Balfour Beatty has scooped the £1.2bn contract to deliver the Roads North of the Thames’ package of works for the proposed Lower Thames Crossing.
The firm will be responsible for the design and delivery of over 10 miles of new highways, connecting the M25 at Junction 29 and the A13 with the proposed Lower Thames Crossing tunnel at Tilbury, Essex.
It beat rival bidder Kier Eiffage – Kier Highways and Eiffage Génie Civil – to take the two-stage design and build contract delivering the route from 1km north of the northern tunnel entrance to Junction 29 of the M25.
At construction peak, Balfour Beatty will directly employ a workforce of 2,000, including around 150 apprenticeship, graduate and trainee positions.
The major project will see Balfour deliver 49 structures including bridges and major viaducts.
Balfour Beatty will utilise modular construction techniques to build the structures offsite in a controlled factory environment, significantly reducing carbon emissions by minimising the number of lorry movements and material deliveries to and from site.
Throughout construction, Balfour Beatty will look to spend £500m with local businesses and supply chain partners and will set up an ‘Operator Skills Hub’ to provide innovative training programmes to upskill plant operators and inspire the next generation of talent in the UK.
Leo Quinn, group chief executive of Balfour Beatty, said: “Our deep domain knowledge and long-standing history in complex road construction, acquired through many years of successful delivery on behalf of National Highways, makes us ideally positioned to deliver this project to the highest standard.”
Subject to Development Consent Order and following an 18-month period of detailed design and pre-construction planning, notice to proceed on the mega project is expected in 2024.
The full value of the contract will then go into Balfour Beatty’s order book, with main construction scheduled to commence shortly after. Completion is expected between 2029 and 2030.
Article by Aaron Morby – www.constructionenquirer.com
More than 60,000 industry skills cards issued under the Grandfather Rights process will expire on 31st December 2024 and cannot be renewed.
The end of all CSCS Industry Accreditation cards issued from 1st Jan 2020 is part of the Construction Leadership Council’s drive for a fully trained and competent workforce.
Industry Accreditation (IA) allowed experienced workers to obtain CSCS cards on the strength of an employer recommendation rather than the achievement of a recognised qualification.
What each individual needs to do next depends on their occupation and what qualifications they may already hold.
An industry task group has published new guidance on the CSCS website that clearly sets out the next steps CSCS IA card holders must take before the deadline.
Sean Kearns, Chief Executive at CSCS said: “IA cardholders will not need to attend college as much of the assessment can be deliver remotely.
“Many IA cardholders will find it a straightforward process to replace their cards, such as moving across to the Academically or Professionally Qualified Persons cards. In addition, those who no longer attend site or are in non-construction related occupations will not require a card.”
A CLC statement said: “Building Safety and competence are two of the CLC’s priorities. As an industry, and in accordance with various sets of legislation including the Construction Design and Management Regulations (CDM) and the Building Safety Act, we must demonstrate to the regulator, our clients, building occupiers and the wider public that those designing, building, and maintaining the built environment are competent to do so.
“The CLC recommendation introduced in 2015 and updated in 2017 & 2020 set an expectation of all CSCS cards being achieved via qualification by the end of 2024.”
Kearns added: “CSCS is committed to playing its part in delivering a fully trained and qualified workforce. The removal of cards issued under IA represents another significant step in achieving this goal.
“The new guidance and support will help cardholders to either retain their card via the S/NVQ or to easily transition to another CSCS card. We would urge employers, trade associations, awarding organisations and training providers to put plans in place to support these workers ahead of the December 2024 withdrawal.”
In the current job market, unstable economy and rising costs, the need for skilled people remains an urgent need for most businesses.
Recent research from WithYouWithMe showed that there is overlooked talent in underrepresented groups.
For example, their research showed that autistic individuals typically score 10 percent higher in key tech capabilities. Almost a third, 32 per cent, of neurodivergent individuals scoring higher in spatial awareness and 10 per cent higher in Digital Symbol Coding.
These key skills directly translate to careers in the Engineering and IT sectors to name a couple.
As evident by the stat above, organisations must continue to consider Equality, Diversity and Inclusion when it comes to recruitment.
Diversity in the workplace is necessary as it better represents the labour market.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion should always be at the centre of companies’ recruitment strategies and pursued in all areas of the business, including senior positions to help inspire employees.
At Intersect Global we are involved in promoting and improving Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace.
We are currently recruiting for a variety of roles in the Construction, Civil Engineering, Telecoms and IT sectors, head over to our Job Board to find a selection of our vacancies.
Many of our vacancies are not advertised, so please get in touch with us for a confidential chat and let one of our consultants help you make the next step in your career.
