by Nicky Smith | 8 Feb, 2018 | Main News Feed
FIS Skills is rolling out its flagship BuildBack programme in Birmingham and all employers based in the Midlands are invited to attend the assessment day on Friday 16 February 2018. The event will take place at Birmingham South and City College at the Bordesley Green campus, which specialises in construction.
BuildBack is being delivered in collaboration with Birmingham City Council; as one of the FIS Skills partners, this is a prime opportunity for your business to prove fulfilment of your Section 106 contractual obligations. In addition, you will be able to take on semi-skilled dryliners for a two-week period, providing wage-free assistance on your projects.
The assessment day will be an opportunity to look around the college facilities, talk to college staff, meet the BuildBack trainees and other employers and partners supporting the BuildBack programme.
Such is the confidence in the programme that Steve Coley, the immediate past-president of FIS, will be in attendance at the assessment day and has already agreed to provide work experience for two trainees at his company, Lakeside Ceilings and Partitions.
What is the BuildBack Programme?
BuildBack is designed to provide opportunities for job seekers who are serious about developing a career in drylining. Trainees complete a two-week Specialist Upskilling Programme (SUP) in drylining at Birmingham South and City College to develop the skills and competencies required for installing drylining. Then follows a two-week work placement on-site with a local employer. All trainees will be offered at least one job interview and those who secure full-time employment with an employer will have their fees paid for ongoing training to NVQ Level 2 in drylining. All trainees will receive free personal protective equipment (PPE) and have their CSCS card paid for.
For further information on BuildBack and all partners involved, visit the Skills Hub.
Helen Yeulet, FIS Skills Delivery Director, said: “From an employer’s perspective, this offers new labour that is semi-skilled and keen to progress a career in drylining at minimum cost to them. We are keen for employers to take advantage of this scheme that will handle the recruitment, the training elements and ensure that they have fully skilled labour within six months.”
Local employers can register their interest in the BuildBack programme and attend the Assessment Day by emailing: skills@thefis.org
by Nicky Smith | 8 Feb, 2018 | CSCS, Main News Feed
As the CSCS priorities for 2018 continue the drive towards qualifying the workforce, the next step towards a fully qualified workforce is perhaps the most challenging. Industry Accreditation (IA), also known as Grandfather Rights, allowed workers to obtain CSCS cards on the strength of an employers’ recommendation rather than the achievement of a recognised qualification.
To meet the requirements of the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) the CSCS will develop plans to move all IA cardholders to a recognised qualification.
Achieving this within the necessary timescales will require extensive industry consultation prior to implementation. In the meantime, existing cardholders can renew their cards in accordance with the scheme rules.
The withdrawal of IA will be the final step towards achieving the CLC’s requirement of ensuring nationally recognised qualifications are in place for all occupations.
CSCS closed IA to new applicants in 2010 but those already holding a card are currently able to renew on the same basis.
You can use the card finder to check what qualifications you need for your occupation in order to apply for a CSCS card. Alternatively, you can call the CSCS Contact Centre on 0344 994 4777.
by Nicky Smith | 7 Feb, 2018 | Main News Feed
On Tuesday 6 February 2018, FIS held the President’s Lunch at Plaisterers’ Hall in London. Over 300 members and guests attended the lunch where the new FIS President, Andrew Smith, addressed the audience: “Compliance and competence are going to be increasingly important in the coming years and FIS has invested in a skills team to help deliver a competent workforce for the sector – and to help FIS members get full value from the Levy. This programme is called Fit-Out Futures and the President’s Lunch provides the perfect opportunity to celebrate some of the successes to date; the Fit-Out Futures Awards.”
Before lunch was served, the first three category winners were announced:
Outstanding Employee – John Ramsey, a Project Supervisor at Brian Hendry Interiors
Future Leader – Stephen Reynolds, a ceilings category manager at SIG
Apprentice of the Year (sponsored by CCF) – Sean Dooner, an apprentice dryliner at MPG Contracts. The runner-up was Conor Bartram, an Apprentice Trainee Site Manager at Pexhurst Services.
