CICES News
Plymouth prizes
Left: Dr Kenneth Kingston of the School of Biological and Marine Sciences (l) with Thomas Fisk; and (right) Thomas Gould.
This year’s institution prizes at the University of Plymouth have been awarded to graduates on the BSc Ocean Exploration and Surveying and MSci Ocean Science. Thomas Fisk won the CICES prize for the Best Overall IMCA Professional Competence Submission, and Thomas Gould was runner-up. Mr Fisk was also awarded the Fugro Marine Survey Prize for Best Overall Performance.
The prizes were presented by former CICES president Ed Danson, who commented: “This year’s graduation ceremony was a repeat of the glittering affair we have come to know and admire, held in a giant marquee on Plymouth Hoe where the great harbour and Smeaton’s Tower made a fitting backdrop for the awards ceremony of one of Europe’s premier maritime universities. The Covid precautions limited family and supporter numbers but nevertheless the throng was enthusiastically voluble. Hearty congratulations to both and best wishes for a successful and rewarding career.”
An honorary doctorate of science was also awarded to Professor Sir Ian Lamont Boyd, the Scottish marine zoologist, polar scientist and past chief scientific advisor at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
EngC updates security resources
The Engineering Council has added further resources alongside its existing Guidance on Security to emphasise the increasingly central role of data and cyber security, including BS EN ISO 19650-5:2020, for security-minded approaches to information management, and material developed by the UK Cyber Security Council and National Cyber Security Centre.
New scheme to find jobs and apprenticeships for young people
The government’s Construction Talent Retention Scheme has launched an online portal to help young people find apprenticeships and first jobs in construction. Talentview Construction (TVC) is a free initiative supported by the Construction Leadership Council, universities, colleges and construction industry employers, and funded by the CITB levy.
While job vacancies are at high levels, a survey has shown that only 14% of young adults looking for work in the UK are very confident of finding suitable career opportunities this year and 46% believe that it is harder now compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic. On top of this, only 16% had received any information about the variety of careers in construction and the built environment when they were at school or college.
Young people can build their own online profile and sign up to job alerts and training opportunities, while employers can upload all their early career vacancies, including traineeships, apprenticeships and graduate jobs. They can also search for suitable candidates and directly contact students and apprentices, as well as connecting more closely with schools, universities and construction colleges.
COYO student shortlisted for apprentice of the year
A former Design Engineer Construct! (DEC) student at Clacton Coastal Academy has been a shortlisted for the Apprentice of the Year award from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).
John Haylett, who is on a building surveying degree apprenticeship with Atkins and Anglia Ruskin University, achieved an A* for his Level 3 DEC portfolio in 2018. CICES fellow Alison Watson, founder of Class of Your Own (COYO), the scheme behind DEC, commented: “John is an exceptional role model for DEC students, and for all young people. He’s an inspiration to parents, teachers and professionals alike and an extraordinary ambassador for the surveying and property sector.” The results of the awards will be announced on 19 November.
Could you become a STEM Ambassador?
According to a recent forecast from the Construction Skills Network, the construction sector will need 216,800 new workers by 2025 to meet expected demand. However, construction is currently facing a huge skills shortage across all areas, on and off-site, including office-based professionals. As part of a drive to address this shortage, CITB, backed by the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has partnered with the STEM Ambassador programme, to create the Go Construct STEM Ambassador Scheme.
There are currently over 32,000 ambassadors making the STEM subjects – science, technology, engineering and maths – relatable to the workplace. This new scheme has been created specifically to inspire young people to consider a career in construction and the built environment.
Who can become a Go Construct STEM Ambassador?
Ambassadors are individuals who act as the face of the industry for young people, inspiring them to consider a career in construction and the built environment through sharing their own experiences. They could be anyone from a second-year apprentice within construction to a site manager sharing their career journey.
What are the benefits?
Ambassadors have the opportunity to:
- Inspire young people to take up a career in the construction industry.
- Pass on their skills, knowledge and enthusiasm to potential new entrants, to help close the skills gap that we are facing.
- Enhance their personal development and give something back to those just starting out.
- Gain training to boost their professional development.
- Develop presentation skills, and build their confidence.
- Being an ambassador looks great on a CV.
Employers have the opportunity to:
- Show support for our industry.
- Support the development of their staff, boost staff engagement and increase job satisfaction.
- Increase their corporate social responsibility activities.
- Promote their participation in the programme on their website.
Supporting our industry
Ambassadors often provide the first introduction to the construction industry, delivering a life-changing impact on future career decisions. They engage with young people across the UK, from schools and workplaces to careers fairs and events, sharing the opportunities available in the industry. They may deliver talks, demonstrations, construction site visits, classroom lessons or hands on experiences that young people might never normally undertake through the education system.
