by Clair Mooney | 16 Nov, 2018 | Main News Feed
FIS will be exhibiting at the Quality in Construction Summit – book your place with special offer.
FIS is pleased to announce that we will be exhibiting at the Quality in Construction Summit on the 27 November 2018 in Manchester. Iain McIlwee will be speaking about some of the vital ingredients of constructing safer buildings and practical steps that contractors can implement to drive improvement. This is a simple, structured approach to managing compliance and competency issues through a focus on Product, Process and People and touch on some of the issues that the Finishes and Interiors Sector would like to consign to Room 101.
The event is aimed at professionals who have a quality-related remit within the construction sector, at a strategic or operational level. It will be an opportunity for them to network, learn, share and develop ideas to improve quality levels within their organisations and sector.
We have secured a special offer for our members, insert the code FIS99 for £99 +VAT tickets. Book your place using this link: https://bit.ly/2BXSArC
by Clair Mooney | 15 Nov, 2018 | Main News Feed
FIS has added Fire Door Installation to its directory search, so if you install Fire Doors, let the office know so we can update your records.
35% of all FIS website visitors use the membership directory, so it’s important to check your company details and offering are up to date. Contact the office on 0121 707 0077 or email info@thefis.org to update your details.
by Clair Mooney | 15 Nov, 2018 | Main News Feed
FIS members are invited to attend Croner’s Employment Law and Health & Safety Seminars free to charge. Hear from expert speakers, who will share their insights into the employment law and health and safety trends that will affect your organisation in the near future. Seminars are being held on:
27 November from 10:00am to 3:00pm – Newcastle
7 December from 10:00am to 13:00pm – Bristol
13 December from 10:00am to 13:00pm – Hinckley
Register directly with Croner. Full details are available here..
by Clair Mooney | 12 Nov, 2018 | Main News Feed
A construction skills card fraudster has been jailed for more than three years following a police investigation which saw him charged under Section 9 of the Fraud Act 2006 for the production and sale of fake documents.
Online trader Andrew Weeks was caught following an investigation by Warwickshire County Council Trading Standards. During the investigation it was discovered that Mr Weeks was manufacturing construction industry skill cards at his printing firm (Nuneaton Print) and selling them via his website. Mr Weeks pleading guilty to the manufacture of fake documents and was sentenced on 19 October at Warwick Crown Court.
The investigation was supported with information from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and a number of card schemes including the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS).
Graham Wren, Chief Executive at CSCS said: “This is another example of the industry working together to tackle card fraud. CSCS will always support the authorities to identify and act against those attempting to deceive construction employers. This case also highlights the need for thorough card checks, ideally electronically, to ensure construction workers are who they say they are and have the correct qualifications for the job they do on site.”
Mr Weeks was also sued by CSCS for copyright infringement and ordered to pay damages of £6,000.
Ian Sidney, Fraud Manager at CITB said: “This sentence shows just how serious construction card fraud is and the lengths that CITB and the whole industry will go to in order to stamp it out. The use of fake cards could easily lead to accidents, injuries or even fatalities where contractors do not have the required skills, training or qualifications. Employers must remain vigilant when checking workers’ documentation and keep an eye out for any suspicious activity.”
What to do if you spot a fraudulent card
Employers are urged to conduct regular checks on cards. If you think you know someone using a fraudulent card you should:
- Retain the card if possible
- Make photocopies of front and back
- Record cardholder’s name and address
- Ask the cardholder where the card was obtained from
- Call the local police and report the matter
- Refuse access to site (subject to company rules)
- Forward copies of all evidence to CITB Quality Assurance Team, Building 16, Bircham Newton, King’s Lynn, PE31 6RH, marked ‘SUSPECTED FRAUDULENT CARD’ with details of the crime number given by local police.
- You can also email Report.it@citb.co.uk .
by Clair Mooney | 9 Nov, 2018 | Main News Feed
The construction industry experienced modest growth in the third quarter of 2018, following a weather-related boost to activity in Q2, according to the latest quarterly CPA survey of product manufacturers, contractors, civil engineers and SME builders.
Read the full details in this week’s CPA weekly notes.
by Clair Mooney | 6 Nov, 2018 | Main News Feed
The latest CPA Trade Survey shows that during Q3, 27% of product manufacturers, 25% of main contractors, 16% of SME builders and 10% of civil engineering firms reported an increase in activity. However, on balance, 80% of main contractors reported a rise in materials and labour costs, 90% of product manufacturers reported an increase in fuel costs and cost rises for civil engineering contractors reached a three-year high.
CPA Trade Survey October 2018
by Clair Mooney | 1 Nov, 2018 | Main News Feed
FIS will today (1 November) launch its 2019 sector-wide digital Training Needs Analysis (TNA).
We urge all FIS members to complete the TNA and submit by 21 February 2019. Submissions will provide evidence for the whitepaper on the overall skills need and workforce sustainability of our sector. All those completing the TNA will automatically receive a digital copy.
The data obtained will allow us to make year-on-year comparisons from three years of TNA results. This sector engagement process will continue up to 2020.
