Skills

A fire that broke out at a construction site in Derby on Saturday evening was started deliberately, police investigations have revealed. The work in progress is part of a £200m redevelopment to build a 3,500-capacity performance venue called Becketwell Performance Venue. The site was being run by demolition specialists Cawarden…

Construction workers driving concrete mixers should have mandatory training to reduce rollover incidents and prevent potential fatalities, an expert has warned. Mark Cowan, director of transport, logistics and concrete at the British Aggregates Association (BAA), told Construction News that it was “only a matter of time” before a serious rollover…

An accelerated cladding installation qualification is being piloted to help ease the critical shortage of trained professionals that threatens vital remediation work. Awarding body ProQual and digital-first training platform provider Tequ have joined forces to pilot a job-specific rainscreen-cladding installation qualification, which aims to train 100 professionals by the autumn.…

The CITB has revealed plans to dip much deeper into its cash reserves than expected over the next three years as it ramps up investment in construction skills. The industry training board said it would fill gaps between income and expenditure levels up to April 2025 with £46.4m from its…

At least 33 companies ‘unwittingly’ paid an organised criminal gang that placed hundreds of Romanian victims onto construction sites. A report by the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner revealed that a criminal gang placed up to 500 victims on building sites in London and the South East between 2009 and 2018. The…

The latest industrywide skills plan addresses the shortage of workers by expanding traineeships and focusing on competence rather than qualifications. The plan was published by the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) People and Skills group to lay out annual goals for the industry and government to tackle the skills shortage in…

Most construction workers have admitted that they would go to work despite having COVID-19, a Construction News poll has found. Some 59 per cent of respondents said that financial pressures meant they would continue to go to work despite testing positive. A further 15 per cent said they would “probably”…

Willmott Dixon has partnered with materials manufacturer Etex to upskill prisoners at HMP Cardiff. The training programme will give HMP Cardiff inmates the chance to learn how to install plasterboard. The course is designed to provide learners with the most up-to-date industry knowledge and best practices, and is an update…

Vacancies in the construction sector remain high as demand for workers continues to outstrip supply. There were 48,000 vacancies in the three months to March, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). That is the same number as in February, but the figure had jumped by 10,000 from January…

Mace has appointed new regional directors for south-west England and the north. The construction firm has named Sarah Morton as director for the north and Lucy Namihas as director for the south-west region. Morton joined Mace’s consultancy business last year and led the managed frameworks team, working closely with national…