Daniel Kent

The Jersey Federation of Consulting Engineers, in supporting Jersey’s government as it launches its bold new vision for future construction needs, responds by reminding that its members possess the knowledge, skills and experience needed to turn plans into reality. The industry also makes every effort to build ambitions among local youngsters to choose a career in engineering. Schemes such as Primary Engineer and Secondary Engineer see members of the profession regularly engaging with schools and colleges in programs designed to educate and open employment pathways into the industry with local companies offering work placements for these aspiring engineers, providing real life experience and building relationships for future employment opportunities.  Read the full article here https://lnkd.in/eTrKqZ2H on how the industry is engaging with the Island’s engineers of the future. Rob Stewart, JFCE Chairman and MD of RGA adds “Our investment in structured training and school engagement schemes is a crucial step for us as a business, as it bridges the gap between academic knowledge and practical application, fostering innovation and cementing the foundation for the future of our profession” #StructuralEngineers #Jersey #JFCE #InstituteofCivilEngineers #ConstructionInfrastructurePipeline #GetJerseyBuilding #SkillsJersey

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🚧👷‍♂️🏗️ In recent years, we've witnessed a significant shift in the construction industry's approach to staffing projects. As the demand for skilled labour fluctuates with the ebb and flow of project timelines, more companies are turning to construction recruitment agencies to source the talent they need to stay agile and competitive. The reasons for this shift are manifold. Firstly, recruitment agencies specialise in understanding the nuances of the construction sector, which allows them to identify and attract candidates who not only have the right skills but also fit the unique culture of each company. This tailored approach saves valuable time and resources, enabling construction firms to focus on their core competencies and project execution. Moreover, the flexibility offered by these agencies is unparalleled. They provide access to a diverse pool of talent, from temporary workers for short-term projects to permanent placements for long-term growth. This elasticity is crucial in an industry where project scopes can change rapidly, and the need for specialised skills can arise unexpectedly. Another key factor is the rigorous vetting process conducted by recruitment agencies. They ensure that all candidates have the necessary qualifications, certifications, and experience, which mitigates the risk of hiring unsuitable staff and enhances the overall quality of the workforce. In addition, a partnership with a recruitment agency can lead to cost savings. By streamlining the hiring process and reducing the likelihood of turnover, companies can avoid the financial burdens associated with recruitment, such as advertising roles, conducting interviews, and training new employees. As we continue to navigate the complexities of the modern construction landscape, strategic collaboration with recruitment agencies is becoming an industry standard. It's a testament to the value of expertise, efficiency, and adaptability in building a robust workforce that can meet the challenges of tomorrow. #ConstructionIndustry #RecruitmentAgencies #ProjectStaffing

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We’re not yet 2 months into the new contract year and i’ve already seen a lot of posts about sub contracting your provision due to being behind on your ASF contracts. 🤬 There should be no need for this…you have done the hard part, securing your contracts - why give them away? 🤯 If you are behind the curve, reach out. I could have the answer / people you need to turn things around. 📈 #asfplanning #learnerengagement #routestomarket

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Developing a Great Onboarding Process  With the ongoing skills shortages within the Construction and Social Housing sectors, ensuring you have an effective and engaging onboarding process is vital when recruiting new employees and helps improve staff retention. Having worked with a huge range of organisations within the built environment sector over the past 30 years, my experience has highlighted the following as key when successfully onboarding new members of staff. 1. Clear Communication: From the moment an offer is accepted, clear and consistent communication helps new hires understand what to expect. This includes sharing a detailed schedule, introducing key team members, and providing access to necessary resources. 2. Comprehensive Training: Providing thorough training on company policies, tools, and job-specific tasks ensures new employees have the knowledge and skills they need to succeed. This can include a mix of online modules, in-person sessions, and hands-on practice. 3. Cultural Integration: Introducing new hires to the company culture is crucial. This can be achieved through team-building activities, mentorship programs, and informal meet-and-greets. Understanding the company’s values and goals helps new employees feel like part of the team. 4. Ongoing Support: Onboarding doesn’t end after the first week. Regular check-ins, feedback sessions, and opportunities for continued learning and development help new employees stay engaged and grow within the company. There are probably multiple others I have missed, feel free to add them in the comments section

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Discover the leading suppliers in the public sector construction market and gain valuable insights to refine your B2G marketing approach for better engagement & success.

