Infrastructure contractor M Group Services has acquired decarbonisation and energy efficiency specialist AgilityEco.
Andrew Findlay, M Group Services Chief Executive, said: “The acquisition of AgilityEco represents an extension of our capabilities to deliver essential services to our existing energy and local authority clients.
“These services enable our clients to meet their regulatory obligations and support the delivery of their ambitious decarbonisation agendas.
“Acquisitions with adjacent capabilities serving existing clients are a fundamental part of our continuing growth strategy and we are delighted to further enhance our Group capabilities with the acquisition of AgilityEco.”
Sharon Johnson, Managing Director of AgilityEco, said: “We are excited to be joining the M Group Services Energy Division, which represents a great opportunity for our people, our clients and our partners.
“Being part of M Group Services provides access to complementary capabilities and enhances our ability to provide a differentiated offering for our clients and partners. This strengthens our platform for growth, and as a purpose-driven organisation, it ultimately enables us to support more vulnerable families living in fuel poverty and to prepare Britain’s homes for Net Zero.”
Simon Best, Managing Director of M Group Services Energy Division, added: “We are delighted to welcome Sharon Johnson and her team to M Group Services. AgilityEco has established a leading position in the market over the last decade and brings a strong set of adjacent capabilities to our Group, which we are excited to provide to our clients. We look forward to supporting the delivery of AgilityEco’s ambitious growth plan in the coming years.”
Article by Grant Prior – www.constructionenquirer.com
January is always a busy month for recruiters. Career changes are one of the most common New Years’ resolutions people make, and with Blue Monday on the horizon and year-end bonuses in their back pockets signals the time when candidates are ready to make a move.
And it’s not just about candidates, either. Come January, clients may have completed their yearly budget, they know exactly how much cash they have to budget with where recruitment is concerned and will be keen to start recruiting again to achieve their set resourcing plans and set in motion their company’s yearly goals and objectives.
So, what can you do to be ready to hit the job market in January and ensure your CV makes it to the top of the pile?
Your CV and cover letter are up to date, read well and are tailored to each role you are applying for, see our CV writing blog for some CV writing tips
You have a professional online presence; you follow companies you want to work with/are interested in.
You continue to develop your work knowledge and training.
Approach us and discuss opportunities we may have.
January gives you a chance to get ahead of the curve and we’ll certainly be on the lookout for January’s job market statistics when they are released on January the 16th 2024.
When considering using a recruiter to help you find your next job the first thing to do is to ensure the recruiter you select is industry specific. Once you have selected them, ensure they follow a code of conduct, uphold employment law, GDPR and ensure a quality process.
You may also want to check out the recruitment companies’ website and specifically look at their policies, terms and general ethos, it is also a good idea to check them out on LinkedIn.
If we happen to be the company you decide to select for your next job, you can find all this information on our website and you can also check us out on LinkedIn.
Still not sure about contacting us for your next career move? Here are 5 reasons why you should:
1. Our recruitment consultants have over 20 years’ experience in providing skilled permanent and freelance technical and managerial personnel to market leading regional contractors as well as national and multi-national blue-chip clients, and we are preferred suppliers to a number of the most desirable employers in the industry.
2. We have a wide network of clients we have worked with for years and are able to navigate a competitive job markets in the Civil Engineering, IT, Construction and Energy sectors.
3. We have inside information of where the next jobs are coming from. Intersect Global Ltd has a number of repeat business clients, some of whom may be a good match for you. If you’d like to be kept in the loop, you can sign up for Job Alerts on our site (scroll down past the initial list of jobs).
4. As seasoned recruiters, we know our clients and their interview styles, so we are best placed be able to offer you tips and advice on how to approach your interview. We will also chase feedback for you and aim to get as much detail as possible. Even if you are unsuccessful, we are on hand to offer advice on how to develop your interviewing skills and maximise your opportunity of landing the job.
5. We are on your side, and we want to get the best deal we can for you. Intersect Global Ltd will fight your corner and negotiate with your future employer, ensuring that you accept an offer with no reservations and no regrets.
