◾ Out of respect to our channel sponsors and the wide variety of people who watch our videos, we’ll remove comments that do not follow common standards of politeness and decency.
◾ Out of respect to our channel sponsors and the wide variety of people who watch our videos, we’ll remove comments that do not follow common standards of politeness and decency.
◾ Out of respect to our channel sponsors and the wide variety of people who watch our videos, we’ll remove comments that do not follow common standards of politeness and decency.
◾ Out of respect to our channel sponsors and the wide variety of people who watch our videos, we’ll remove comments that do not follow common standards of politeness and decency.
Now’s the time to get your qualification, says North West Skills Academy
There has never been a better time to become a qualified Green Homes Grant installer, says Samuel Riley, CEO of training provider North West Skills Academy.
His academy was one of 18 successful bids from 29 applicants to receive a chunk of more than £6m made available through the Green Homes Grant Skills Competition.
The aim of the competition, which was run by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), is to make sure tradespeople are equipped and professionally trained in delivering home improvement measures that qualify for the Green Homes Grant.
It is hoped the skills competition will result in more than 5,000 training opportunities.
Samuel explains: “We are an organisation that is committed to supporting the number of skilled suppliers for the Green Homes Grant Scheme and we are very well positioned to respond to the skills competition to expand a skilled, qualified green workforce.
“The NVQ is fully delivered in the workplace and remotely. With full one-to-one support available and the current Green Homes Grant Skills Competition funding, there has never been a better time to become qualified.”
Under the Green Homes Grant scheme homeowners and landlords can fund up to two-thirds of the cost of green home improvements up to £5,000, or 100% of the cost for homeowners on low incomes, up to £10,000.
Measures covered include insulation of walls, floors and roofs, double or triple glazing when replacing single glazing, and low-carbon heating like heat pumps.
The scheme has now been extended until March 2022, providing plenty of opportunities for traders to get the skills to carry out the work.
Training Green Homes Grant Installers
Become a Green Homes Grant Installer
North West Skills Academy will be offering courses lasting between one and four months at their Manchester base, specialising in:
External wall insulation (boarding and finishing)
Cavity wall insulation
Loft and roof insulation
Draught-proofing
Internal wall Insulation
Insulated framed sections of buildings
Floor insulation
Wood preserving and damp-proofing
Samuel adds: “It’s a chance to get your blue skilled Construction Skills Certification Scheme card, comply with PAS 2030 requirements, which is needed to become a Trustmark accredited Green Homes Grant installer and you get the recognition you deserve.”
Simon Ayers, CEO of TrustMark said: “We are delighted that such great organisations have been awarded funding to support the development of the supply chain required, as we transition to sustainable delivery of whole house retrofit to properties in the UK.
“The demand for skilled and competent businesses to undertake the requirements of the new standards and deliver quality to the consumer has never been higher.”
The 18 training organisations providing training through the skills competition, can be found across England, from Penrith and Newcastle in the north to Poole in the south, Epping in the east and Bristol in the west.
Time for another rant from Roger, cliché warning, it’s health and safety gone mad!
See the article about Barratt Homes and an electrical subcontractor having been fined a total of £160,000 for failing to comply with working at height regulations: https://bit.ly/2L3FiRr
◾ Out of respect to our channel sponsors and the wide variety of people who watch our videos, we’ll remove comments that do not follow common standards of politeness and decency.
◾ Out of respect to our channel sponsors and the wide variety of people who watch our videos, we’ll remove comments that do not follow common standards of politeness and decency.
◾ Out of respect to our channel sponsors and the wide variety of people who watch our videos, we’ll remove comments that do not follow common standards of politeness and decency.
It is no longer news that the knowledge economy of today is largely driven by data.
Innovative disruptions have come to virtually all sectors of economies through the introduction of technological solutions and ultimately, personalization.
Examples of these are seen in the way people have moved from cable TV to streaming services, traditional retail setups to e-commerce, and so on.
A study by Accenture on hyper-relevant customer experiences show that 40% of consumers switched companies as far back as 2017 due to inadequate personalization features. Today, it is safe to say that this number would have doubled.
Customer Data Harvesting and its Downsides
To achieve the gains enjoyed by customers, these companies conduct customer data harvesting. These companies take raw data of their customers, compute them and transform them into actionable models which churn out results based on the computed data.
