New electric vehicle proposal could open lucrative market for electrical contractors

Electrical contractors will be interested to hear the latest proposal by the Department for Transport.  The government’s “Road to Zero” policy  has been well publicised, with an ambitious aim of reducing vehicle emissions in the UK to nil by 2040.  The policy will ban the sale of all petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2040, aiming for road users to replace their fossil fuel engines with hybrid and electrical vehicles.  However, with sales of these vehicles making up only 5.5% of the current market, we are a long way away from fuel-free roads.

A recent survey by the AA revealed that eight out of 10 drivers see the lack of charging points as a stumbling block to buying an electric car. The RAC has also completed research showing that the current public charge point network is “unattractive to use and is unsuitable for encouraging the next wave of EV customers”.  In response to these concerns, the Department for Transport has released a new proposal; all new houses, flats and office buildings in England are to come with external charging point installations.

What does this mean for electrical contractors?

It is private electrical companies who would be charged with the development and installation of charging points, in a project which would cost up to £400m.  If successful, this proposal will open up a whole new business opportunity for electrical contractors looking for a slice of a market estimated to be worth up to £7.6 trillion by 2050, according to Transport Secretary Chris Grayling. And with house-building targets set at 300,000 a year this sector could explode if the proposal goes ahead. The NICEIC and ELECSA have an Electric Vehicle training course available for those interested in expanding their business.   Those ahead of the curve are still in low numbers; in Wales only 24 Welsh electrical contractors are listed and for the South West there are only 38 qualified contractors. You can find a list of all electrical contractors currently qualified to install charge points on the NICEIC website .

80% of EV owners currently have access to home charging but if homes and offices came with chargers ready-installed then we could see EV owner numbers rise dramatically as the deterrence of re-fuelling difficulties becomes a thing of the past.  So with the biggest overhaul in road transport technology in 130 years coming, it’s time to consider whether your company is electrical vehicle ready as UK streets become electric avenues.

We are very proud to have been involved in the regeneration over the last four years of The General in Bristol. It has recently been visited by George Clarke of Amazing Spaces who was impressed by the transformation the building has undergone. You can see the before and after in the videos posted below.

 

History of The General in Bristol

Originally opened as the Bristol General Hospital in 1858, the building cost a grand total of £28,000. Much of the funding came from local workers who gave a penny a week towards building and running costs. The hospital closed its doors in 2012 and City & Country snapped up the opportunity to restore the Grade II listed building to its former glory. A hodge podge of characterless 20th century extensions and repairs to extensive WWII bomb damage had faded the renaissance grandeur of the building. The architectural restoration has won City & Country a host of awards, including Heritage Property of the Year in the Michelmore’s Property Awards and the 2017 South West RICS Award for Building Conservation.

 

 

Our contribution to the restoration

Our client Weston Electrical Services Ltd are carrying out the full mechanical and electrical installation to the apartments and infrastructure of the building for which we have supplied a wide range of skilled operatives. When finished, the building will incorporate 205 one to four bedroom luxury apartments and houses. We have also assisted Weston in completing the M&E design and installation of a waterside restaurant complex which includes the Michelin starred ‘Casamia’, located beneath the apartment building.

 

Since October 2014 we have filled 148 placements for the site supplying roles across the M&E spectrum; from mechanical contractors and engineers, pipefitters and plumbers, to electricians & electrical testers. The skilled mechanical and electrical work of our operatives has helped bring modern comfort and convenience to the homes. All feature intruder alarms and mains operated smoke detectors with internal cabling installed for terrestrial television. Other mod cons include video activated door entry and radiators or underfloor heating powered by a communal heating system. All this is an impressive task in a listed building split into 205 units! We are excited to see the conclusion of the project and the difference it will make to the BS1 area of Bristol.

 

Watch below to see the incredible before and after effect that this restoration has had on the building.