We currently have a great selection of job opportunities in the Southeast, head over to our Job Board to find out more.
Our experienced consultants can also be contacted via our site or alternatively connect with us on LinkedIn.
Did you find this blog article useful? Then head over to our blog page for our other articles.
The Government is injecting £65m into funding five big district heating schemes, including constructing the UK’s first heat network using waste heat from data centres to heat over 10,000 London homes.
Grants from the Green Heat Network Fund will allow the big district heating projects in London, Watford, Suffolk and Lancaster to proceed.
London’s Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation scheme in west London will get just over half the funding for its ambitious scheme to recycle waste heat from large computer systems storing internet data.
Lord Callanan, Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance, said: “Keeping homes warm with waste heat from technology is a glimpse into the future – and demonstrates just how innovative this country can be when it comes to reducing our carbon emissions. ”
The transition to heat networks forms a major part of the UK’s carbon reduction commitment, with heating in buildings making up 30% of all UK emissions.
David Lunts, chief executive of the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation, said: “Recycling the huge amounts of wasted heat from our local data centres into heat and energy for local residents, a major hospital and other users is an exciting and innovative example of OPDC’s support for the mayor’s net zero ambitions.”
“We are excited to be leading the way in developing low carbon infrastructure, supporting current and future generations of Londoners in Old Oak and Park Royal to live more sustainably.”
Article by Aaron Morby www.constructionenquirer.com
Almost nine in 10 project professionals in the construction sector say working on their main project has negatively impacted their mental health, new research by the Association for Project Management (APM), the chartered membership organisation for the project profession, has found.
In a survey of almost 1,000 project professionals in the UK, 87% of those working in construction agreed that ‘working on my main project has negatively affected my mental wellbeing’.
This was the second worst figure across the 17 sectors surveyed, behind education (90%). In contrast, engineering (56%) and financial services (59%) had the lowest levels. The overall average was 71%.
Insufficient opportunities to voice concerns with superiors (39%) was the most common reason or impact given by construction project professionals, above the survey’s cross-sector average of 31%.
Impact on home life and personal relationships (38%) was ranked second followed by work-life balance suffering (34%) and their manager’s or supervisor’s attitude or approach to work negatively impacting their ability to work well (33%).
The least common reasons behind mental health impacts were unclear expectations due to a lack of communication with superiors (19%) followed by inadequate levels of support from managers (22%). Respondents could tick all that applied.
Professor Adam Boddison OBE, Chief Executive of APM, said: “Our research shows project professionals of all ages and sectors are experiencing a negative impact on their mental health caused by their main projects. This should act as a wake-up call for many employers across the UK.
“Large-scale projects are often complex and challenging and require a diverse set of skills such as organisation and communication. Delivering projects on time and within budget, and knowing you’ve played a role in creating positive change, can be profoundly fulfilling for anyone involved.
“However, construction firms of all sizes and scale must proactively seek out, listen to, and act upon any mental health concerns or related issues raised by their teams. It is important to ensure support is fully in place and tailored to each individual.
“We hope our research shines a useful light on both the level and type of evolving support that’s required for construction project professionals, to ensure projects can continue as planned, at pace, and are not impacted by significant disruption because of staff absence or low morale.”
The research, carried out by Censuswide on behalf of APM, also found that 46% of construction project professionals agreed that their workplace builds a supportive atmosphere, above the survey’s UK sector-wide average of 40%. In addition, 42% said their employers provide mental health first aiders, also above the overall average of 36%.
Regular one-to-one meetings with managers, investment in staff training centred on mental health, and employee workload monitoring all scored 41% among the construction project professionals.
Meanwhile, the survey revealed significant regional differences across the UK sector-wide. The North East (85%) recorded the worst overall score for mental health impact, followed by the East Midlands (82%), Scotland (78%) and the South East (77%). The North West (49%) had the lowest figure followed by Yorkshire and the Humber (52%) and Greater London (70%).
