The London 2012 Olympics are into their second week and there is a genuine buzz in the Capital especially with the British success so far being third in the medal table. Intersect were lucky enough to have enjoyed a team day out at the Excel Centre watching the light and welterweight men’s boxing, the atmosphere was fantastic and the venue was very well organised and welcoming. The games seem to be very well run and rather than the heavily congested streets and trains we all expected much of Central London has never seemed so quiet.
Olympic Buildings
Here is great link showing the impressive Olympic buildings, which one is your favourite?
Market Conditions
The summer is traditionally when recruitment slows down somewhat partly due to people going away for their holidays. We are pleased to see that whilst this is the case with some of our clients many are continuing to prioritise recruitment and taking on both freelance and permanent staff on a range of civil engineering, energy and infrastructure projects.
There is more good news for the energy / renewable sector on the horizon as Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has outlined plans for a £100m fund for green investment and welcomed new jobs from the renewables sector. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills’ UK Green Investments team is awarding £100m of initial funding to two Non-Domestic Energy Efficiency fund managers, Equitix and Sustainable Development Capital.
The companies will actively encourage foreign and domestic investment in NDEE projects, alongside UK government funds with money co-invested pari passu with private investors on each deal, BIS said.
The government investments pave the way for the UK Green Investment Bank, which is expected to open later this year following state aid approval.
Clegg said: “There is a global energy revolution underway. And the UK is not going to be left behind. We’re leading from the front. Together we find ourselves at the vanguard of one of the most dynamic, most innovative, most important industries of our time; an industry whose breakthroughs and endeavours will shape our societies for years to come; an industry that will help us build a more stable, more sustainable, more prosperous world.”
REA chief executive Gaynor Hartnell welcomed the Deputy Prime Minister’s “unequivocal commitment to renewable energy”, but warned “clear leadership” from the top of Government on renewable energy was required.
She said: “He is quite right that a global energy revolution is underway and we look forward to working with him to ensure the UK fulfils its extraordinary potential.
“However, the Coalition Government needs to do much better on providing a clear and stable policy framework to make sure the UK isn’t left further behind. Recent decisions on support levels for renewable power technologies, which have failed to provide the expected certainty out to 2017, together with the uncertain status of the Electricity Market Reform package, do not provide the stable framework that industry needs,” she addeed
Energy and climate change secretary Edward Davey said: “The UK Government is taking the necessary steps to develop a secure, clean energy mix, and this is opening up massive, long-term investment opportunities. “Britain is one of the easiest places to do business in the world and I am determined to maintain our reputation as a stable destination for energy. investment.”