Representatives from the charity CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) were in attendance to collect £2,635 raised in the prize draw. The first prize, sponsored by Etex Building Performance, was a round of Golf for four at Castle Combe Golf Club in Wiltshire. The winner was Steve Smith. Second prize was a Cartwright and Butler hamper donated by Minster, won by Helen Tapper. The third prize was a Champagne gift box donated by Horbury Group, won by James Evans. SIG donated two tickets (including pre-show hospitality) for any show at the Genting Arena; the winner was Lydia Sharples. Finally, Donseed Ltd donated a bottle of Champagne for the winner of the Business Card draw – Andy Mahoney from Taylor Hart.
Comedian Ian Stone provided the after-lunch entertainment. A stand-up comedian, broadcaster and writer, Ian is famous for appearing as a guest on shows such as the comedy panel show Mock the Week. He is also a regular guest on BBC Radio 5’s Fighting Talk.
David Frise, CEO of FIS, returned to the stage to present the final award of the day, the ‘Lifetime Achievement‘. Recently retired after 20 years service with Taylor Hart, the trophy went to Phil Taylor. Photos from the day have been uploaded to our Facebook page; the winners’ videos will be available on the FIS YouTube Channel very soon.
Congratulations to all the winners, we look forward to awarding more ‘Fit-Out Futures’ in 2019!
by Nicky Smith | 7 Feb, 2018 | Main News Feed
The HMRC is currently running free webinars, providing members with advice and support regarding the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS). Whether you’re new to CIS or building on your existing knowledge, the online help will explain how the scheme works and your responsibilities.
CIS for subcontractors – Thursday 8 February – 4.30pm to 5.30pm
This webinar provides guidance to businesses and includes:
– An overview of the scheme
– Getting started in CIS
– Payment & Deduction statements
– Records you need to keep
Register here
CIS for contractors – Friday 9 February – 9 am to 10 am
This webinar includes:
– An overview of the scheme
– Engaging and paying subcontractors
– What information you need to report to HMRC
– How long you need to keep records for
Register here
You will be able to ask questions during the webinars using the on-screen text box.
by Nicky Smith | 2 Feb, 2018 | Main News Feed
Survey respondents reported a subdued start to 2018, with a return to contraction in residential building activity. New orders declined, linked by many companies to market uncertainty. On a more positive note, confidence towards future growth prospects improved, with many firms anticipating an increase in new project wins later in the year. Meanwhile, intense cost pressures continued across the UK construction sector.
The seasonally adjusted IHS Markit/CIPS UK Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index® (PMI®) posted 50.2 in January, down from 52.2 in December. The figure was just above the neutral 50.0 no-change mark, thereby signalling a fractional rate of growth that was the weakest for four months.
Duncan Brock, Director of Customer Relationships at the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, said: “The construction PMI delivered meagre results for January as any hopes for a stellar start to the year were eclipsed by a surprisingly poor show from the housing sector, offering its worst performance since July 2016. With construction teetering on the edge of contraction, this surprise outcome will serve as a jolt to policymakers, that the impact of political and economic uncertainty remains large at the beginning of 2018.”
Download the full report here.
by Nicky Smith | 1 Feb, 2018 | Main News Feed
CITB has contacted over 40,000 construction employers for placement of Carillion apprentices under a £1.5m cash incentive programme. More than 850 employers have responded and offered job opportunities. As of 31 January 2018, of the 1,400 apprentices affected, 553 have received job offers.
To continue the support of the apprentices and the wider Carillion workforce and supply chain, CITB is offering an apprentice adoption grant:
- An adoption grant of £1,000 will be paid to those employers who adopt a Carillion apprentice. The grant will be paid in two parts – £500 on sign-up, £500 after 3 months
- A standard attendance grant will be paid on the basis that if a learner is in the 1st, 2nd or 3rd year, regardless of their progress in that year, they will receive the remainder of the attendance grant for that year
- All achievement grants will be payable on full framework achievement
More information on CITB grants can be found via the link on the right. If you would like to find out more, telephone 0344 994 4010 (England) 0300 456 8784 (Scotland) or email carillionapprenticeshipsupport@citb.co.uk
CITB is supporting former Carillion employees and their supply chain associates by giving them access to a newly created jobs board, visit via the link on the right.