Middle-aged workers were also most likely to be affected with 72% of recipients aged 35-44 strongly or somewhat agreeing that their main project had impacted their mental wellbeing, along with 71% of people aged 45-54. This compares with 67% of over-55s and 69% of those aged 25-34.
Men (72%) were also more likely to feel an impact on their mental wellbeing than women (68%).
Commenting on the Mentoring Programme that APM offers for its members, Prof Boddison added: “APM is committed to supporting good mental health in the workplace and we have carefully developed a vast amount of vital resources and community support for our members. We encourage anyone experiencing work-related mental health issues to benefit from our support.”
Water companies have set out plans to almost double their spending on the network during asset management period (AMP) 8, 2025 to 2030.
The utilities filed their business plans to regulator Ofwat on Monday 2 October, asking for permission to hike customer bills to allow them to invest a combined £96bn in 2025-30.
If approved, these proposals will see a raft of infrastructure projects carried out in AMP8 to improve the reliability of clean water supplies and reduce sewage spills into rivers and seas.
Sector body Water UK said utilities had asked for approval to build 10 reservoirs as well to use cutting-edge technology and nature-based solutions to slash waste water overflows.
Water UK chief executive David Henderson said: “These record-breaking investment proposals will secure our water supply as we deal with a changing climate and a growing population.
“While increasing bills is never welcome, this investment in our country’s infrastructure is essential to ensure the security of our water supply. Water companies are seeking regulatory approval to reduce overflow spills into rivers and seas as fast as possible and to double the number of households receiving support to pay their bills.
“Ofwat now needs to back these plans that are both ambitious and vital so that we can provide the highest quality drinking water for a growing population, ensure the security of our water supply in the future and reduce the use of storm overflows as much as possible.”
Here is how some of the countries water companies plan on spending their budget:
Thames Water outlined plans to replace 500km of water mains, install 1M smart meters and commission the long-awaited Tideway Tunnel.
Yorkshire Water said it would refurbish five reservoirs following condition surveys, as well as carrying out projects at poorly performing water pumping stations and replacing 746km of mains.
Dwr Cymru (Welsh Water) promised to replace 174km of asbestos cement pipes and continue with its programme to improve the safety of 29 dams. It will invest £3.5bn during AMP8.
Severn Trent said it would invest £12.9bn in AMP8. Plans include making biodiversity improvements at 26 sites, replacing 30ha of hard surfaces with sustainable drainage and installing 1,000 water-quality sensors in rivers.
South West Water will invest £2.8bn to upgrade a third of water treatment works in Devon and Cornwall, reduce leakage to less than 10%, create a water grid to ensure all strategic reservoirs are connected and invest in large reservoirs starting with Cheddar 2 in Bristol.
United Utilities’ £13.7bn plans include upgrading over 900km of water mains, reducing storm overflows by more than 60% by 2030 and strengthening the network.
Affinity Water will spend £2.1bn on actions including reducing leakage and river restoration.
The job market can be tricky to navigate and with every passing year it is more and more challenging for candidates and employers alike.
Recruiters spend an average of 6-8 seconds looking at a resume before keeping it for the ‘Yes’ pile or casting it off to the bottom the ‘No’ pile.
With this in mind, it is important that the information your CV conveys is clear, to the point and sells your best professional attributes. To help with this, we have compiled a short list of 7 things to leave off your resume. Here goes………
Personal information
What! I hear you say…..aside from your name, email address and phone number; information such as your marital status, religion/spiritual beliefs or even sexual orientation have no place on your CV and are completely irrelevant as they do not demonstrate your professional abilities in any way.
2. Unprofessional sounding email
No explanation needed there and where possible, it is always best to create an email account which you can use for job hunting only.
3. Headshot
Your photo will likely reveal your nationality, gender, or age — among other factors and this could inadvertently lead to discrimination. There’s no need to provide an employer/recruiter with those details until they’ve considered your application based solely on your qualifications.
