by Iain McIlwee | 18 Mar, 2021 | Main News Feed
In an unprecedented show of co-operation, commitment and collaboration, the construction industry in Scotland has come together to issue its first-ever manifesto detailing the crucial steps which need to be taken to secure a viable and sustainable future for the sector.
Acting through the CICV Forum, a comprehensive range of trade associations, professional bodies, companies and individuals have signed up to the manifesto’s proposals.
First among the proposals, published in the run-up to the Scottish Government elections in May, is a plea for a dedicated Government Minister for the construction industry, which would recognise its importance both to the recovery and to a net zero-carbon future.
As well as a Minister for Construction, the manifesto proposes:
- A Chief Construction Adviser who would support the Minister and focus on delivery aligned with whole asset performance
- The development of an effective public sector maintenance and improvement programme
- The establishment of a VAT reimbursement fund for home repair and maintenance with a role for the Scottish National Infrastructure Bank
- Investment in affordable homes
- Development of the skills arena
- The introduction of a cycle network within the infrastructure investment plan
- The encouragement of conflict avoidance.
The Forum points out that 175,000 people, including 10,000 apprentices, work directly in the sector in Scotland – 10% of the total workforce. It also contributes £21.5 billion to the country’s GDP and is a major economic multiplier, generating £2.94 for every £1 spent.
Hew Edgar, Associate Director of Policy at the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), and Chair of the Forum’s Future Planning sub-group, said: “This manifesto is a declaration of intent, emerging from the environment of collaboration and co-operation which the CICV Forum has fostered during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This is the industry speaking with one voice, with an aim to benefit the future health, wealth and wellbeing of the country.”
The manifesto is also designed to support the next government’s plans to meet Scotland’s ambitious targets on net zero, reduced energy use, decarbonisation, climate change, and other principal policy objectives around accessible, sustainable places and inclusive economic growth.
And Mr Edgar added: “In offering these proposed policy initiatives, the CICV Forum and its members demonstrate that they will continue to engage positively with the next Scottish Government, representatives in Holyrood and the wider sector to provide intelligence, best practice and advice.”
Iain McIlwee CEO at FIS responded “It is great to work with colleagues in Scotland through the CICV and present this coherent document to the now Scottish Government and have it ready to continue the debate when the new Government forms in the summer”.
The manifesto is the latest initiative from the CICV Forum, which was established last March to protect and guide the industry through the ravages of the pandemic,
Made up of trade associations, private companies and professional bodies, it has drawn on the collective expertise of its members to maintain a steady supply of information and practical advice to the sector.
- Download the manifesto here.
by Clair Mooney | 18 Mar, 2021 | Skills
The cap on apprenticeship starts for small employers will be reset to zero from April 2021. It means that any non-levy paying business can start up to 10 new apprentices from 1 April 2021 regardless of the number they currently employ. The cap will be kept under review during the next financial year.
Non-levy-paying businesses have been capped on the number of apprentices they can put through the digital apprenticeship service since January 2020 – starting with a limit of three before increasing to 10 in July – to ensure the overall apprenticeships budget is not overspent. The digital service was launched in April 2017 but was only for levy-paying employers to manage and spend their apprenticeship funding. Small employers will fully transition onto the service next month, meaning that all apprenticeship starts must now go through the system rather than procured non-levy contracts held by training providers.
Announcing the cap reset, the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) head of apprenticeship operations Jason Poole said: “The cap is there to help with the overall spend controls that we need to have in place for the whole apprenticeship programme. As we’ve moved away from individual provider contracts, we still need a way to be able to monitor and manage the flow of funding. As we are now moving from the beginning of next month to have all new starts on the service, I am really pleased to confirm that from 1 April, we will be resetting that total. There are quite a lot of employers now who have started to use those reservations and an increasing number that have got up to their limit of 10.”
Apprentice “reservations” made by small employers before April which convert to starts beyond next month will not count in the new 10 pot. As Poole pointed out, the cap was first imposed owing to concern that the amount of money not being spent by levy payers wouldn’t be enough if the government allowed small employers to have as many starts as they wanted. But, in the past year starts have dropped dramatically across England because of the pandemic and the overall apprenticeships budget is expected to be underspent this year.
ESFA also announced that the reservation period for employers who do not pay the apprenticeship levy is being extended from three to six months from 1 April 2021. This means that these employers will be able to reserve funds up to six months before an apprenticeship is planned to start.
Have a look at the FIS Apprentice – Guidance for Employers for details of support available for taking on an apprentice. If you would like any further information, don’t hesitate to contact us on 0121 707 0077 or email info@thefis.org
by Clair Mooney | 18 Mar, 2021 | Skills
Hiring an apprentice is a productive and effective way to grow talent and develop a motivated, skilled and qualified workforce. Incentive payments are available to employers, but differ across each home nation.