While this provides consumers with a more connected feel to the brand or business, it has its downsides – especially with respect to data privacy.
Data and Identity Theft: With the ravaging wave of cybercrime across the globe today, data theft is a major cause for concern, especially with the large volume of personal data collected by these firms.
Should these data fall into the wrong hands, cyber threats such as identity theft begin to set in. Eventually, the company loses revenue and customer trust which is often hardest to gain back.
Data Misuse
Asides this, there’s also the issue of overzealous companies collecting more data than required without permission and possibly trading them to other buyers within their circle. This of course, should be illegal but oftentimes users fail to read privacy policies before they accept them thereby sign off their personal data. To curtail all these issues, there are a number of precautions that can be taken by users and they are listed below:
Preventing the Adverse Effect of Customer Data Harvesting
Use Temporary Details: For services that require a one-time sign-on, it is usually advisable to use temporary email addresses that can be gotten off the Internet for registration and subsequent login. This reduces how much of your details you have out there.
Use a VPN: Asides accessing geo-restricted services, it is advisable to download a VPN for your devices as this provides an extra layer of security on your data when it transfers over the Internet. In addition, VPNs help shield your Internet activity from your ISPs.
Disable Location Settings: A number of applications make use of GPS locations to provide personalized services. Disabling this setting on your device, especially when not in use will help prevent your location data from being collected without permission.
Avoid Suspicious Mails and Links: A good rule of thumb is to look out for SSL encryption on emails and HTTPS prefix on website links in the search bar. More often than not, unsafe or phishing links are not secured.
Avoid Free Apps and Services: Lots of times, these free applications offer free services for something in return. As you might rightly guess, it is personal data which can either be sold, used to serve ads or used maliciously that are obtained in exchange for free services.
◾ Out of respect to our channel sponsors and the wide variety of people who watch our videos, we’ll remove comments that do not follow common standards of politeness and decency.
◾ Out of respect to our channel sponsors and the wide variety of people who watch our videos, we’ll remove comments that do not follow common standards of politeness and decency.
◾ Out of respect to our channel sponsors and the wide variety of people who watch our videos, we’ll remove comments that do not follow common standards of politeness and decency.
Construction firm boss Richard Selby is urging businesses to act now to be ready for new trading rules between the UK and EU on 1 January 2021.
The Director and co-founder of Pro Steel Engineering worked with his accountant and used the checklist available on GOV.UK, to make sure the business was prepared for the end of the Transition period on 31 December. He’s now advising others to do the same.
Richard says: “It’s so important to use GOV.UK support. In addition, if working across borders ensure you are aware of additional administration requirements and talk to freight forwarders about the support they can offer.
“We found it helped to look at webinars and reach out to other organisations like the Institute of Directors for support.”
Pro Steel Engineering
Pro Steel Engineering employs 65 staff at its base in Pontypool, where it specialises in structural steelwork fabrication and construction.
Richard’s advice comes as the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy continues to update gov.uk/transition with vital information to help companies understand the important actions they need to take to be ready for the start of 2021.
Support includes pre-recorded webinars taking businesses through the changes related to them.
Richard has checked the new rules on importing and exporting goods between the EU and Great Britain from 1 January 2021. He’s also made sure his company applied due diligence to exporting and importing timber from the UK to EU to meet legal harvest requirements.
He adds: “This is something very much front of mind for us, and that we need to create a list of suppliers and customers to be in a good place for the start of 2021”
Further information
Find webinars to help you understand what actions to take at bit.ly/UKTwebinar
Speak with your lawyer and accountant for more information, or answer questions using the checker tool to generate information tailored to your business, and to sign up for email updates.
The staff at the company got into the festive spirit by wearing an array of seasonally inspired sweaters and jumpers in return for a £2.00 donation.
Covers further bolstered funds by making a generous donation of £5 for every transaction completed across its chain of 14 depots on the day.
Covers Timber & Builders Merchants Staff in their Christmas jumpers.
The hospices to benefit from the funding are St Wilfrid’s in Chichester, Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice Care in Farnham, Martlets in Hove, St Peter & St James Hospice in Lewes, Hospice in the Weald in Tunbridge Wells, Countess Mountbatten Hospice Charity in Southampton, St Catherine’s Hospice in Crawley, The Rowans Hospice in Waterlooville and St Barnabas House in Worthing.