For more information contact CA@citb.co.uk www.goconstruct.org/get-started-in-construction/go-construct-stem-ambassadors/
This is Engineering Day: 3 November 2021
Save the date for the annual This is Engineering Day, which this year is 3 November – just at the start of the COP26 United Nations climate change conference, where more than 190 world leaders are expected to arrive in Scotland to set goals for 2050.
This is Engineering, led by the Royal Academy of Engineering in collaboration with EngineeringUK, aims to show engineering as a career that is rewarding, future-shaping, varied, well-paid and in-demand.
Meeting the COP26 ambition of making the world net zero by 2050 will be shaped by engineers and engineering. CICES members are asked to think now about what a net zero world will look like in 2050 and how engineers will be part of the picture, ahead of sharing their thoughts and images on social media on 3 November using #ThisisEngineeringDay and #BeTheDifference and tagging @ThisisEng.
Resources and posters are available via www.thisisengineering.org.uk
Schools COP to take place in Tomorrow’s Engineers Week
From 8 to 12 November 2021, Tomorrow’s Engineers Week will coincide with the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow. As part of this, the first ever Tomorrow’s Engineers Week Schools COP will be held, where schools and young people around the UK will explore how engineers are at the heart of tackling the climate crisis.
See www.teweek.org.uk for details.
Earth obs guidance endorsed
CICES has endorsed the latest Earth observation guidance from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. Earth observation and aerial surveys 6th edition has been authored by Allan Jamieson of Ordnance Survey, with input from an expert working and peer review group.
The guidance note is intended for use by land, sea, engineering and environmental professionals who are acting in an advisory capacity, and by survey knowledgeable clients who specify their own surveys. It is also intended to be used by earth observation and aerial survey specialists. The guidance aims to help clients communicate their goals, and what they expect to receive in terms of types of data, accuracy, resolution, survey detail and final deliverables, whilst clarifying issues such as project constraints, related costs, achievable accuracies and timescales.
The note incorporates a full revision of Vertical aerial photography and digital imagery (5th edition). New sections on LiDAR and hyperspectral, bathymetric LiDAR, multispectral and thermal imaging systems have been added.
CICES launches the Robin Jones Award
The institution has launched a new major award scheme that commemorates the life of former president, Robin Jones.
The award features three categories that reflect the ‘golden threads’ of the forthcoming 30-year institution strategy – equality, diversity, and inclusion; sustainability and climate change; and working in a digital world.
Membership manager Serena Egerton explained: “In August 2020, we received the sad news that past president Robin Jones had passed away. Many of our most successful and engaged members began their careers under Robin’s wing. He was passionate about supporting early entrants to the industry, regardless of their chosen route. To mark this important contribution, it is only fitting that we celebrate his memory in a lasting manner by developing an award in his name.”
The Robin Jones Award will open in January 2022 to students who are either studying a programme, undertaking an apprenticeship, or on a CICES approved development scheme which will enable them to enter the civil engineering surveying profession. Three awards will be made on an annual basis:
- Outstanding student who has demonstrated a commitment to improving equality, diversity, and inclusion within civil engineering surveying
- Outstanding student who has demonstrated a commitment to promoting, adopting or developing new innovative and sustainable ways of working within the profession – for example via digital tools or collaboration
- Outstanding student who has demonstrated commitment to the profession by overcoming challenges to progress through their education or by breaking new boundaries within their education, training and development
Any CICES student member studying in full time or part time education at any of the CICES approved colleges or accredited universities, or through any approved development or accredited apprenticeship schemes is eligible to apply. Nominations can be made by either a lecturer or self-nominated with support from a lecturer (or employer if an apprentice). The prize includes £1000 and a prize certificate, to be presented at the CICES annual dinner. To enter, the student or apprentice must write a maximum of 400 words outlining why they should be considered, supported by 200 words from a tutor or employer. A shortlisting process will then take place and up to three entrants will be invited to a panel interview.
Full details are available at www.cices.org/awards
HK NEC training dates
BK SURCO, the institution’s training partner in Hong Kong, has released dates for its next round of training on the New Engineering Contract (NEC).
The BK SURCO NEC Professional Training Course will run on 22, 23, 29 and 30 October 2021 in Wan Chai. CICES members get a 10% discount on the HK$15,000 fee. The ISO 9001 qualityassured course satisfies the knowledge requirements for construction professionals working on Hong Kong government NEC3 and NEC4 projects, incorporating local practices into NEC contract conditions.
Online advanced level management training workshops incorporating the NEC3 and NEC4 Engineering and Construction Contract (ECC) are also running in October and November on provisions of the new NEC4; developing procurement and strategy options; construction risk and programming management; principles of target cost contracting; tendering and contract documentation; project administration and communications; administration and evaluation of compensation events; pre and post contract pricing, valuation and final accounts.
See www.bksurcotraining.com for details
Webinar roundup
Thanks to speakers who kicked-off the CICES autumn webinar series: Andrew Rush and Ruth Sunaway of Archor; David McNeice of DWF; and Rachel Heald and Claire Saunders of Hawkswell Kilvington.