New figures from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) reveal that almost 225,000 extra workers will be needed to meet UK construction demand by 2027.
The projections will mean by 2027 the number of people working in construction will be 2.67m. CITB’s annual Construction Skills Network (CSN) report shows that 44,980 new workers a year will be needed to meet UK construction demand between now and 2027 as the industry recovers from recession this year. Construction is expected to remain a sector where there is demand for workers despite the current economic uncertainty. Tim Balcon, CITB Chief Executive said: “The latest CSN report clearly shows that despite current economic uncertainty, recruiting and developing the workforce remains vital to ensure the industry can contribute to economic growth. “We know the next 18 months won’t be easy, however, I remain inspired by the construction industry’s resilience shown in the pandemic and throughout 2022. “In short, it makes clear that the need to recruit and retain talent in the sector has never been greater.” For details of the full report click here.
Article written by Grant Prior – www.constructionenquirer.com
Despite an unstable economy and businesses tightening their belts in response; unemployment rates remain low and for every company that is going through redundancies, new jobs are being created elsewhere.
Just because the economy is slowing down, that doesn’t mean there’s fewer jobs to fill.
Once the largest group of workers, baby boomers are now leaving the workforce in droves, having for the most part reached retirement age.
With Gen X a smaller group, Millennials now make up the largest working force, while Gen Z enters the workforce.
This generational shift in the workplace signals a shift in communication styles, values and drivers.
So, how does Intersect Global adapt its recruiting strategies to attract Gen Z’s into the workforce?
Our approach is consultative, with a personal, efficient and informed service offering. As seasoned recruiters we fully recognise the need for a straightforward, honest and knowledgeable recruitment service. We therefore pride ourselves on our integrity and always consider transparency at the forefront in all of our dealings.
We believe our approach in part is the reason why we are frequently recommended by our clients and candidates.
At Intersect Global, we are involved in promoting and improving Fairness, Inclusion and Respect in the workplace in the construction industry.
We encourage positive attitudes to diversity and Inclusion and promote a good work-life balance.
Together we can help the construction industry build a better world.
There is no easy answer to this question. But first things first, what is a counter offer?
A counter offer happens when your current employer offers you a higher salary, more company benefits or even a role promotion after you have tendered your resignation.
Some studies, such as the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), predict that every time a business replaces a salaried employee, it costs 6 to 9 months’ salary on average (this includes recruitment and training costs). To offer a salary increase cost less than recruiting a new employee.
Take your time before making any decisions and consider the following:
o What made you go through the application and interview process in the first place? Maybe you were unhappy with the salary, or the working hours or even the culture in the office whatever your reason, will the counter offer resolve it?
It is very likely that most employees have more than one reason to consider working somewhere else.
It is worth asking yourself the question, why it has come to you tendering your resignation for your company to offer you a pay rise, better working conditions or the promise of a promotion ?
If you were truly valued then why are you only being offered these improvements now?
o Seeing their colleague getting a pay rise may put in question other’s view of their own salary and create an atmosphere of unease in the office. Carefully consider what would happen if you accepted the counter offer. By accepting a counter offer, managers and work peers may see you as less dependable and a team player.
o Moving on from your current position can be stressful, you’ll be moving into a culture where you are unproven, you may not know anyone there and you will have to adjust your work/travelling/WFH routine. Getting comfortable in a new job, learning new ways of working and getting to your new colleagues can be hard work.
That said, without stepping into the unknown and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, you’ll never know what other opportunities could be out there and know your true professional worth.
If you still have doubts, speak to us about your concerns, here at Intersect Global we value quality and nurture our relationship with both our clients and candidates.
To discuss any of the jobs listed on our site, contact us or connect with us on LinkedIn.
Ten new skyscrapers are being planned for London’s financial centre in a major sign of long-term economic confidence in the capital, the Standard can reveal.
Developers behind eight of the tower blocks are in confidential “pre application” discussions with the City of London Corporation while two others have recently submitted formal applications.
Shravan Joshi, chairman of the City’s planning and transportation committee, told the Standard: “They are all substantial buildings that will change the skyline of the City once more – or add to it.”
The applications that have been made public are for a 63-storey development at 55 Bishopsgate – which at 285m (935ft) above sea level would be one of the tallest in the Square Mile – and a 32-storey tower at 85 Gracechurch Street, beside Leadenhall Market.
The City’s aim is to ensure that schemes “are not just for vanity” but deliver positive benefits to London and the wider UK.
But the 55 Bishopsgate scheme, which includes an adjacent 22 storey tower, has already sparked formal objections from Historic England and Westminster council due to its potential impact on protected views of St Paul’s Cathedral and the wider city skyline.