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New research by Social Value Portal has shown that apprenticeships are now the main source of social value for construction firms 🙌 The construction industry is showing how powerful apprenticeships can be in driving positive social and economic outcomes. Let’s keep pushing for even more opportunities, so we can build stronger communities and a brighter future for all 🌟 Read more here 👉 https://bit.ly/3ZtUU4s #apprenticeships #construction #socialvalue

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According to SCAPE's Social Value in Construction Benchmarking Report 2024, apprenticeships are proving to be one of the top drivers of social value across our construction industry. The numbers speak for themselves: - Social value from skills and employment doubled since 2022. - Over 15,600 weeks of on-site apprenticeships employment were created across 329 contracts. It's good to know that apprenticeships are impacting communities this way. Read more here: https://heyor.ca/qPRLOB How is your company adding social value? #Construction #Apprenticeship #BreakingBarriers #Building

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I am a #neurodivergent (ND) woman in my 50s who has been working in technology & construction my whole career.  The honest posts of others have helped me understand my ND. Knowing that I am not alone means a lot. So I am sharing how ND affects me. I strongly believe that #construction offers multiple career opportunities for ND people. This industry is neurodiverse, so providing support & celebrating the benefits of an ND workforce is essential to enable the industry to grow & thrive. I am lucky to have built a career for myself when so many ND people struggle with work. My solution was to create a construction company where my specific skill-set has been an asset, and flexible working means most people are not aware of my disabilities. I hope that as society becomes more aware and supportive of conditions such as #ADHD, #autism, #dyslexia, #dyspraxia, #Tourettes & FND, that more ND people will fulfill their potential, hopes & dreams. So: 1. I excel at logical #STEM subjects working things out from first principles. I've forgotten most of the facts I've learnt but am great at finding information & solutions. 2. I am untidy. Object impermanence means if I can't see it, it doesn't exist. 3. I hold my thoughts in 3D - great for problem solving, but bad for clear communication. I multitask well and think outside the box. 4. I can hyperfocus on a task to the exclusion of all else but hate to be interrupted. It is difficult to concentrate on something if it doesn't fulfil me. I am easily distracted, so need quiet to work. 5. My RSD means I constantly strive to please, putting the needs of others ahead of myself. I am very honest & like things to be correct. 6. I find it difficult to listen & often type, doodle or zone out. In meetings, I interrupt. I'm not being rude - I need to vocalise my thoughts in order to process what is being said & maintain my focus. 7. I struggle with memory & recognising the right time to talk. It is difficult to convert the ideas in my head into words & my tone of voice & expressions don't always match my meaning. I forget words, names, events & trains of thought. But, I am eloquent when talking about a subject I feel passionate about. 8. I appear smiley & outgoing, but prefer one-to-one, struggling in groups. I'm socially anxious, rarely sit, can't do small talk or too much input. Masking is exhausting. 9. I don't like being inactive, so I put in effort & work hard. 10. I am not a morning person. I am most productive in the afternoon and evening. 11. If you have a dream or struggle, I find problems & solutions. Rather than sympathy, I empathise, giving examples of times I felt the same. This isn't "all about me" but a way of connecting, helping, caring & showing understanding. 12. My comorbidities from living in a neurotypical world include anxiety, being hyper-self-critical, migraines, ME/CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome) & fibromyalgia (chronic pain). #neurodiversity #womeninconstruction #EDI #ASD

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Here’s the video

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Day 4 (technically Day 7 but let’s ignore delays from incessant rain, the bank holiday and child care meltdowns) and half of the roof re-tiling is done and I can see the horror of the existing insulation and damp and broken loft boards in the daylight. Moving swiftly on… The good news is the rafters seem solid all the way to the facia and incredibly dry at ~10% moisture. So all the condensation is at least only mangling the chipboard; that’ll have to go (segregated and to a suitable recycling centre obvs, and then probably up a chimney as biomass but nothing I can do about that). We’ve added a simple roll out 600mm wide Timloc Roofline eaves vent over the rafters to help keep the loft space ventilated when we add more insulation. Shaun (the roofer) isn’t that convinced as it’s a bit flimsy. I’ll just have to be careful pressing any new insulation in at the edges. Hidden deep in Appendix C of Part L1 (Table C1, p80 if you are interested) is a suggestion that adding 250mm of insulation when renovating older homes is ‘cost effective’. I’ve no idea how they calculated this given energy pricing volatility and material cost inflation, so any insight gratefully received. This would give us a U value of about 0.16 (bet that’s without the timber volume) and so way above the suggested ‘constrained’ LETI retrofit target of 0.12; even if that guide doesn’t actually differentiate between ‘constrained’, ‘unconstrained’ or ‘exemplary’ targets for cold roofs. Go figure. But realistically that’s all we can fit in and still get some storage height and allow reasonable access; the roof pitch in our ‘60s special’ - which we love by the way - is just too shallow. Final decision on the new insulation type is still to be made but probably Thermafleece natural hemp (thanks Florence Collier) as the 370mm standard width fits neatly between 16” rafters spacings unlike many other new build loft rolls. Perhaps more focus on the much needed retrofit market might help here? Suppliers and critically merchants please note as I’m not about to order pallets of materials because you don’t stock it normally.