4. Elaborate formats, designs, charts or images
When it comes to selecting a design for your resume, less is more. Keep it simple and stick to a clean resume design with a clear hierarchy. Overly complicated designs and formats confuse most applicant tracking systems, but they also annoy recruiters who are used to quickly scanning a resume for specific information they expect to find in particular spots within the document. Don’t make recruiters hunt for the information they need.
5. Unprofessional fonts and spelling/grammatical errors
Not all of us are gifted spellers and most of us are prone to make grammatical errors, but with software available today, this can easily be avoided. Another way to ensure your CV not only reads well but is also free of spelling mistakes is to have someone else read it over and check.
6. Too many buzzwords
Make sure you incorporate keywords in a way that sounds natural when you read your resume out loud. Using too many words such as team player, hardworking, punctual or diligent will only result in your CV not making the ‘Yes’ pile. All employers/recruiters expect the people they are going to employ to be all these things.
7. And finally……this line: Reference available on request
We’ve all done it, me included but at this point on your job-hunting journey recruiters won’t need references and it is a given that they should be made available when requested.
If you’d like to read more about CV writing, you can also check on these other couple of blogs on our site:
Contract work is often misunderstood and used to be perceived as less valuable work. The reality is that while full-time roles work for some people, they don’t work for everyone.
If you have ever wondered what the benefits of contract work may be then read on…..
Six advantages to contract work:
High demand – Companies have short-term projects and specialised jobs they need completed that don’t require them to hire a full-time resource. Because of this, there are a wealth of opportunities available that fit your skills, experience and interest.
Less competition – Depending on the type of work you are interested in, there can be a lot less competition for contract work than permanent positions. This allows you to get work experience in a specific industry. Once you are in a contract role, you also have the opportunity to work with hiring managers and prove your worth. You never know what permanent roles they may be hiring for, and your current position allows them to see all the skills you could bring to a role.
Higher pay – People often associate contract work with a lower rate of pay. While this may be true for entry-level roles, it is not the case for skilled employees. Contract placements can often provide an opportunity for a higher rate of pay than a full-time salary. Contract work and freelancing allows you to take on as many jobs as you can handle, and for you to charge by the hour or by the project.
Flexibility – Unlike full-time work, contract work allows for great flexibility. Depending on the role, you will have greater control over hours worked, and the duties performed. You may even have the opportunity to subcontract work, where full-time employees aren’t able to. You can pursue work that doesn’t take over your whole life, while supplementing your income without the commitment required of a full-time job. You are able to take work when it is most convenient for you.
Test the water -You get to test and experience the company culture and see if they will be the right long-term fit without a long-term commitment. It may also allow you to work in different industries, trying various roles out until you find the perfect fit.
Networking – Working several contract positions will help you build a larger professional network.
Sounds interesting?
At Intersect Global Ltd, we have experience in placing both permanent and contract employees. Our recruitment consultants are available on discuss these options with you.
We currently have a selection of contract roles available, so check out our Job Board or get in touch.
Costain will use its environmental expertise to work on 16 sites for Severn Trent as the water company steps up investment plans.
The work, worth £80m, is within the previously announced framework agreement and part of Severn Trent’s Capital Delivery Framework.
It will be delivered over the next four years, straddling both the existing AMP7 and the new AMP8 regulatory periods.
A dozen of the sites will involve Costain working to improve the quality of wastewater, for example by removing phosphorus as part of the Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP).
Three of the sites will involve work to protect elvers (juvenile eels) from entering river water intake pipes as part of compliance with The Eels Regulations.
The final project is the design and construction of a new disinfection contact tank at the Frankley Water Treatment works which serves Birmingham and secures the resilience of this water supply.
Sam White, Costain’s managing director of its natural resources division, said: “We’re delighted to be helping Severn Trent with their sustainability improvements.
“It’s hugely important to both companies that we do everything we can to protect the environment, as well as offering reliable and secure water supplies to customers.”
Article by Aaron Morby for www.constructionenquirer.com