 

Want mechanical or electrical work on an incredible project like this? Register with us today

 

 

Blue Monday in the office

After the excitement of Christmas and New Year, the next event on the calendar is a bit more dismal; Blue Monday, the most depressing day of the year. And with rain in the air and the Carillon news in the media, it is a blue day for us indeed in the construction industry!

On the third Monday of January each year, it has been calculated that we are at peak grumpy, due to a combination of factors including the weather and looming Christmas debt.  But here in the Pier office we have decided to try and cheer things up a bit. It so happens that this year Blue Monday coincides with a holiday from over the pond; in the US it’s National Strawberry Ice cream Day.

So never missing an opportunity for a snack, we have decided to combine the two together in an effort to beat the January blues, wearing colourful clothes to brighten up the office and eating ice cream to brighten up our outlook.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Funny Construction Jokes to cheer you up on a Blue Monday

For all of you that are feeling a bit glum today, we’ve compiled a list of construction jokes in an attempt to cheer you up. Mostly about electricians. Sorry electricians.

 

A contractor dies in a tragic accident on his 40th birthday. He ascends to heaven where he is greeted at the pearly gates by a brass band and Saint Peter himself. Saint Peter shakes his hand warmly and says “Congratulations!”

The contractor is a little confused. “Congratulations for what?” “Well, we’re celebrating the fact that you lived the grand old age of 160!”

“But that’s not right”, says the contractor, “I only lived to be 40.” “That’s impossible” replies Saint Peter. “We added up your time sheets!”

 

I never wanted to believe that my Dad was stealing from his job as a road worker. But when I got home all the signs were there.

 

Do you want to hear a construction joke? Oh, sorry I’m still working on it.

 

Q Why do engineers enjoy fixing steelwork together?

A Because it’s riveting

 

Q How do construction workers party?

A They raise the roof!

 

Q How many safety inspectors does it take to change a light bulb?

A Four. One to change it and three to hold the ladder.

 

Four surgeons are discussing who makes the best type of surgery patient. The first surgeon says “I like to see accounts on my operating table, because when you open them up, everything inside is numbered.” The second responds “Yeah, but you should try electricians. Everything inside them is colour coded!”

The third surgeon says “No, I really think librarians are the best; everything inside is in alphabetical order.” The fourth surgeon chimes in “You know, I like construction workers. They seem to understand when you have a few parts left over at the end and when the job takes longer than you said it would.”

 

Q Why are the electricians always up to date?

A Because they are “current specialists”

 

Q What kind of car does an electrician drive?

A A Volts-wagon

 

Q What’s the difference between an Electrician and God?

A God doesn’t think he’s an Electrician

 

Q How many welders does it take to screw in a light bulb?

A Nobody knows; it’s not in their job description.

 

Q What do plumbers have when they fall asleep?

A Pipe dreams

 

 

Q How many plasterers does it take to change a lightbulb?

A None, that’s a sparky’s job.

 

A man at a train stop shows off pictures of his three sons to a friend. “What do your boys do for a living?” asked the friend. “Well, my youngest is a neurosurgeon and my middle son is a lawyer”.

“What does the oldest do?” asked the friend. The father replied “He’s the plumber that put them all through school”.

Happy New Year everyone! Following our playlist dedications to electrical workers and plumbers, our latest list celebrates those in construction jobs; our Trades and Labourers in Wales and the South West who are working for us out in the January cold.

We are trying to cheer you up before next Monday, as the 15th January is officially the most depressing day of the year, known as Blue Monday.

What is Blue Monday?

Blue Monday falls on the third Monday of January each year. A range of factors come into the science of pinpointing this day as the worst in the year. Gloomy weather, failed New Year’s resolutions, debt level after Christmas and a general lack of motivation all add to the post-Christmas blues (In case you were wondering, there are 344 days to go).

In the post-festive season everyone needs a bit of cheering up.  Typical remedies recommended are exercise, companionship and being kind to others. Maybe you could try offering to do the tea round on site?