The children’s hospices Chestnut Tree House in Arundel, Naomi House & Jacksplace in Winchester, and Demelza Hospice Care in Sittingbourne will also receive funds.
Henry Green, Managing Director of Covers, said:
“This year has been particularly difficult for charities so we are delighted to be supporting hospices in our communities once again with our annual Christmas Jumper Day.
Hospices rely heavily on funding to operate, so we hope this latest donation will help make a difference to the vital work they do taking care of patients and their families.”
The British Institute of Kitchen, Bedroom & Bathroom Installation (BiKBBI) is delighted to announce an exciting new partnership with electricals retailer, AO, as they become a sponsor of the government-sanctioned institute.
Operating across the UK and Germany, AO has over 20 years’ experience selling, delivering, and installing household appliances for the public, as well as offering its unique proposition to B2B clients through, AO Business.
AO’s sponsorship plays an integral role in the support of the institute’s objectives, including the development of industry apprenticeships, something the organisation is focusing on over the next three years.
Anthony Sant, MD at AO Business, said: “We’re so proud to have come on board as a sponsor of the British Institute of KBB Installation. At AO Business, we offer a unique proposition to customers, with our trained delivery fleet equipped to install any appliance we sell into customers’ homes.
Whether we’re delivering to a vulnerable customer through our supported living team or installing 100s of appliances into new build homes with our housebuilder team, we truly understand the art of installation.
Our proposition ensures all deliveries are hassle-free for customers and we’ll even remove old appliances for safe recycling at AO’s plant in Telford!”
BiKBBI Chief Executive Damian Walters, said: “We’re working with some amazing businesses and we’re proud that leading brands continue to support our objectives via Corporate Sponsorship.
AO is another example of a robust, reputable industry-relevant business that understands the importance of installation and the work we do to make the industry a better place for all stakeholders. I am bowled over by AO’s support and I welcome them into the BiKBBI family with open arms!”
The Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, the global professional body for supply chain management has launched the new Construction Procurement Competence Tool after the development of a national suite of procurement competence standards following the Grenfell enquiry.
Building a Safer Future
In response to Dame Judith Hackitt’s Building a Safer Future report, it was recognised that poor procurement practices can lead to decisions that compromise all aspects of building and life safety, and across the sector, there was a desire to improve the competence of people involved in procurement activities so that better decisions are taken at all levels of the construction supply chain.
Construction Procurement Competence Tool
The free tool allows users to benchmark themselves and other individuals against the recommended competency framework to understand the level of competency or additional training and skills required to meet these more rigorous standards.
Users select their job role, such as building safety manager, principle contractor, or procurement leader followed by job competencies set against RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) stages 0-7 with the required level indicated against each stage.
The stages cover definition, capabilities and knowledge which are matched to levels in the CIPS global framework highlighting skills and capabilities required in various job roles.
The user then receives a summary of skills and competencies and where there are gaps for improvement. The tool is designed for use by individual contractors and construction professionals, companies and project managers.
CIPS chaired Working Group 11, one of the 13 groups appointed as part of the Competency Steering Group (CSG) following the Hackitt report. The CSG was tasked with the development of a national suite of procurement competence standards required not just amongst builders but associated professions such as architects and surveyors when working on higher risk buildings.
Organisations can map what procurement competency levels are required at each stage of a build, identifying key roles and levels of understanding to support enhanced safety aims. Whole teams can go through the process of assessment.
Duncan Brock CIPS Group Director and chair of the procurement working group, said,
“The free tool is a result of a collaborative project to help support the construction sector to combat its common challenges and reach a balanced approach as the pressures of price, margin and safety remain.
We hope it will give the sector more confidence and knowledge about procurement and build a better future for residents of higher risk buildings.
“The Grenfell tragedy will stick in our minds for many years to come and CIPS is proud to have been part of the work to improve standards to increase competence and ultimately ensure the safety of citizens in their homes.”
BREAKING NEW GROUND WITH MAKITA’S NEW CORDLESS EARTH AUGER.
Leading power tool manufacturer, Makita UK has announced the release of its Brushless LXT 36V (18Vx2) DDG460 – Earth Auger. Suitable for a variety of earth-boring tasks up to 200mm diameter, this powerful tool is breaking new ground in the field of cordless solutions.