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Alister Grey FRICS MCMI makes some great points in this article. It is strange to think that we use the Internet pretty much every single hour of every day, but the challenges of creating the physical infrastructure required for it to operate effectively (and - more importantly - keep up with our increasing demand) are all too often overlooked. #datacentre #construction #UKconstruction

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Can the UK deliver major infrastructure projects on time and on budget? With Phase 2 of HS2 cancelled and Hinkley Point C facing delays, the ICE convened a debate about whether the UK can still deliver big projects successfully. Britain has long been known for its ambition when it comes to major, infrastructure projects. But where it succeeds in vision it often fails to complete projects on time and within an appropriate budget, as evidenced by #HighSpeed2 (#HS2), Crossrail and #HinckleyPointC. Such projects can put a country on the international #infrastructure map in terms of forward thinking and #modernengineering, but delays and cost overruns can sometimes overshadow their benefits. To examine what sits behind this challenge, the I#CE brought industry leaders together to debate whether the UK is capable of delivering major projects any more. Unity: While there is no doubt the UK has the engineering talent to bring the vision of the projects to life, Costain Group PLC enterprise programme director John Pelton suggested one explanation for why such schemes struggle. “I think we have huge engineering capability, excellent companies and some excellent people but I’m not sure we’re that good at bringing it all together,” he explained. Pelton described how the inability to tie Britain’s capabilities together heavily affects its ability to assess projects in a realistic format and honestly portray how much the work is going to cost. In 2013, before construction of HS2 began, a statement of expense submitted to Parliament put the total cost of phase 1 at £19.4bn. This increased to almost £27bn by 2015 and rose again when former HS2 (High Speed Two) Ltd chair Doug Oakervee stated the costs could be between £36bn and £40bn in February 2020. This was just before the then prime minister Boris Johnson gave the project the green light. Reflecting on why the costs have risen so steeply, Pelton said that, although the increases attracted public criticism, the public had played a part. “The costs back then were done in a genuine and thorough fashion, they weren’t just plucked out of the air,” he said. “This was before we’d had four years of petitioning where the #political control was not strong enough to stop the tunnels growing from 20km to 60km and all the other constraints that were imposed. “Why has it gone up so much? The answer is not because the cost estimating was badly or unprofessionally done, but because the whole system is not geared to be frank and honest about the costing in the first place.” Tecnica y Proyectos SA (TYPSA) #structuralengineer Svetlana João agreed and said the delivery of major infrastructure projects should align with the leadership responsibilities of government rather than being dictated by public opinion. https://lnkd.in/dxuEuhha

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London’s Knowledge Quarter is set to undergo significant development with the formation of a joint venture partnership. Urban regeneration specialist Ballymore and life sciences developer #Lateral are collaborating on the Camley Street project, part of the Camden Community Investment Programme. The project includes plans for approximately 350 new homes, with 170 being "genuinely" affordable, alongside over 200,000 sq. ft of commercial space. The development aims to establish a greener neighborhood in Camden, complete with public open spaces and new amenities such as shops and cafes. Anticipating the creation of around 1,000 jobs in various industries, including light industrial, life sciences, technology, and digital sectors, the project is a significant step towards providing affordable housing and commercial spaces in the area. Working closely with Camden Council and the community, the partners are focused on delivering a sustainable neighborhood that fosters innovation and creates job opportunities. With an expected Gross Development Value of £500 million, this redevelopment project is poised to transform the area and benefit the local community. John Mulryan, Managing Director at Ballymore, expressed excitement about the collaboration and the opportunities it brings for all stakeholders involved. Read more: [https://lnkd.in/e5rKVP9S] Construction Wave #London #KnowledgeQuarter #UrbanRegeneration #SustainableDevelopment #CommunityInvestment #AffordableHousing #CommercialSpace #JobCreation

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Is now the best time to be a Project Manager, Quantity Surveyor or Building Surveyor ⁉ ... There is no better time! Click play to find out why 👇 #projectmanagers #buildingsurveyors #quantitysurveyors #constructionmarket

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