We are feeling particularly sympathetic to our workers in this nippy January cold so a special shout out goes to our labourers and traffic marshals who are in the great outdoors this January. We thought we would try to cheer you up with some appreciation of what you do. What better than a themed playlist to warm your cockles!

So this list is dedicated to our Builders, Labourers, Bricklayers, Groundworkers, Scaffolders and Equipment Operators who face the Winter weather for us. Also our Joiners, Painters, Plasterers, Carpenters, Dry Wallers who keep our homes cosy, we salute you!

 

Looking for work this January? Why not give us a call on 01446 688886 or register with us online

 

If you want to auto-play the list then you can find it on our Youtube channel.

 

 

 

 

 

Why is there a skills shortage?

The release of the Autumn Budget and an overhaul of construction apprenticeship and training programs has brought attention to the chronic skills shortage in the construction sector.  After the loss of an estimated 400,000 skilled workers in the financial recession the industry remains on a back foot. In the CITB’s latest report on Skills & Training they revealed that 20% of business said they had skills gaps in their existing workforce, up by 12% compared to the last report.

 

 

 

 

This shortage is only set to increase as Brexit looms and the industry depends on an ageing workforce.  Research published by the Office of National Statistics shows 24% of UK construction workers aged 45–54 are set to retire in the next 10-20 years. And this ageing workforce is not being replaced.

 

What is being done to plug the gap?

The Government has launched a number of initiatives in recent years to try and address this problem.

Construction apprenticeships, the traditional mainstay of skilled labour supply, have been given a boost. A new government target of 3 million new apprentices by 2020 has been announced.

£34 million has been earmarked solely for construction training. The Apprenticeship Levy came into force in May, estimated to raise £3bn a year so that employers can take ownership of training, with at least 90% of the funding being supplied for smaller employers.

Aside from the traditional apprentice route, other training methods are being developed.

The newly announced National Retraining Scheme aims to retrain adults for new professions. ‘T-levels’ will streamline 13,000 qualifications into 15 good quality technical qualifications to rival the existing A-levels.

 

How effective are these measures?

Recent DfE figures show that the number of apprenticeships fell by close to 60% in the quarter since the levy commenced. There has been widespread criticism of the scheme’s complicated framework. Many employers are facing challenges accessing the financial resources and are even delaying the start of apprenticeships, resulting in calls for reform. These teething issues could cause setbacks from the start to the 3m target.

The retraining scheme has also attracted criticism, with Liz Jenkins, partner at Clyde & Co commenting “Retraining adults as construction workers would provide some labour but once they retire we’ll be back to square one, unless we’ve trained a significant cohort of today’s young people to fill the gap.  This initiative needs to be coupled with effective management of the CITB reform and ensuring the money received from the levy is invested to ensure future generations of construction workers will be there to build post-Brexit Britain”

In the short term these measures are unlikely to provide an immediate solution. As we potentially lose our stretched workforce to retirement and Brexit in 2019, many training schemes may not begin until 2020 so it may be a case of too little too late. The next decade could be a difficult time for our sector if we cannot meet demand.

How do we future proof the industry?

Despite these issues, the renewed focus on construction apprenticeships and training is vital to the future of the industry.  The sector deal has been welcomed by associations that consider investment and training to be at a critical point. These are all positive steps towards securing a skilled and stable workforce.

The trailblazer apprenticeship schemes have been met with widespread industry approval. Partnering companies to create construction apprenticeships, they ensure the quality and relevance of training and ensure the right sectors are being developed. Similarly, the levy concept was built around the need for employers to take control of training to ensure that it is high-quality and relevant. It makes sense to supply the industry with the tools to deliver the apprenticeships and skills it sorely needs. Once awareness of the scheme and the application complications have been improved the levy will be a vital resource for the industry’s future.

In the long term the sector will need to embrace the digital revolution that will be a vital lifeline for the centennial generation workforce.  Innovations in materials, offsite modular construction, and BIM modelling to name a few could help attract a tech-savvy workforce.

The construction industry must work to develop an image away from the hard hat and the building site, embracing innovation, diversity and expertise if it wants a strong future.

