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CIC Cascade3 April 2006
1. CIC reaction to 2006 Budget After nine years (and ten budgets) under Gordon Brown’s leadership of the Treasury, the construction industry has the economic stability and steady growth it needs to be able to plan effectively - and there is every indication that this will remain the case for the next 6 to 7 years. This is the underlying message that has to be welcomed in relation to the budget. However, this budget has done nothing to encourage industry that there is any real desire to reform the regulatory burden imposed upon it: the length of the red tape around construction businesses has grown considerably under this government. On the other hand the budget has also done little to impose extra burdens – which was the key message from CIC in the run-up to the budget. The increasing levels of borrowing and the burgeoning size of the public sector are also a real cause for longer term concern. Is our future being unsustainably mortgaged to maintain the golden rules of the present? Or will the substantial investment, especially in terms of education, increase future wealth so that the debt can be covered? These questions will remain unanswered for the foreseeable future. Despite our concerns over the increasing size of the public sector, we do welcome the increased emphasis on investment in schools, skills and education. The emphasis on greater support to encourage the teaching of science in schools, which is vital to the recruitment of people into the construction and engineering professions – and the extension of free education to enable a "second chance" for young adults will also help pull back some of the people we have missed in the last decade. With regards to PFI the budget is a huge step in the right direction which needs to be strengthened further - the creation of a standard form of PFI cost report would be helpful as would measures to tackle the bidding costs to encourage more SMEs and the strong signal to support bringing design to the forefront of PFI best practice. CIC welcomes the focus on Britain becoming a world leader in the development of low carbon technologies and in the development of new sources of energy– but the rhetoric does not seem to be matched by sufficient funds, which appear to be pitifully low. £50 million to encourage micro generation technologies will not go far and there is so much to be done in this key area. 2. CIC supports call for upfront design in PFI The Construction Industry Council has expressed its full support for the RIBA’s Smart PFI initiative which has led to the Treasury’s statement that it wishes to see greater design work at the early stages of PFI projects. Graham Watts , Chief Executive of CIC said "The RIBA’s Smart PFI initiative encapsulates concepts that have been developing within the CIC Procurement Panel for a few years and provides a vehicle for establishing the vital relationship between upfront design and good briefing at the very early stages of PFI projects" Jack Pringle, President of the RIBA said "We are pleased that we have been able to play a part in bringing design to the forefront of PFI best practice, and make the most of the Government’s investment in our future school and hospital building". CIC has been actively seeking to improve the PFI process since its inception and enable greater participation for CIC members in the process. Concerns about design quality, excessive bid costs, working at risk and the general treatment of risk have been recurrent themes. A greater emphasis on design at an earlier stage of PFI projects will not only improve the process but also the quality of buildings produced. 3. ConstructionSkills launches 2006 Positive Image campaign to attract young people to "Make their Mark" in the industry ConstructionSkills, the Sector Skills Council for the industry, has found that young women feel let down by the careers advice they receive and are being put off traditionally male dominated industries. Research among 2,400 11 to 18 year old girls found that over two thirds (70%) felt there was a gender bias against girls in the careers advice they were given, despite the girls themselves being keen to break gender stereotypes. As a result, ConstructionSkills is launching Positive Image, a TV advertising campaign to reach young women directly. The ConstructionSkills research found that:
Further, two in five (42%) girls felt they were limited in terms of the options they were given at school simply because they are girls. Almost one third (31%) said they had been discouraged from studying certain subjects at school on the basis of their gender. The Positive Image campaign aims to attract young people – particularly women – to jobs in construction and the built environment and to give them information and advice about the roles on offer. The campaign comes as the construction industry announces over 88,000 jobs on offer this year, in roles as diverse as CAD designers and town planners to stonemasons and civil engineers, but particularly for those in technical and professional roles. The organisation is also calling on careers advisers to change the ways that they advise young people to make sure they present the industry accurately and are aware of the diverse roles that modern industries – such as construction – have to offer. Paul Sykes, recruitment manager for ConstructionSkills, comments: "Our evidence shows that young women want to work in our industry – applications are up, numbers applying to university and vocational courses are up – but that careers advice is not in step with the modern industry or the aspirations of young women themselves. As an industry, we are taking