Category: People
-
Housing association expands apprenticeship scheme for skilled trades
L&Q has launched its 2025 apprenticeship programme, offering placements for 20 aspiring tradespeople – with more positions expected to open later this year. The housing association is investing in future talent by expanding its apprenticeship and graduate programme across the organisation. This year, the intake will double in size, with 20 new roles in plumbing,…
-
Immigration white paper: what it means for UK construction
The government’s new immigration white paper – Restoring control over the immigration system – outlines significant policy reforms. It is aimed at ending overreliance on low-wage overseas workers, strengthening domestic workforce training and development, and reducing net migration figures from historically high levels. As part of its broader immigration reforms, the government aims to rebuild…
-
Safeguarding must-haves for employing apprentices
Gemma, one of the instructors at the ITP, who teaches Billy and other 16 to 17-year-old apprentices once a week, and is unsupervised while doing so, is in regulated activity with children and can undergo an enhanced DBS check as part of the child workforce, including a review of the children’s barred list. View the…
-
Levy-paying employers endorse CITB proposals
The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has received support from 67% of construction employers for its 2026-29 levy proposals. In addition, 12 out of the 14 prescribed organisations – federations and associations that present the levy proposals to their levy-paying members – are in agreement with the 2026-29 proposals. Typically undertaken every three years, the…
-
What’s your team’s purpose?
Every team has a purpose, or at least had a purpose when the team was put together. But what happens when people lose focus of their shared mission? When I am coaching leadership teams, I ask about the purpose of the team. The responses are usually mixed, lacking clarity and alignment. The individual members are…
-
What’s your team’s purpose?
Every team has a purpose, or at least had a purpose when the team was put together. But what happens when people lose focus of their shared mission? When I am coaching leadership teams, I ask about the purpose of the team. The responses are usually mixed, lacking clarity and alignment. The individual members are…
-
Tradesman takes on 5k challenge to raise mental health awareness
A Worcestershire-based tradesman is running 5k every day in May to raise awareness of the construction industry’s mental health crisis. Joe Baker’s challenge is inspired by his personal battle with addiction and mental health, and is dedicated to the 7,000 construction workers who have died by suicide over the last decade. Baker, who is founder…
-
Forterra celebrates mental health first aiders
To mark Mental Health Awareness Week, building products manufacturer Forterra is highlighting the important role mental health first aiders play in the workplace. Across its UK sites, more than 45 employees have been trained as mental health first aiders, including pot machinist Ian Wagg (pictured above). Wagg, who also volunteers with the East Midlands Ambulance…
-
How is construction addressing the mental health crisis?
“When I was at the [workplace mental health and wellbeing] Make a Difference (MAD) conference, we talked a lot about mental health in infrastructure,” says Catling, who has worked with infrastructure contractors and now has her own consultancy, ThinkOTB. View the original article and our Inspiration here
-
Construction risks losing aspiring apprentices, Seddon warns
Contractor Seddon has revealed that 2,694 people applied for just 20 apprenticeship roles in its latest hiring round, highlighting the lack of placements for people keen to start careers in construction. The figures from Seddon mirror national concerns cited in the CITB Construction Apprenticeships report. According to the report, the UK needs 50,000 additional construction…