 

 

Pier Consulting Ltd Celebrates its 12th year in Construction Recruitment

 

 

 

In the office today we have been reflecting on how far we have come and our achievements since we were founded.

With Paul Ingram at the helm we have introduced new departments to the business, broadening our offering to clients. This has resulted in the need to double our staff. Since 2013 we have established a new apprenticeship scheme, playing a part in increasing the number of skilled workers in the building services industry (where there has been a significant shortage). We also founded a subsidiary company Pier Resources & Training to provide easy access to training courses & certification for our clients & workers.

Below are listed some facts that show how much we have developed as a business:

1. In 12 years we have developed relationships with nearly 500 clients in the Construction and M&E industry.
2. Pier has built a strong database of over 28,000 candidates across England and Wales.
3. We have grown our business across the bridge from Cardiff. We are now making a name for ourselves on sites as far as London, Plymouth, Cornwall, Oxford, Bristol, Scotland, Swindon, Nottingham, Bath, Gloucester & Cheltenham to name a few new areas.
4. In 2016 we featured on the Fast Growth 50 list for achieving 90.7% growth between 2013 and 2015.
5. Since 2013 we have filled over 37,000 time sheets totalling a staggering  1.4 million hours of work for our recruits!

We are proud of what we have achieved to date and excited for what 2018 and beyond may bring!

 

 

Towards the end of 2016, Pier Consulting underwent a rigours audit with external auditors EXOVA. The audit consisted of a number of key commitments in how we supply labour to the Building services Industry, resulting in our application being accepted.

The Alliance has been established by (BESA) The Building Engineering Services Association as a unique grouping of employment agencies which supply personnel to contractors across the building services engineering industry. Formation of the Alliance recognises the increasingly important role that employment agencies are playing in the sector’s supply chain – along with a need for clear standards by which our performance can be judged.

This places us at the vanguard of developments in industry manpower matters which the Alliance represents, the alliance is continually striving to help its members differentiate themselves in the market place as agencies which can demonstrate that they conduct their business according to the professional standards demanded of Alliance membership as distinct from those which are unable to meet the necessary quality criteria.

This is another added accreditation to our business, that we are proud to have gone through and adds to the robustness of our business going forward into 2017 and beyond.

http://www.agencyalliance.org.uk/index.html

So last week we received an email confirming we have a place in the 2016 Fast Growth 50 List!

To say we are excited and overwhelmed is an understatement, we are absolutely delighted! to have received a place, in this years list, and would like to thank all of our loyal clients and workers, and our staff who work very hard here at Pier, as without all of these good people around us we would not have achieved a place.

Just as we thought we couldn’t get more excited we have also been shortlisted for the fastest growing Welsh firm in recruitment services 2016!!

the Fast Growth 50 project will be holding its 18th Fast Growth 50 Gala Dinner on Friday, October 21^st 2016 at the Mercure Holland House Hotel in Cardiff. It will be hosted by Sian Lloyd from BBC News and our keynote speaker will be the Secretary of State for Wales, the Rt. Hon Alun Cairns MP. It will begin with a drinks reception at 6.30pm followed by dinner, which includes the award ceremony to celebrate your achievements and opportunities to network until the early hours of the morning.

As soon as we know the results we will let you all know!

Today Friday 20^th November we celebrate 10 years in business!!

 

Pier Consulting has now been supplying construction operatives across south wales and the south west today for the last 10 years, the company founded by Philippa George, and Glyn George in 2005 has grown from strength to strength over the last 10 years, providing temporary & permanent labour to the Construction Industry, now concentrating on 5 main areas of recruitment for the construction sector Trades & Labour, Management & Technical, M&E Building Services, M&E Flexible & Apprentices and Engineering and added further value to its recruitment business in 2014 by creating Pier Resources & Training Ltd, which provides support to our existing and new client base with bespoke payroll and training solutions.