Most of the proposed tower blocks are in the City’s “eastern cluster”, which already has the Gherkin at 30 St Mary Axe, “Walkie Talkie” at 20 Fenchurch Street, “Cheesegrater” at 122 Leadenhall Street and “Scalpel” at 52 Lime Street among its landmarks.
All new proposals are at least 75m tall (almost 250ft), thus meeting the City’s definition of a “tall building”.
Mr Joshi said the number of applications this year exceeded both those made in 2020 and 2021 and was an encouraging sign of the Square Mile’s post-pandemic resilience.
“They are continuing regardless of the macroeconomic threats that are out there,” he said. “That is a point of confidence, not just in the current state of economic affairs but in the longer term state that the City and London provide a secure base for property development.”
He said demand was being driven for “grade-A, really high quality office space” – and not just from financial services firms normally found in the City. New industries being attracted to the Square Mile included technology, creative arts, media and education firms, he said. Many of the proposed towers also had secured “anchor” tenants.
Mr Joshi declined to say whether the eight included the controversial scheme for a 16-storey tower block on top of Liverpool Street station.
This is proposed by Sellar, whose Shard at London Bridge remains the capital’s tallest building at 310m (1,017ft).
55 Bishopsgate would be 10m (33ft) shorter than 22 Bishopsgate, which was completed two years ago and is currently the tallest building in the Square Mile.
Other tower blocks already in construction include One Leadenhall, a 35-storey tower north of Leadenhall Market.
A 33-storey tower was approved for 70 Gracechurch Street last year, a 150m (492ft) tower at 50 Fenchurch Street also has approval and another is proposed near the Walkie Talkie.
Historic England wants the height of the proposed tower block at 55 Bishopsgate to be reduced. It says the current scheme “would harm both the City’s historic environment and the wider London skyline”, in particular views of St Paul’s from Waterloo Bridge and of Whitehall when viewed across the St James’ Park lake.
Mr Joshi said the City Corporation, in determining planning applications, would safeguard historic buildings while seeking to ensure the provision of the most modern work spaces.
“We have got to get a balance in the Square Mile,” he said. “We are not Manhattan, in the sense we have a Roman history to preserve; we have heritage buildings to look after.
“We have a responsibility to maintain that historical and cultural fabric that makes the Square Mile what it is.”
Asked about the scale of demand for new office space, he said Bloomberg’s “Pret index”, which uses the sandwich shop’s sales figures to compare global cities, showed London’s economy had “come back harder and stronger” than rivals such as New York and Tokyo.
This was backed up by Transport for London passenger data showing journeys were about 80 per cent of normal, though fewer workers came into the office on Mondays and Fridays.
The City Corporation now requires developers to consider whether office buildings can be retro-fitted before it will allow proposals that seek to demolish tower blocks to be considered.
“I think this is probably the biggest agenda item we are going to have to tackle in planning terms in the commercial real estate world,” Mr Joshi said.
“We expect developers to come to us primarily with a retrofit argument. You have got to have a good argument to explain why that building cannot be retrofitted and you cannot use the existing embodied carbon to recover that building to a commercial state.
“They have to cross that hurdle before we get into any sort of pre-application discussion on development schemes.”
Peter Murray, co-founder of New London Architecture, said the new developments were “good news” and countered perceptions that “everything had stopped dead” due to the pandemic and economic downturn.
He said: “There are a number of reasons for this. One is the ‘flight to quality’ – firms whose leases are coming up are looking to move into the latest offices and improve [staff] wellbeing.
“This means there will be second-hand office space, which is slightly more problematic. But there is a feeling among [property] agents in the City that when these new buildings come to completion in five years, there will be a shortage of office space rather than a glut.
“Firms in Canary Wharf, such as HSBC, are reviewing their location and looking for something smaller. Maybe the City of London becomes more appealing as a location for larger corporates.”
He said the 300th anniversary of the death of Sir Christopher Wren next year would bring visitors from around the world to London.
“The City of London is very different to most European ‘old town’ areas, such as Madrid, Rome and Paris, which are kept in aspic and hardly touched,” Mr Murray said. “The City of London has always been responsive to the needs of business.”
Millions of employees will be able to request flexible working from day one of their employment.
This is due to new government plans to make flexible working the default, the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and MP Kevin Hollinrake have announced.
The raft of new measures will give employees greater access to flexibility over where, when and how they work, leading to happier, more productive staff. “Flexible working has been found to help employees balance their work and home life, especially supporting those who have commitments or responsibilities such as caring for children or vulnerable people,” the government said in a statement.