Wales
The Employer Incentive Scheme in Wales will now run until 30 September 2021. Businesses can claim up to £4,000 (increased from £3,000) for each new apprentice they hire under the age of 25 (for at least 30 hours per week) and to £2,000 for under 30 hours. For workers aged 25 and over, businesses can access £2,000 for each new apprentice they hire on a 30 hour+ and a £1,000 incentive for apprentices working less than 30 hours. Payments are restricted to 10 learners per business and dedicated funding is also available to recruit disabled people and for workers who lost a previous apprenticeship position because of COVID-19.
Scotland
The grant will provide:
- £5,000 for employers taking on or upskilling a 16 to 24-year old apprentice, and for those aged up to 29 years who are disabled, care leavers and minority ethnic
- £3,500 for employers taking on or upskilling an apprentice aged 25 plus
England and Northern Ireland
Employers will receive £3,000 for new employees of any age who start their apprenticeship from 1 April 2021 to 30 September 2021. The incentive payment is in addition to the £1,000 employers already receive for hiring an apprentice, aged 16 to 18 years old or under 25 with an education, health and care plan or who has been in the care of their local authority.
Visit the Skills Hub for more information on taking on an apprentice and qualifying your workforce.
by Clair Mooney | 17 Mar, 2021 | Main News Feed
Employers with fewer than 250 employees can continue to use the Coronavirus Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme to claim back coronavirus‐related SSP, including for employees who have been advised by letter to shield because they are clinically extremely vulnerable. Claims should be submitted via the online service, and you can make more than one claim per employee, but you cannot claim for more than two weeks in total. There is currently no indication of when the scheme will end.
by Clair Mooney | 16 Mar, 2021 | Membership
In this webinar, tax expert Liz Bridge discussed the issues and challenges associated with the implementation of the Domestic Reverse Charge VAT, which came into effect on 1 March 2021.
It looked at how to manage Reverse Charge VAT in your business and there was conversation on the challenges businesses are experiencing.
A reminder that FIS has a Reverse Charge VAT Toolkit here, which includes previously recorded webinars. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to play them in.
by Clair Mooney | 15 Mar, 2021 | Market data
Build UK is working with the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) to monitor the availability of construction materials post‐Brexit. Most manufacturers have reported that the mitigation strategies they put in place have avoided significant delays or shortages, and they will continue to hold extra stock for the forthcoming quarter to ensure continuity of supply. No material is RAG‐rated ‘red’ and the majority of ‘amber’ items are M&E products, including building management systems, data hub equipment, external luminaires, street lighting, lighting control, pumps, press units and booster sets, which are experiencing delays of up to two weeks although this is expected to be a short‐term problem only.
Other materials rated ‘amber’ are Steel and Timber, which have experienced significant price increases due to supply and demand issues. There has been increased demand from China as it recovers from the impact of coronavirus, as well as challenges with new customs requirements and a lack of transport availability. A risk to manage over the next few months is the increased cost of raw materials, particularly Aluminium, Copper and Methyl Methacrylate (MMA), which are all thought to be coronavirus, rather than Brexit, supply and demand issues.
by Iain McIlwee | 12 Mar, 2021 | Main News Feed, Transformation
FIS has joined other leading construction groups in signing the RICS Conflict Avoidance Pledge. Commenting on the signing, FIS CEO, Iain McIlwee stated:
“Signing the pledge underpins our commitment to creating a better environment for our supply chain. It isn’t rocket science, in fact it underpins many of the values we expect of the FIS community and were instilled in me by my Mum! The Pledge is about creating and maintaining good business relationships, and dealing with problems early and amicably and working collaboratively to ensure projects are delivered on time, on budget and without the need to waste huge amounts of money on legal disputes.
The construction industry spends around 1.6% of its total expenditure in the UK on legal services, which compares unfavourably to the UK economy’s median spend of 0.8%. This is because we have created an adversarial environment built on win lose contract negotiations. We have made the contract more important than the project – we have even started calling ourselves contractors rather than constructors! We need to consign this 20th Century thinking to the past as it stands in the way of progress and undermines attempts to drive up quality and reduce waste. The RICS Avoidance Pledge and corresponding Conflict Avoidance Process (CAP) are part of an industry wide commitment to change this and we are eager to support and encourage others in and around our community to do the same”.
Martin Burns, Head of Dispute Resolution Services (DRS), Research & Development at the RICS stated:
“It is great that we have leading trade bodies like FIS supporting the pledge and actively encouraging their members to sign and adhere to the terms laid out. The culture in construction needs to change, but change will openly happen when enough people take that first step to being better and believe that others can and will change too.”
