Mid-October Updates
17th October 2019
This week we find ourselves in the middle of October. With only 10 weeks until Christmas, our installation team continue to be extremely busy with new clients, new projects and existing, ongoing contracts too. Next week we are starting our landscaping scheme to High Oakham Park with Carmalor Group in Mansfield, whilst also attending a residential development in Navenby by Lindum Homes, and one in Brigg by Cyden Homes.
Our office departments are also quite busy. We are currently looking to hire an Apprentice Estimator/Buyer in the near future, January – March 2020, to promote our estimating department to expand. The role of the Apprentice will be to work closely with our Estimating Manager, Ross, in interacting with clients, finding out their requirements, attending site meetings, formulating landscaping bills, securing contracts and buying materials effectively. The programme is a Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship in Construction Contracting Operations, delivered by North Lindsey College, one of our course providers. We are in the process of contacting three candidates who have recently applied for this role. Upon attending an interview, the next stage will be to attend our one week’s work trial, followed by a probationary period of 3 months, where the selected candidate will work both on site and in the office. This will provide the candidate to grasp the full experience of being an Estimator/Buyer. Ross will be involved in the interviewing and selection process.
This week we have also been invited by Riseholme College to attend an event at their Showground Campus, Curriculum Transformation, where key stakeholders come together to review the college’s curriculum for 2020 – 2025. As we have had some of our employees undertake the Horticulture apprenticeship with the college, we are attending the event where we will have the opportunity to express our views. We are very much looking forward to it and we are happy to be involved in helping to create a highly skilled future workforce alongside the other organisations.
Useful links:
https://www.findapprenticeship.service.gov.uk/apprenticeship/-469197
Bon Voyage to Joe Cox
11th October 2019
This week we have been catching up on projects that we were unable to complete due to the wet weather of late. We have some more new and continuous projects lined for the following two weeks, which is proving to make October a very busy month.
Unfortunately for us, Joe, one of our long term members, and the son of Simon Cox, is going away next week for 5 months to travel throughout the Asian and Australian continents. Joe is currently our Site Manager, who deals with organising staff to sites, monitoring quality and control of site projects and does all the contract planning operations with the assistance of Simon. Joe will be greatly missed for both his sense of humour and charismatic leadership, and also for the hard work he has put in since joining the Company. From next week on, Simon will be taking over this department until Joe’s return in March 2020.
Also this week, we have received a certificate from Stallard Kane Associates following the HR Audit we had two weeks ago. We obtained a Gold Status as we have achieved 98% compliance in Employment Law. This means that our Company’s current policies and procedures in relation to Human Resources are up to date and compliant with the current Employment Law legislation.
Soon, we will also launch the first issue of our Newsletter, which will be released on a quarterly basis. The contents of the newsletter will provide highlights of each department within the business with relevant information and visual aids. All of our partners, clients and suppliers, will be issued with the newsletter via email. For GDPR purposes, all recipients will have the option to opt out.
We would like to wish everyone a great weekend.
Useful links:
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Construction Week 2019
4th October 2019
It has been a wonderful week at the Lincolnshire Showground. We thoroughly enjoyed engaging and interacting with everyone who attended Construction Week, the young people, the companies, and organisers of the event, The Education Business Partnership (EBP), Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and The Lincoln Group Training Association (LGTA).
Tuesday, the first day of the event, we had heavy rainfall and a mucky outdoor area. However, we got our hands dirty and the young people didn’t seem to mind getting a bit mucky either. In fact, we had so much engagement and interest from the diverse groups of children. They asked so many questions about each activity, the job itself and our company.
In each session, the young people were split into 3 smaller groups so that everyone could have a go at every task of the activity. The first task was being led by Dan, who demonstrated the principles of topsoil preparation and turf laying, and they all had a go. In the second task the children were shown the principles of plant identification and how to carry out planting. On the third task, they were shown the principles of laying membrane and spreading bark mulch. At the end, everyone had a go our Avant too!
We feel privileged to have taken part in such a hands on and informative event alongside our partners in the industry. We hope that the organisations and the young people involved have enjoyed the event as much as we did, and we look forward to attending future events with EBP.
Useful links:
1000 Lincolnshire children get a taste of industry at Construction Week 2019
https://www.west-lindsey.gov.uk/my-council/council-news/construction-week-day-one-inspires-future-industry-professionals/