by Clair Mooney | 8 Aug, 2024 | Main News Feed, Skills
As construction output is expected to grow the finishes and Interiors sector needs to recruit new entrants so that it can keep working. The STEM Ambassador Programme is partnered with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) to facilitate the Go Construct Construction STEM Ambassador scheme. Through this collaboration, they aim to showcase the amazing career opportunities in construction and inspire young people to work in the industry.
Go Construct STEM Ambassadors act as the face of the industry for young people, inspiring them to consider a career in construction and the built environment through sharing their experiences and promoting opportunities. The commitment is to be involved in at least two activities per year. Ambassadors lead a wide range of activities, including:
- Running a trade stand at a careers fair, answering questions and handing out leaflets.
- Delivering a talk, sharing your experiences of getting into and working in the industry.
- Leading practical sessions or workshops, giving young people a taste of life in construction.
- Providing one-to-one mentorship to someone who is just starting out.
- Network with like-minded professionals, developing your own career as an ambassador.
Not only is becoming a Go Construct STEM Ambassador a great way to develop your employability skills and become a part of a community, through activities you will be helping to inspire the next generation of construction workers and change perceptions about the industry and the Finishes and Interiors Sector.
Please contact Marie Flinter a call on 0121 707 0077 or 07799 903103 or email marieflinter@thefis.org for more information and to join the upcoming webinars.
- Tuesday 20 August – 12:00/13:00
- Tuesday 17 September – 10:00/11:00
If you are already a registered STEM Ambassador working in the finishes and interiors sector, please let Marie know.
by Oscar Venus | 6 Aug, 2024 | Main News Feed
The Passive Fire Knowledge Group (PFKG) and The Get It Right Initiative (GIRI) have announced their intention to work together to improve safety and construction practices by sharing knowledge, exchanging ideas, and promoting each other’s aims and objectives.
This collaboration brings together the specialised focus of the PFKG on passive fire protection with GIRI’s broader based approach to improving construction practices and eliminating errors. PFKG, established in 2022, is a unique non-for-profit collaboration comprising contractors, consultants, and relevant trade associations. Its mission is to improve the delivery of well designed, specified and installed passive fire protection by focusing on three key areas: Process, Testing and Education.
Formed in 2015, GIRI is a group of over 100 leading UK construction industry experts, organisations and businesses actively improving productivity, quality, sustainability and safety in the construction sector by eliminating error.
Passive fire protection (PFP), also sometimes referred to as ‘built-in’ fire protection, are those components, materials or systems that integrate with the fabric of the building. PFP comprises many different product and system categories including structural steel fire protection, compartment walls and floors, fire doors, fire resisting dampers and ductwork, and firestopping (service penetration seals, linear joint seals, and cavity barriers). It is a critical fire element of fire safety in buildings which continues to place demands on the construction industry.
Commenting on the new collaboration, Cliff Smith, Executive Director at the Get It Right Initiative (GIRI), said: “The construction industry is navigating wholesale changes that have come through the Building Safety Act, with more rigorous standards and regulation at every stage of the development lifecycle.
“Through the GIRI Design Guide and our Building Safety Act working group, GIRI is working across the industry to meet these requirements and keep people safe through a common culture of getting things right first time.
This collaboration with the PFKG will enable us to highlight the critical importance of addressing fire safety, using our collective expertise to increase the focus on this high priority issue.”
Will Pitt and Joe Cilia, Joint Chairs of the Passive Fire Knowledge Group (PFKG) said: “Passive Fire Protection is often a key interface between the architecture, structure and building engineering services and getting it right first time requires careful consideration and planning especially at early design stages.
“It is clear to us that GIRI shares similar aims and objectives and by working more closely together, we can help amplify each other’s message.”
The PFKG and GIRI will collaborate and share best practice guidance including design guidance, quality alerts, knowledge sharing webinars and events. The PFKG continues to produce peer-reviewed knowledge shares covering a wide range of subjects associated with the design, specification and installation of Passive Fire Protection systems.
To find out more information about the Passive Fire Knowledge Group (PFKG) visit www.pfkg.org
To find out more information about the Get It Right Initiative (GIRI) visit https://getitright.uk.com
by Oscar Venus | 1 Aug, 2024 | Contractual and Legal, Lens Blog, Main News Feed
FIS is seeing a concerted attempt to increase work administered under Contractor Design Portions (CDP). This is an area of growing concern for the sector as it pushes more risk into the supply chain without adequate controls to co-ordinate the design development process effectively.
