, and demand out-strips supply, competition for resource is intensifying.  We must therefore also continue to drive efficiencies through Modern Methods of Construction, embracing new technologies and innovation, including digitisation and automation, which will in turn attract new, diverse talent into our industry.  Opportunities therefore exist to work more closely to map the resource needed across suppliers and clients to right size the investment in training and developing new / existing resources and aligning more closely with educational bodies to provide a new and potentially untapped resource pools.  Colleague wellbeing is rightly a focus for us all, with challenges around balancing flexible working, workload management and general retention factors.

Early this year the CBI published their “Programmes with purpose” report [12703_major-projects_programme-perfection-report_ie.pdf (cbi.org.uk)], which although is focused on “programmes” it is relevant to all that we are involved in and I would encourage you to refer to it.  The report covers the key themes of (a) improving project delivery (i) getting the basics right, (ii) driving efficiencies, (iii) delivering innovation and digital transformation, (iv) skills (b) Tackling the big picture (i) protecting the planet for future generations, (ii) harnessing spend to level up, (iii) leveraging for exportable goods, services and expertise.

Across all our challenges I am convinced that collaboration and connection across clients and all tiers of suppliers and educational organisations will unlock innovation, unlock the opportunities being brought by digital and attract the diverse talent we need to succeed.

We’d welcome your insights and measures you are implementing to solve and mitigate these challenges so we can share with our Constructing Excellence community.

We wish you a collaborative, safe and productive summer.