Welcome to this week’s e-news.

Last Friday I was invited to the Turner & Townsend briefing on HS2 East, which looked at what the impact would be and the benefits of improved connectivity to the North East and Scotland. I would like to thank Michael Henson, Associate Director, Local Government for Turner & Townsend for the invitation and a very informative afternoon.

On Saturday I was invited to Ladies Day at Newcastle Racecourse by the Hilton and it was great to see a number of you there. Unfortunately, I didn’t win big but had a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon. Don’t forget there is just over two weeks to go until our Foundations Charity Race Day. We only have two sponsorship opportunities left if any of you are interested which will give you regional and national publicity. We also have a number of places available if you would like to attend either individually or purchase a table of 10. Please see below for further detail or contact Leanne on 0191 5007880.

On Tuesday I was in London for the Constructing Excellence Board meeting, then on Wednesday I was with my Constructing Excellence Regional counterparts to discuss the Regional Club Network.

This afternoon we said farewell to Douglas Kell, Director of CECA North East and wish him all the very best for his retirement. I have known Douglas for over 15 years and it has been such a delight to work with him. Leanne and I have built up a good friendship with Douglas over the years and he will be truly missed.

August is a quiet period for the team at Constructing Excellence, however, don’t think that we are just sitting here twiddling our thumbs. We are in the stages of planning our schedule of events for the Autumn with a packed calendar beginning in September which includes our first North East Construction Summit. We have some fantastic speakers on board so far and there are also opportunities for companies to exhibit at the Summit. If you are interested in attending or taking an exhibition stand, please contact Leanne.

If you have any suggestions of what you wish to see in our calendar of events, which could be range from CPD to social events, we look forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes

Catriona

Exciting new employment initiative for young people

Following its recent appointment of managing director, Patricia Wilkinson, North East based training provider NCT Skills for Life (NCT), has announced the launch of an exciting new initiative set to tackle the unemployment rate of today’s school leavers in the North East.
 
JEF-CEP, which stands for Joint Enterprise Forces- Construction Employability Pathway, is a joint initiative between NCT and the Armed Forces. The initiative aims to offer 240 school leavers the opportunity to develop useful skill sets, gain hands-on experience and to earn a Level One certificate in Multi-Trade Construction, which includes wood work, plastering, bricklaying and roofing.
Specifically designed by Patricia and her team, JEF-CEP is designed to develop team-building, communication and self-discipline, whilst also equipping successful candidates with the skills and qualifications to secure an apprenticeship place. 
 
As the North East currently holds the highest unemployment rate throughout England, with 7.9%* of the region out of work, according to Patricia it is imperative to address this problem and it is one of the key reasons for JEF-CEP’s launch.
 
There are still a number of places available on the JEF-CEP scheme, therefore anyone aged 16-19 who is interested in this opportunity can contact NCT to get involved.  Equally, employers who are interested in taking on apprentices should also look to contact NCT.