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Job figures rising to a four-month high in May isn’t necessarily good news for the construction industry, according to One Way. An analysis by the construction and rail recruitment specialist found that the growth in the number of newly created jobs, outlined in the Markit/CIPS UK Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index, merely highlighted the worsening skills shortages that continue to impact the sector. This is made particularly concerning by the fact that rising job vacancies come at a time when industry output has slumped to a three-year low. Managing Director of One Way Paul Payne, comments. “On paper a rise in job vacancies should be great news for us, but when you consider the bigger picture it only highlights the growing skills shortages that the …

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The building boom is Manchester has been fired up further after two major schemes gained planning approval. The largest will see Balfour Beatty now start work later this year on the University of Manchester’s £350m engineering campus. The Manchester Engineering Campus Development will be one of the largest, single construction projects ever undertaken by a higher education institution in the UK. At 195m long, the development’s main building – MEC Hall – could easily accommodate Manchester’s tallest building, Beetham Tower, laid sideways. Architects Mecanoo designed the flagship project which will open in 2020 and bring together a multi-disciplinary engineering and scientific community and consolidate the University’s student campus around Oxford Road. Located opposite the National Graphene Institute on Booth Street East and adjacent to the Manchester Aquatics Centre, the new…

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A joint venture between Murphy and Hochtief has been named preferred bidder for the main tunnelling contract for the planned £2.4bn potash mine in North Yorkshire. Plan advances to mine the world’s largest deposit of potash Sirius Minerals, a fertilizer producer, hopes to start preparatory building work at the site near Whitby shortly, with the mine opening in 2021. A 23-mile tunnel will be built, so minerals can be transported to a processing plant on Teesside. The fertilizer producer also named Associated Mining Construction – formed from specialist firms within the Thyseen and Redpath group – as preferred bidder for shaft sinking at the mine site. The Murphy Hochtief joint venture will design and build the underground mineral transport system to link the mine with the materials…

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Henry Boot is enjoying continued growth at its construction division despite Government output figures claiming the industry is contracting. Figures from the Office of National Statistics showing that construction output in March fell by 3.6% month-on-month prompted a rash of gloomy headlines in national newspapers. But the numbers were questioned by expert construction forecasters. Now Henry Boot has added to the debate in its latest trading update to the City. The firm said: “Our Construction business has made a strong start to the year and expects to achieve targeted activity in 2016 and are already building the 2017 order book. “Encouragingly, and contrary to certain press comment regarding parts of the UK construction market, we are seeing improvements in both construction activity and the size of opportunities…

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New research by a money saving website in the UK has discovered that over one third of workers in Briton have to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at work at least twice a week. Furthermore it was found that on average Britons work 12 hours more per week than they are contracted too.  Workers across the country have admitted that they often find themselves consuming all three of their daily meals whilst at work, according to new research by a money saving website in the UK. The team at www.VoucherCodesPro.co.uk conducted the research as part of an ongoing study into the average Britons working day. A total of 2,015 UK-based workers aged 18 and over, all of whom stated they were in full-time work, …

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BLACKBURN, England, May, 2016 – Chubb Fire & Security Limited, a leading provider of security and fire-safety solutions for businesses and industry, held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new high-performance workspace in Blackburn. The project will transform Chubb’s existing Blackburn office campus into an advanced, integrated and sustainable space for Chubb, as well as UK affiliates of Otis Limited and Carrier Controls Limited, and serve as a showcase for the capabilities of all three brands. Chubb is a part of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX). Alastair Reynolds, managing director of Chubb Fire & Security said, “This is an exciting day for our company. With this new building we are creating a safer, smarter and more sustainable environment that …

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Horizon Nuclear Power has struck a deal with joint venture partners Hitachi, Bechtel and Japan’s JGC Corporation to deliver the Wylfa Newydd nuclear power station project. Proposed design for Angelsey’s new nuclear power plant This JV will work as a Tier-1 contractor responsible for engineering, procurement and construction of the £14bn project in Anglesey. The deal paves the way for the JV known as Menter Newydd, meaning New Venture in Welsh, to strike deals with key subcontractors. Menter Newydd will scale up its UK presence in the coming weeks and months, developing construction plans for the Wylfa Newydd site. Suppliers interested in any aspect of Menter Newydd scope should register details at www.hitachi-hgne.co.uk and Menter Newydd will communicate further contracting structures, routes to…

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–       Members of the design and construction sector are welcome to attend this debate on Wednesday 15 June at the University of Huddersfield –       The debate will be webcast CAN Britain build a better future in or out of the EU?  The likely impact on the UK construction sector of either BREXIT or a vote to remain in Europe is to be debated at a special University of Huddersfield event featuring leading industry figures. Titled BREXIT – it’s impact on the Design and Construction sector, the debate takes place on Wednesday 15 June (17:30–19:00) at the University’s 3M Buckley Innovation Centre. In the chair will be Bernard Ainsworth, who has been in the construction industry for over 40 years, the majority of those spent with firm …

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Many commercial, customer facing businesses have been disrupted by the notion of a comprehensive customer ‘experience’ that has been introduced largely by tech giants Apple and Google. In view of this, they are presented with customers and clients that have an insatiable appetite for a new ‘experience’. The challenge inherently begins with the business premises themselves, they need to hint towards the promise of being ‘interestingly different’ as we are all aware of the old cliché, “first impressions count”. The space that a commercial business occupies has a number of requirements, it needs to be both functional and aesthetically pleasing but it also must carry the energy of the brand. The premises are integral to brand perception as well as productivity levels and staff morale. They need …

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A lack of manpower is the biggest concern for the Government in meeting construction targets, according to construction and rail recruitment specialists, One Way. This comes in light of a recent survey from property consultants McBains Cooper which revealed that just three in ten of England’s housebuilders believe the Government’s target of building one million homes by 2020 can be achieved. The report listed the biggest barriers as land shortages, the slow granting of planning permission, a lack of finance and skills shortages. However, the firm has argued that the biggest problem facing the Government’s target is the lack of ‘feet on the ground’. One Way has highlighted that these targets should have included greater consideration of the manpower requirements which will have a significant impact on productivity. Paul Payne, managing director …

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