 

The office celebrate the 10 year milestone with small tea party today, all directors want to thank all of the staff for an amazing amount of achievement throughout the last few years especially throughout 2015 where their hard work and dedication has really paid off here’s to the next 10 years!!

Wales Online, Local Press, Recruitment Press and the Tabloids have recently highlighted adverts used by a Company called “Pier Recruitment Agency Limited” on their social media accounts which caused controversy in the Industry that many people felt to be tasteless and unprofessional.

Unfortunately for us our recruitment business has similar name (Pier Consulting ltd) and already we have had a number of calls from concerned clients, candidates and the media mistaking us for the company in the news.

We would like to clarify that Pier Consulting Limited has no connections at all to Pier Recruitment Agency Limited.

We adhere to all legislative requirements and pride ourselves on our reputation and expertise gathered over 50 years of combined experience operating for 10 years in the Construction Recruitment Market supporting our valued clients and Workers.

We are a member of the national professional body for recruiters in the UK, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, and adhere to their code of conduct which sets the highest standards for ethical behaviour in recruitment.

Recruitment is a people business, trust is paramount to our success. 

We really hope jobseekers and employers in Building, Housing, Construction, M&E Building Services and Engineering Industries don’t confuse us with the company whose adverts have come in for considerable criticism.

Year	21 and over	18 to 20	Under 18	Apprentice*
2015 (from 1 October)	£6.70	£5.30	£3.87	£3.30
2014 (current rate)	£6.50	£5.13	£3.79	£2.73
2013	£6.31	£5.03	£3.72	£2.68
2012	£6.19	£4.98	£3.68	£2.65
2011	£6.08	£4.98	£3.68	£2.60
2010	£5.93	£4.92	£3.64	£2.50

*This rate is for apprentices aged 16 to 18 and those aged 19 or over who are in their first year. All other apprentices are entitled to the National Minimum Wage for their age.

The rates are usually updated every October, so the current rates apply from October 2014.

National living wage

From April 2016, the national living wage will be £7.20 an hour for workers aged 25 and older. The minimum wage will still apply for workers aged 24 and under.

Employer checks

Employers who discover they’ve paid a worker below the minimum wage must pay any arrears immediately. Use the National Minimum Wage calculator to work out arrears.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officers have the right to carry out checks at any time and ask to see payment records. They can also investigate employers, following a worker’s complaint to them.

If HMRC finds that an employer hasn’t been paying the correct rates, any arrears have to be paid back immediately. There will also be a penalty and offenders might be named by the government.

It’s the employer’s responsibility to keep records proving that they are paying the minimum wage – most employers use their payroll records as proof. All records have to be kept for 3 years.

You will be able to read all the information on the National Minimum Wage (NMW) here  and the forthcoming National Living Wage (NLW) here

Pier Consulting were thrilled when asked by their client MCS Ltd to provide sponsorship for this years ACU British Clubmans Championship 2015 

As the construction sector continues to grow at an incredible rate, Pier touches on the impact the skills shortage is having on the industry and for the M&E industry it serves how they can assist with trying to do their bit for Apprentices, the skills shortage, and associated construction training.

Read the full story published in the Bristol Business Post this week. 

Pier Consulting are proud of what they trying to achieve within the Building Services industry by offering its clients a new way of recruiting apprentices. Pier are trying to do their bit for the industry wide skill shortage, still early days with the “flexible apprenticeship scheme” but Pier have great expectations that by the time college comes around again in 2016 they will have hit their target of having 20 M&E apprentices out in the field.

Read the story on Melissa, published in the Electrical Times Magazine (page 34) Melissa an excellent apprentice that we had placed with Weston Electrical Services, Melissa has been a perfect example for an Electrical Apprentice. Weston Electrical have already booked 3 more apprentices with us this year all due to start college in September, 1 Plumbing, 1 Industrial & Commercial Pipe fitter and 1 Electrical, in partnership with BEST Pier consulting look forward to watching them work towards their trade

Pier are proud to be working with Bouygues UK and wish them continued success.