Skills in the UK Construction Industry | Construction News

CITB celebrates High Court ruling in £28m grant row

Ian Weinfass — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 11:25:30 +0000

A payroll firm involved in a long-running dispute with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) over £8m of levy payments has lost large parts of its latest legal battle. In 2018, the CITB assessed that Hudson Contract Services (now known as Knot Builders) owed £27.4m…

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Q&A: Why Balfour Beatty is supporting the sector’s schools-outreach initiative

Colin Marrs — Thu, 15 Feb 2024 12:17:57 +0000

Earlier this month, Construction News revealed emerging plans for a new initiative for contractors to collaborate on promoting the sector through schools outreach. Specialist firm the School Outreach Company is working with senior sector figures on plans to raise £100,000 with the aim of creating…

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Plan revealed for construction sector school-outreach scheme

Colin Marrs — Wed, 07 Feb 2024 10:31:47 +0000

Big hitters in the construction industry are working on a major new collaboration aimed at promoting the UK construction industry to secondary school children. Specialist firm the School Outreach Company is working with senior sector figures on plans to raise £100,000 with the aim of…

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Drop in construction apprenticeship starts

Colin Marrs — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 12:49:23 +0000

The construction sector in England saw a 6 per cent year-on-year drop in apprenticeship starts last year, according to the latest government figures. Figures compiled by the Department for Education (DfE) state that 24,530 workers started construction, planning and the built environment apprenticeships in 2022/23.…

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The end of IA cards: what you need to know

Ian Weinfass — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 11:56:31 +0000

Workers who gained skills cards through employer recommendation have until the end of the year to become formally qualified At the start of 2023, some 60,000 people held Industry Accreditation (IA) cards or ‘grandfather rights’ – Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) cards that are obtained…

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Six tips for attracting and retaining Gen Z workers

Contributor — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 09:41:29 +0000

Natasha Kearslake is the founder of HR and training firm Organic P&O Solutions, which works with businesses in the construction and engineering and sectors When it comes to attracting Gen Z and neurodivergent employees, the construction sector is years behind engineering and tech companies. But…

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Whitehall calls for increase in traditional-building methods training

Ian Weinfass — Thu, 04 Jan 2024 17:16:44 +0000

The government wants to increase the amount of construction training on traditional building methods and materials to help retrofit old homes. In a review of the barriers to improving energy efficiency in listed and conservation-area homes, three departments jointly highlight workforce shortages as a major…

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Standardised design builds better, faster and cheaper data centres

Contributor — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 12:19:34 +0000

Diarmaid Connolly is project director at construction consultancy Linesight The rise in AI technology and applications like ChatGPT is creating a boom in the digital infrastructure market, but the growing demand for data centres brings with it a heightened strain on supply chains. Recent volatility…

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Migration crackdown ‘will make it much harder’ for firms to recruit

Greg Pitcher — Wed, 06 Dec 2023 08:57:56 +0000

Construction businesses have reacted in dismay to government proposals to make it harder for foreign workers to come to the UK. Home secretary James Cleverly this week announced plans to make legal migration to the UK tougher, with changes he claimed would have stopped 300,000…

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Reforms needed to boost electrician numbers, report warns

Ben Vogel — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 12:39:51 +0000

Reforms are needed to boost the number of electricians, which is essential for the UK to deliver on its pledge to become net zero by 2050, a new report has warned. The Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA) launched its Recharging Electrical Skills Charter at an event…

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