Flexible working can mean a combination of working from home and in the office as well as making use of job-sharing, flexitime and working compressed, annualised or staggered hours.
Alongside the clear benefits to employees, the government has acknowledged “a strong business case” for flexible working. By removing some of the invisible restrictions to jobs, flexible working is expected to create a more diverse working environment and workforce, which studies have shown leads to improved financial returns.
Today’s announcement comes alongside new laws coming into effect that will allow Britain’s lowest paid workers to work more flexibly and boost their income through extra work.
The response to this consultation confirms the government’s intention to introduce changes to the right to request flexible working legislation. This right currently supports all employees with 26 weeks continuous service to make applications to change their work location, working hours and/or working pattern.
The response states that the government will take forward the following measures:
make the right to request flexible working a day one right
introduce a new requirement for employees to consult with the employee when they intend to reject their flexible working request
allow two statutory requests in any 12-month period (rather than the current one)
require a decision period of two months in respect of a statutory flexible working request (rather than the current three)
remove the existing requirement that the employee must explain what effect, if any, the change applied for would have on the employer and how that effect might be dealt with.
The response also commits to:
developing guidance to raise awareness and understanding of how to make and administer temporary requests for flexible working
launching a call for evidence to better understand how informal flexible working operates in practice.
It includes a summary of the responses received from individuals and stakeholders.
The proposed changes to the right to request flexible working received broad support across the range of respondents, including individuals, businesses, charities and trade unions, the BEIS announcement said.
The government recognised that there was no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to work arrangements and has been clear that the legislation should remain a ‘right to request’, not a ‘right to have’. “The priority is to set the right conditions to allow employees and employers to explore the available options in their particular context,” the government said.
The government received 1,611 responses to this consultation. Most respondents were individuals: 1,342 in total (83%). In terms of responses from business, the government received:
56 from large businesses
25 from medium businesses
14 from small businesses
19 from micro businesses
30 from business representative organisations.
The other main sub-groups were:
charities or campaign groups
academics, think tanks or advisory groups
consultancies or professional bodies.
The government has also announced related developments, including reforms to exclusivity clauses, which have had negative effects of low-earning workers.
Workers on contracts with a guaranteed weekly income on or below the Lower Earnings Limit of £123 a week will now be protected from exclusivity clauses being enforced against them, which restricted them from working for multiple employers.
These reforms will ensure around 1.5m low-paid workers can make the most of the opportunities available to them such as working multiple short-term contracts. “This will particularly benefit those who need more flexibility over where and when they work – for example, students or people with caring responsibilities,” the government said.
While not everyone will want a second job, today’s laws on exclusivity clauses remove unnecessary red tape that prevents those who do – for example, gig economy workers, younger people or carers who cannot commit to a full-time role.
“The laws will also help businesses plug crucial staffing gaps by giving employers access to recruit from a wider talent pool,” the government noted.
If an employer cannot accommodate a request to work flexibly, they will be required to discuss alternative options before they can reject the request under the new legislation. For example, if it is not possible to change an employee’s working hours on all days, they could consider making the change for certain days instead.
The new legislation, backed in the government’s response to the Making flexible working the default consultation, will also remove the requirement for employees to set out the effects of their flexible working requests to employers, removing a large administrative burden for both sides.
Hollinrake, minister for small business, said: “Giving staff more say over their working pattern makes for happier employees and more productive businesses. Put simply, it’s a no-brainer.
“Greater flexibility over where, when and how people work is an integral part of our plan to make the UK the best place in the world to work.”
John F Hunt Regeneration is using a marine Bubble Curtain for the first time in Europe to protect migrating salmon near its £20m job to revamp a former dockland in South Shields.
Part of the contract was to protect migrating Atlantic Salmon from acoustic trauma and possible death on their journey through the River Tyne.
John F Hunt faced restricted hours for piling work during creation of five new river walls and dock closure structures which would have added extra time and costs to the job.
Instead they turned to a novel method which protects passing fish from site noise with the installation of a “bubble curtain” in the water which blocks potentially harmful sounds.
David McLaren, Site Manager at John F Hunt Regeneration said: “A 90m long vertical curtain of bubbles was created from a perforated, weighted tube laying on the riverbed, through which compressed air was forced.
“The uniform wall of bubbles reduced our sound impact in the river by an amazing 20dB, to an approved level, effectively satisfying the Marine license condition to allow us unrestricted continuous working.
“This was the first time this had ever been granted in the UK. It is also the first time the Bubble Curtain system, which originated in Canada, has been tested as an acoustic barrier in Europe, although it has been used in several other countries around the world.”
Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qmv-9-OUG40
Article by Grant Prior – www.constructionenquirer.com