the step of getting directly to young women to show them the range of amazing jobs on offer. We are also working with careers advisers to expand their knowledge of careers in construction, and to encourage them to rethink their attitude to careers in construction." Positive Image, which launches on 3 April 2006 with a nationwide television advertising campaign, will aim to show young women how they can "Make Their Mark" by joining the industry. It will highlight iconic buildings – the GLA building, Eden Project and the "armadillo" SECC building in Glasgow – making heroes of the women who have been involved in their construction. The campaign is fronted by youth TV presenter June Sarpong who lends her voice to the television advertising and has supported the campaign. The launch of the campaign comes a week after Gordon Brown’s budget in which he announced proposals to get women into industries – including construction – in which they are currently under-represented. ConstructionSkills has also produced a range of Positive Image materials that employers can use in their own recruitment. Leaflets and posters bearing the campaign images and messages can be downloaded by employers for use from: www.constructionskills.net/makeyourmark (from 7 April) ConstructionSkills is a partnership between CIC , CITB-ConstructionSkills and CITB Northern Ireland . For more information on ConstructionSkills visit www.constructionskills.net 4. Capita Symonds is latest large consultancy to join ACE Top five multidisciplinary consultancy business Capita Symonds became the latest large firm to join ACE when it was announced as a new member of the Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE). Capita Symonds is part of the FTSE100 Capita Group plc and employs 3,300 staff in 45 UK offices and another five overseas. It has doubled its turnover to £200m in the two years to 2005 and is one of the fastest growing firms in the consultancy and engineering sector. Commenting on its new ACE membership, Capita Symonds managing director Richard Marchant said: "We made a conscious decision to join ACE as it is the leading business association in our sector. ACE can help Capita Symonds by being an ambassador for consultancy and engineering and by being an active member we can in turn have a greater influence in the industry." ACE chief executive Nelson Ogunshakin said: "Capita Symonds joining ACE further validates our strategy to truly refocus our operation as the voice of the consultancy and engineering sector. Capita Symonds is the third large firm to join ACE in the last six months and we are delighted to gain its membership. It is one of the fastest growing and most successful firms in our sector and I look forward to working with its people in the UK and across their international operations." 5. Health and Safety Performance in the Construction Industry The Strategic Forum for Construction is pleased to release the fourth report since the Safety Summit of February 2001, Heath and Safety Performance in the Construction Industry, which shows real progress in the quest to make construction a safer and healthier industry. James Wates, the new Chairman of the Strategic Forum states that ‘the report portrays the success of the many initiatives introduced by the industry, in collaboration with clients, Government and trade unions, are having a positive effect, not just on statistics but the attitudes of workers and employers alike however there is more work to be done’. He adds that the core Forum will follow up the report in May, with a focus meeting with Lord Hunt of Kings Heath OBE, the Minister for Health and Safety, Department for Work and Pensions. It is the first report to be published by the Strategic Forum for Construction’s Health and Safety Task Group, which is chaired by John Spanswick. The preparation of this report was undertaken by the industry Working Group, rather than its regulator, the HSE and emphasises the industry’s commitment to this cause and determination to tackle the issues confronting the industry. The report contains three telling statistics that chart the progress made to date:
Looking ahead, The 2012 Olympics offer a real opportunity to drive the safety agenda forward. The Olympic Commitments which will be published by the Strategic Forum sets out the six key areas considered vital to delivering the Games safely, to time and to budget, of which Health is a Safety is one. The document clearly highlights that Health and safety concerns must be addressed and dealt with throughout the project process, from the out-set and involved in every aspect of the project. John Spanswick states that "much still remains to be done, but we are making headway in the cause of safety and the Strategic Forum’s Health and Safety Task Group will continue to promote and support all ideas and actions that help to create a safer working environment on Britain’s construction sites". The report may be found at the following link http://www.strategicforum.org.uk/report.shtml For more information please contact Kate Dunne at kdunne@strategicforum.org.uk 6. A very special dinner with the President Around 100 guests had dinner with the President of the Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (IPHE) on 8th March at the Café Royal, London . This was a glittering occasion helping to mark the Institute’s centenary year. Tony Brunton IEng LCGI FIPHE RP, National President for 2005/2006 invited leading figures from the plumbing and heating industry to join him for the evening. Guests included Phil Hope MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Skills, Department for Education and 19 Past Presidents. After the meal, Tony paid tribute to the dedication of