Led by FIS Sector Skills Engagement Manager Amanda Scott, the result allows us to accurately forecast the demand needs for skills and technical qualifications required to meet your contractual obligations over the next financial year. “To ensure we meet our membership’s reported demand and engage our supply chain of approved training providers and partners to fill demand, your response is critical.”
Amanda and the skills team will be engaging with all members, offering advice and completion support. Email amandascott@thefis.org
The infographic below highlights some of the key analysis findings of the TNA 2018
General Information
• Ideally, this survey should be completed by the dedicated person in your organisation responsible for training and development planning, such as a training officer or human resources officer
• All responses for future forecasts should be accurate based on the date of return
• Your TNA returns will be held in confidence and in line with the FIS privacy and data protection policy
• The TNA has an inbuilt save function. You will be asked for your email address and a unique link will be sent to your address returning you to the last question you worked on
Should you require any assistance in completing any section(s) please contact the Project Manager Amanda Scott by email: amandascott@thefis.org where individual appointments can be booked.
by Clair Mooney | 25 Oct, 2018 | Main News Feed
FIS launched its #BuildersBrewcampaign at UK Construction Week on 10 October to coincide with World Mental Health day. The campaign is designed to raise awareness of mental health and wellbeing in the construction industry.
Recent reports from The Office of National Statistics (ONS) show that between 2010 and 2015, more than 1,400 construction workers in the UK took their own lives, making male construction workers the demographic most at risk of suicide in the UK. Further research shows that mental health issues accounted for a third of the construction industry’s absences and that at any one time around 350,000 workers could be suffering from mental health problems.
The #BuildersBrew campaign encourages people not to bottle-up, but to open-up and talk about issues that are causing, stress, anxiety or depression with colleagues over a mug of tea or coffee. The campaign also reminds us all to be vigilant of the signs in our colleagues and offer support where we can. In the run up to UK Construction Week, a social media campaign was run on Twitter and Instagram platforms asking people to share images of their #BuildersBrew, a photo of themselves with their mug/coffee talking about mental health in all the different environments to visually show the support people have given for mental health. An image gallery was created on the FIS stand at UK Construction Week, which received a lot of attention and support.
In addition, FIS teamed up with the Digital College and UK Construction Week to offer a free course; An Awareness of Mental Wellbeing in the Workplace course at a breakfast briefing at UK Construction Week which was attended by FIS members and partners.
FIS CEO Iain McIlwee was interviewed about this issue by FIX radio at the show which was broadcast live on air at the exhibition and said “raising awareness of mental health and taking positive actions to improve health and wellbeing in construction is imperative. We need to move beyond the stereotypes of the building industry and wake up to the reality that people working in construction are three times more likely to take their own life than those in other professions. Mental health issues impact all of us all at some point in our lives, we often like to think we are bullet proof, but there are times when all of us have our resilience tested and we need help from people around us.
Through #BuildersBrew we are encouraging people to take positive, proactive action to support each other and drive the message home that its acceptable to talk about these issues and imperative that we put an arm around the shoulder of colleagues that may be struggling. Far from being a sign of weakness, talking openly is a sign of strength and something we should be applauding and encouraging.”
Throughout the course of three days FIS and Digital College sold #BuildersBrew travel mugs raising money for the Lighthouse Club charity which specialises in providing financial and emotional support to the construction community and their families. These mugs can still be purchased via www.thefis.org/about-us/builders-brew/
David Stephenson, Founder and MD of Digital College said “it was been great collaborating with FIS on the #BuildersBrew campaign and delivering the mental health awareness course at UK Construction Week. The Introduction to Mental Health and Wellbeing course is an ideal way to raise awareness at all levels in the construction industry, we want to make people aware that it only takes one hour of your time to complete the course online, making learning very easy, accessible and affordable for your organisation”.
The #BuildersBrew campaign is an ongoing initiative and FIS would like people to submit images of themselves with their mugs of tea and coffee to support and post to @fisorg on our Instagram and Twitter platforms.
by Clair Mooney | 25 Oct, 2018 | Main News Feed
CITB has launched its Digital Skills report – the first in a series of three in its Changing Construction, Changing Skills campaign. ‘Unlocking Construction’s Digital Future: A Skills Plan for Industry‘ provides evidence to help inform decision-making by the construction sector and CITB concerning digital skills.
This report found that the scope for what digital could be used to achieve in construction is vast, however industry is far from realising the full scale of the opportunities. It also sets out digital competency scales and spectrums for the industry.
The report also found that:
• Digital construction is understood to mean different things by different people: Many assume digital construction means Building Information Modelling (BIM) but it is wider than that.
• Much tech that is being used is not at the cutting edge of what is available: Drones, smartphones and tablets are increasingly widely used but really innovative tech – if used at all – is generally limited to small pilots or trials.
• Data and its effective collection, communication and management are central to digital transformation.
• Tech-specific skills aren’t the problem – the broader skills and competencies at various levels need to be addressed.
For an overview, please watch this clip.
