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Features

Lead times

2004-11-26T00:00:00Z

There may be few changes this quarter, says Rob Darrow of Mace, but you should brace yourself for what’ll happen next year. Over the page, Gavin Murgatroyd of Gardiner & Theobald casts a spotlight on structural steel

Features

Planning: the American dream

2004-11-26T00:00:00Z

John Prescott and Prince Charles want to borrow a US idea – new urbanism – to make sustainable communities function as urban spaces. But some UK architects fear design codes and community consultation could result in the Poundbury vision taking hold.

Features

Whose deal is it?

2004-11-26T00:00:00Z

When it comes to training and skills, the industry has bet the house on the success of CSCS cards. Now a report has revealed that the scheme is hobbled by arguments over who controls it and whether it is working.

Features

Vague visions Vegas

2004-11-26T00:00:00Z

Kerrching! The prospect of supercasinos cropping up across the land is putting pound signs in the eyes of construction firms. We talk to key players to find out how good the odds are of winning that jackpot – and to discover the rules of the game …

Features

Kerry leans on AMEC in her time of need

2004-11-22T17:12:00Z

Kerry McFadden is the latest C-lister to chivvy a builder in the name of celebrity/charity telly.

Features

Bexhill's North-South divide

2004-11-22T14:39:00Z

Residents of a Sussex street are being divided by one-sided plans to redevelop their road.

Features

Our golden opportunity

2004-11-19T00:00:00Z

Over the past five months ºÚ¶´ÉçÇø has run the Action for Skills series, with ConstructionSkills, to kick-start a debate about training and the new sector skills agreement. Now, to round off the series, this supplement – a constructor’s manual, if you will – offers an overview of training needs ...

Features

The ideal partner

2004-11-19T00:00:00Z

John Rackstraw, chief executive of Pearce Group and a devotee of the Egan message, explains how he’s putting the principles of partnering and integrated supply chains into action

Features

Step 1: educate the people - Young hearts and minds

2004-11-19T00:00:00Z

Can a child of seven appreciate great buildings? Will a 15-year-old see the career opportunities construction has to offer? Well yes, but only if construction firms go to schools and actually talk to young people

Features

A sure way in

2004-11-19T00:00:00Z

Construction apprenticeships are as popular as ever with young people, but employers are less enthusiastic about the costs involved. So what can be done to give young people a secure path into the industry?

Features

A collective task: training for local people

2004-11-19T00:00:00Z

Whitefriars Housing Group is a collective of three housing firms that formed in September 2000 to manage more than 19,000 former Coventry council homes.

Features

Crème de la crème

2004-11-19T00:00:00Z

A degree and a pile of debt – the net result after several years of hard study and student nights out. But how prepared are graduates for the tough world of work and the particular demands of construction?

Features

A mature influence

2004-11-19T00:00:00Z

Stories of posh plumbers – city bankers who swap pinstripes for overalls – may be exaggerated, but it is true that an increasing number of people in other professions want to learn construction skills. So how can the industry meet their training needs?

Features

Step 2: equip the workforce - A matter of life and death

2004-11-19T00:00:00Z

Construction sites are always going to be dangerous places to work – despite efforts to improve health and safety attitudes. Here’s how government, unions and contractors are trying to minimise accidents

Features

Where credit’s due

2004-11-19T00:00:00Z

Talent, skill and hard work characterise most of construction’s 2 million workers, yet in the past the industry has not formerly recognised their contributions or helped individuals develop their careers. Now companies are waking up to the value of staff and are investing in lifelong training

Features

A better deal for migrants

2004-11-19T00:00:00Z

Foreign workers play a vital role in construction, and to protect them from exploitation more needs to be done to regulate pay and conditions as well as improve health and safety training

Features

Step 3: integrate the supply - We’re only as strong as our weakest link …

2004-11-19T00:00:00Z

Construction’s worst flaw is said to be its supply chain, which is why so much work is going into improving relationships between suppliers, contractors and clients. Here are some examples of joined-up thinking

Features

Appendix 1: regional skills roundup - A nationwide skills hunt

2004-11-19T00:00:00Z

Employers across the country complain of a skills shortage, but has it hit some regions more than others? And could we be experiencing the effects of a North-South divide? Some researchers intend to find out …

Features

Appendix 2: the government’s role - Friends in high places

2004-11-19T00:00:00Z

Public spending is on the increase – which means construction and government need each other more than ever before. Here’s how the two of them are coming to a mutual understanding …

Features

Bovis hits number one with £171m work in October

2004-11-19T00:00:00Z

£140m PFI cancer centre in Leeds helps it take monthly title – and consolidate lead in annual table