If you are being confronted with a contract that transfers Design Liability, the first questions to ask is:
What are you being asked to design?
by Oscar Venus | 1 Aug, 2024 | Main News Feed
The Construction Leadership Council has today welcomed Minister Sarah Jones MP as she takes up the position of Co-Chair, alongside Mark Reynolds. The Minister – appointed as Minister of State for both the Department for Business and Trade and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero – will join the Construction Leadership Council Board, and will work closely with Mark Reynolds and Richard Robinson to ensure the construction sector is a key part of supporting the government’s mission to kickstart economic growth, and get Britain building again.
Industry Minister Sarah Jones said:
“The construction sector is vital to our economy, supporting thousands of jobs in every part of the UK, and will be at the heart of our mission to deliver growth and get Britain building again. “I look forward to working closely with the Construction Leadership Council to champion the sector as it builds the infrastructure we need, and ensure its net zero ambitions deliver for both the workforce and our economy”.
Mark Reynolds, CLC Co-Chair and Chair and Chief Executive of Mace Group, said:
“This Government has already been very clear about its scale of ambition around infrastructure delivery and growth – and the construction industry clearly has a crucial role in realising those ambitions. The CLC, working in partnership with Government, provides crucial leadership to the sector. We’ve already had some productive and insightful conversations with the Minister, and I look forward to working closely with her over the coming years.”
FIS CEO Iain McIlwee has already been in contact with Sarah Jones MP. In this correspondence FIS has welcomed the new Construction Minister and urged the Government not to waste the opportunity of change and to take a holistic approach to “Getting Britain Building”. FIS suggested Government lean on the principles outlined in the FIS Blueprint for Better Construction and reform procurement, contractual and payment practices to drive commissioning of projects to support the much needed investment in training and modernisation that will ensure they deliver full value to our economy and communities.
by Oscar Venus | 26 Jul, 2024 | Main News Feed
Statement from John Newcomb, CEO of the Builders Merchants Federation and Peter Caplehorn, CEO of the Construction Products Association, co-chairs of the Construction Leadership Council’s Material Supply Chain Group
As we head into the summer holiday period, the latest report from the Construction Leadership Council’s Material Supply Chain Group (formerly Product Availability Group) shows little change from preceding months.
Meeting in the wake of the King’s Speech, the group welcomed the new government’s planning reforms, but wants to see further details and specific plans to boost housing and construction and stimulate key sectors of the industry.
Currently there are good levels of product availability across the board, but this is a direct result of demand remaining subdued across most sectors.
It is difficult to see the market improving before the turn of the year, and suppliers have adjusted capacity to meet current demand.
Looking ahead, some members of the group expressed concern over suppliers’ ability to quickly increase output to meet any potential spike in demand. As stated in our last report (June 2024), the key to this is accurate forward forecasts and longer lead ordering times. Manufacturers can ramp up production in 2-3 months but require forward knowledge of orders to do so.
Concerns were also expressed about a shortage of labour, particularly in areas requiring new skills, such as the installation of heat pumps. The effect of these shortages are likely to be further exacerbated when construction activity increases.
The CLC will be campaigning for joint engagement with government. The group would like to have round table discussions with ministers, to identify touch points with government that need addressing, in order to plan effectively for the future.
The CLC’s continuing advice to everyone involved, particularly housebuilders and SME contractors, is to plan in advance, work closely with your supply chain and communicate your requirements early with suppliers, distributors and builders’ merchants. As we learned during the pandemic, collaborative, ongoing communication throughout the whole supply chain is mutually beneficial and essential to a healthy, productive UK construction industry.
by Oscar Venus | 26 Jul, 2024 | Main News Feed
The Office for National Statistics released data on construction output, new orders, and output prices for May 2024.
- Estimated monthly construction output increased by 1.9% in volume in May 2024 following a 1.1% decline in April 2024 (revised from 1.4%).
- The rise in monthly output was driven by growth in new work (2.7%) and repair and maintenance (0.8%). Warmer weather was cited as a factor contributing to the increased output in May, with the Met Office confirming in their Monthly Climate Summary that May 2024 was the warmest on record.
- Eight out of nine sectors experienced growth in May 2024. The main contributors to the increase were a 2.8% rise in total new housing, infrastructure new work up by 3.5%, and non-housing repair and maintenance growing by 2.1%.
- Construction output is estimated to have decreased by 0.7% in the three months leading to May 2024, with new work falling by 0.9% and repair and maintenance by 0.3%.