the Institute’s forebears and the support of its members. "It is through their voluntary annual pledge to act with competence and commitment to good standards in the public interest that has enabled the Institute to achieve a high measure of credibility, respect and authority over the past 100 years." The President went on to talk about the lack of employers willing to take on trainees in England and Wales . He blamed part of the problem on regulatory pressures upon the plumbing and heating sector where 85% of those in business do not employ anyone and have no inclination or incentive to do so. Consequently, private rogue trainers who offer fast track training at rip-off prices add to this problem. "It is frightening to hear that after just a few weeks many trainees set up in business and thus run the risk of becoming a danger to themselves and the public at large. Interestingly, Scotland is experiencing an all-time-high in the number of plumbing apprenticeships. At present 1,400 are studying for a minimum standard of SVQ Level 3. This is substantial as Scotland represents just 8.5% of the British population." Before Tony thanked his special guests for attending and wife, June for her support throughout his presidential year, he introduced the new Chairman Designate of the Board of Trustees, Reg James CBE, who will take up office in June and Blane Judd, who will take over from the Chief Executive, Andy Watts, when he retires in July. For further information please visit www.iphe.org.uk 7. DFES publishes FE Reform White Paper: Raising Skills, Improving Life Chances On 27 March 2006 the Department for Education and Skills published the FE Reform White Paper. Further Education (FE) is central to transforming the life chances of young people and adults and to the prosperity of the nation. The White Paper builds on the existing 14 – 19 Education and Skills White Paper and Skills Strategy to set out a series of reforms which will raise skills and qualification levels for young people and adults to world standards. The proposed changes will offer more choice for customers, tailor services to meet individuals’ needs, encourage new, innovative providers to enter the market, and promote action to tackle poor quality combined with more autonomy for the excellent. These reforms will equip learners with high-quality skills for productive, sustainable employment and personal fulfilment; and they will ensure that employers have the right skills for their business to succeed in a competitive global economy. Together, they will enable the system to achieve its full potential as the driver for economic growth and social mobility. To view the full White Paper and the executive summary visit http://www.dfes.gov.uk/furthereducation. 8. Stress Builds across UK Construction A majority of UK construction professionals surveyed by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) felt that the construction industry today is more stressful than it was five years ago. Almost 1000 construction managers and other professionals took part in the CIOB research to establish whether occupational stress is occurring within the construction industry. The research studied the main causes of occupational stress by examining different areas of the individual’s role within the organisation, including physical work environment, the organisation itself and other construction specific potential stressors such as site safety and public misconceptions of the industry. Although respondents worked for various types of organisations the largest group (41%) were employed in companies with more than 500 employees and were aged between 25 and 55. Of the 68% to have suffered from stress, anxiety or depression only 27% had sought medical advice, and only 6% of those who had experienced occupational stress had taken time off and were still working. Skills shortages are also a cause of occupational health issues, with 55% of respondents indicating that inadequate staffing levels was a factor in causing stress. Michael Brown CIOB deputy chief executive said, "Most people would recognise that occupational health issues like stress, anxiety and depression are present in every industry. The construction industry however can in one breath be challenging and stimulating, providing exciting careers and a great sense of achievement, and in the next the pressures can take their toll raising stress levels and tipping individuals into anxiety and depression." "This research suggests that the impact on the individual’s performance, and their colleagues, must be significant and disturbing in that many respondents will be responsible for the health and safety of others." "The research also shows that only 6% of those who have suffered stress admit to having taken time off as a direct result. However, 51% of respondents indicated that taking time off helps them to cope with occupational stress. This difference may be due to a perception that they would be stigmatized and that there would be a negative impact on their career if they admitted to suffering from stress." "We also need to be aware that poor planning, lack of feedback and generally poor communications feature highly as a cause of stress. These demonstrate weaknesses in management and must be addressed as a matter of good practice." "The Health and Safety Executive have estimated that across all industries almost 13 million working days were lost to stress, depression and anxiety and occupational stress costs businesses at least £4bn." A copy of the full report is available at www.ciob.org.uk 9. Events The events page of the CIC website is frequently updated visit the events page for details. |
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