As part of signing, FIS is encouraging all members to sign the Conflict Avoidance Pledge and working with wide industry groups to ensure that the core principles are embedded in future editions of standard construction contracts.
We believe in collaborative working and the use of early intervention techniques throughout the supply chain, to try to resolve differences of opinion before they escalate into disputes.
Wording of the RICS Conflict Avoidance Pledge
We recognise the importance of embedding conflict avoidance mechanisms into projects with the aim of identifying, controlling and managing potential conflict, whilst preventing the need for formal, adversarial dispute resolution procedures. We commit our resources to embedding these into our projects.
We commit to working proactively to avoid conflict and to facilitate early resolution of potential disputes.
We commit to developing our capability in the early identification of potential disputes and in the use of conflict avoidance measures. We will promote the value of collaborative working to prevent issues developing into disputes.
We commit to work with our industry partners to identify, promote and utilise conflict avoidance mechanisms.
On signing the pledge an organisation will be listed on the Conflict Avoidance Directory as Bronze, Silver or Gold.
Bronze verified – This indicates that the individual, business or organisation is a signatory to the CA Pledge.
Silver verified – This indicates that the individual, business or organisation is a signatory to the CA Pledge AND has taken formal steps to incorporate policies to give effect to their commitment to avoiding and effectively managing disputes.
Gold verified – This indicates that the individual, business or organisation is a signatory to the CA Pledge AND has taken formal steps to incorporate policies to give effect to their commitment, conflict avoidance and dispute management procedures AND is actively engaging in such policies.
Visit the FIS Contractual and Legal Hub here
by Clair Mooney | 12 Mar, 2021 | Skills
Following discussions with FIS Working Groups a request to change qualifications was submitted to the Standard Setting Body (SSB) for Construction. In order to meet regulatory requirements the SSB must show they have consulted on these proposed changes as widely as possible across all four home nations. All of the changes proposed by FIS Working Groups are in a bid to keep people safe and are:
- Change the National Occupational Standards, Recommended Qualification Structure for Interior Systems level 2 by the addition of COSVR355 v3 Erect fire resisting walls and wall linings. This will provide a fire protection qualification outcome for dryliners.
- Add a new National Occupational Standard for service, maintain and repair of operable partition wall systems, as an option. It has been reported there have been accidents and near misses during these operations, the inclusion of this standard will provide a qualification route for individuals employed in this area. For a copy of the proposed draft standard please contact George Swann on 07553 874838 or email georgeswann@thefis.org
- In response to the Grenfell inquiry and the work on competence, insert under ‘methods of work’ as a requirement of knowledge ‘how fire spreads through a building, how to impede it and protect people and the structure’ to COSVR125, 126, 127, 129, 130, 133, 618, 620, 769, 770 all contained I the Recommended Qualification Structure Interior Systems level 2. By doing this the statement will cascade into all qualification outcomes (academic, trained and competence) derived from these standards thereby giving operatives the required knowledge.
If you agree with these changes please copy and paste the following message and email it to Standards.qualifications@citb.co.uk with the subject header of Interior Systems NOS Changes:
Hello
This message is to show support for the changes requested via FIS Working Groups.
[Insert your normal signature block]
If you disagree with these changes please explain the reason for your disagreement by email using the address above.
If you have any concerns or need additional information or to discuss the above, please don’t hesitate to contact George Swann on 07553 874838 or email georgeswann@thefis.org
by Iain McIlwee | 12 Mar, 2021 | Main News Feed
Following the reopening of schools and colleges on 8 March, the Department for Education (DfE) has confirmed that on‐site training can resume for students of all ages in the following further education (FE) settings if a provider follows the operational guidance:
• Sixth form colleges
• General FE colleges
• Independent Training Providers (ITPs) ‐ defined as organisations that receive Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) formula funding for the provision of 16 to 19 education
• Designated institutions
• Adult and Community Learning Providers (ACLPs)
• Special post‐16 institutions.
The National Construction Colleges in Bircham Newton (East) and Erith (South) are gradually reopening, with their apprentices due to return from 22 March. All FE providers should continue to follow pre‐COVID‐19 guidance for adult students and “judge the right balance between on‐site and remote delivery in order to provide high quality education and training”.
Apprenticeship providers should also read the current apprenticeships guidance, which confirms that FE apprentices may now return to training and assessment in educational settings, in addition to the training and assessment that is currently permitted in the workplace where the apprentice cannot work from home and the workplace is COVID‐19 secure.
There has not been any further guidance issued about resuming face‐to‐face training in the workplace. Companies will need to determine if any training required can be undertaken remotely or is essential at this time, as they may be required to explain how they are complying with the current ‘stay at home’ restrictions.