Makita DDG460 Models
Powered by two 18V LXT lithium-ion batteries, the new Makita DDG460 T2X7 (with two 5Ah batteries and twin-port fast charger) and DDG460 ZX7 (body only version) Cordless Earth Auger is capable of producing a maximum torque of 136Nm.
Thanks to its 36V brushless motor, the solution is suited for even the most demanding tasks with the ability to drill approximately 155 holes with a 150mm earth auger, and 90 holes with a 200mm earth auger all from a single charge (figures may vary depending on ground conditions.)
The tool incorporates a number of features to protect the tool and battery from potential overuse, including Makita’s integrated Automatic Torque Drive Technology (ADT) that automatically changes the drilling speed according to the load condition, thus enabling more optimum operation.
To protect the operator, the tool also features a torque limiter, that will activate if the auger binds in the ground, which is required due to the high torque output generated by this machine.
Reverse Action
Here, the motor will disengage from the output shaft and the machine will stop. Should an auger bit jam in soil with high resistance such as clay, the reversing switch enables the operator to extract the bit in reverse rotation.
Makita has also included a Handle Set with a bar and auxiliary handle to assist the operator in controlling the rotation torque generated by the powerful motor and gearbox.
With a number of convenient controls such as soft-start function, an electric brake two-speed gearbox and variable speed control, the DDG460 can easily switch between tasks with its versatile auger bit adapter, whilst the twin LED job light makes working in low-light environments far easier.
Earth Auger Options
The power unit can be fitted with a selection of 100mm, 150mm and 200mm earth augers and Makita has also introduced a 540mm extension bar to achieve greater hole depth when required.
Speaking on the new release, Mark Earles, OPE Business Development Manager at Makita UK commented: “The new DDG460 Cordless Earth Auger is ideal for many fencing and landscaping companies, with the power and performance required to tackle a variety of soils without the constraints of petrol engine alternatives.
Powered by a brushless motor, the tool is engineered to run more efficiently for longer life and is fuelled by our LXT battery platform for fast charging and on-site productivity.
“We are looking forward to releasing more cordless, outdoor products as part of an exciting and expanding roadmap of cordless products in 2021.”
With verifiably sustainable fabric technology innovations.
With a focus on comfort, performance and sustainability in its new products, the 2021 digital catalogue has all you need to know about Snickers Workwear, including new products that now use REPREVE, the world’s number one brand of recycled performance fibre.
There’s also new AllroundWork Topwear with the cooling 37.5® moisture transportation fabric, as well as upgraded FLEXIWork Stretch Trousers with extra functionality and durability.
By popular demand, there’s also a stretchy hi-vis Work Jacket with great comfort and flexibility for high-performance work and high visibility in low-light conditions.
Added to which, there are the most innovative street-smart stretch fabrics in the ALLROUNDWork clothing range for mobile comfort and a Layered Clothing System that ensures you can choose clothes to suit the weather on site – rain or shine, wind or snow – plus an extensive range of EN-certified ProtecWork and PPE products.
Complimented by Snickers Workwear’s Profiling and Embroidery services and the most extensive range of garment sizes, this clothing system delivers the ultimate solution to make every man and woman’s workday easier and safer.
With verifiably sustainable fabric technology innovations. With a focus on comfort, performance and sustainability in its new products, the 2021 digital catalogue has all you need to know about Snickers Workwear, including new products that now use REPREVE, the world’s number one brand of recycled performance fibre.
There’s also new AllroundWork Topwear with the cooling 37.5® moisture transportation fabric, as well as upgraded FLEXIWork Stretch Trousers with extra functionality and durability.
By popular demand, there’s also a stretchy hi-vis Work Jacket with great comfort and flexibility for high-performance work and high visibility in low-light conditions.
Added to which, there’s the most innovative street-smart stretch fabrics in the ALLROUNDWork clothing range for mobile comfort and a Layered Clothing System that ensures you can choose clothes to suit the weather on site – rain or shine, wind or snow – plus an extensive range of EN-certified ProtecWork and PPE products.
Complimented by Snickers Workwear’s Profiling and Embroidery services and the most extensive range of garment sizes, this clothing system delivers the ultimate solution to make every man and woman’s workday easier and safer.
