Valuable new training for the construction sector
Date added:
11 December 2009
Press release
Building and construction-related firms in Sandwell are urged to attend a special breakfast briefing with Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council on Thursday 17 December. Over a free cooked breakfast, they will hear about an important new training scheme to help them comply with the government and industry’s six Construction Commitments – and stand a better chance of working with the council’s principle contractors and winning public-sector work in their own right.
Council chiefs and construction-industry experts are among those already signed up to take part in a special breakfast meeting at Sandwell Council House on Thursday, where they will hear about a new two-day training scheme to help local firms become compliant with the six Construction Commitments.
Take a look at our specially commissioned video to see what the Construction Commitments are all about (click to activate):
The Construction Commitments have been jointly designed by government and industry experts to help the UK showcase the best of its construction practices in the lead-up to 2012. They focus on client leadership, procurement & integration, design, sustainability, commitment to people, and health & safety.
It is going to become increasingly important for councils and construction firms across the UK to show their compliance with the Construction Commitments. A joint industry and government report last year gave public-sector buyers a target: that 35 per cent of their construction procurement should, by 2010, be Construction Commitment-compliant, rising to 60 per cent by 2012.
Sandwell Council awards hundreds of construction contracts every year – and also holds the purse strings for millions of pounds’ worth of regeneration investments set to transform the borough in the next decade. The council recognises the significance of its spending power in boosting its local economy and runs an award-winning online trading network – www.finditinsandwell.co.uk – to make local authority contracts transparent and accessible for local businesses.
Recognising the implications of the Construction Commitments to its local supply chain, Sandwell Council and finditinsandwell aim to help as many businesses as possible to become compliant – and have designed a valuable two-day training programme to support them through the process.
Having successfully completed the training course, construction firms will be listed on finditinsandwell’s online directory as a qualified and capable sub-contractors who are compliant with the six Construction Commitments.
“Regeneration is not just about building. It's about regenerating communities, creating and sustaining local jobs, generating apprenticeships, training opportunities, work placements and career choices for our residents. And to achieve this it’s vitally important that supply opportunities are provided for the local business community,” said Councillor Bob Badham, cabinet member for transport and regeneration for Sandwell Council.
“That’s why we’re appealing for local construction firms to come forward and sign up for this valuable training. Their work underpins a huge supply chain, from manufacturing building materials, waste management and subcontracting services, right through to landscaping, interiors and facilities management. So as compliance with these Construction Commitments becomes an increasingly important factor in buyers’ decisions, we need to make sure our borough’s construction firms are first out of the blocks in being ‘tender-ready’, putting them in good stead for winning contracts.
“We effectively want to remove any risk or reason that contract decision-makers may have for not using our local suppliers, manufacturers and subcontractors - and give local firms the business skills needed to be in with a fighting chance at winning work.”
Sandwell is blessed with a capable pool of construction firms, and this scheme will ensure that council buyers and principle contractors get access to their details and assurance that they meet the latest construction industry standards.
Peter Watson, managing director of West Bromwich based civil and ground engineering contractor Forkers Ltd (one of the companies to take part in a successful pilot of the training programme), said, "We are pleased to be one of the first companies in Sandwell to sign up to Construction Commitments training and we are confident that this new comprehensive supplier accreditation scheme, which is tailored to clients' requirements, will enable us to further demonstrate our capability, expertise and quality and give the client increased confidence to choose local contractors for future projects.”
Interested parties are urged to sign up now for the free breakfast meeting, which takes place from 7 – 9am (registration starts at 6:45am) on Thursday 17 December in the chamber rooms at Sandwell Council House in Oldbury. It includes a complimentary cooked breakfast and networking opportunities with other construction professionals. Jan Britton, Sandwell Council's executive director for urban regeneration who gives the training scheme his full backing, will be there to meet and greet delegates.
To find out more or reserve your place by phoning Steve Massey on 0121 569 2105 or emailing stephen_massey@sandwell.gov.uk today.
Notes to editors:
finditinsandwell is fast-growing, award-winning trading network set up by Sandwell Council to help local businesses win work from the billions of pounds’ worth of regeneration investment coming to the area. To date it has advertised more than £300m business opportunities online and directly generated £12m-worth of work for Sandwell people. You can find out more here.
The six Construction Commitments were set up by industry experts and the government to bring together six key areas vital to delivering construction projects on time, safely and to budget. You can find out more at http://www.cic.org.uk/strategicforum/pdf/commitments.pdf (downloadable PDF).
For more information on finditinsandwell or to request accompanying pictures, please contact Steve Massey at Sandwell Council on 0121 569 2105 or email stephen_massey@sandwell.gov.uk.
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