Contractors News – October 2011

CITB-ConstructionSkills Grant Deadlines

Please note that outstanding claims under the 2010/11 CITB-ConstructionSkills Grants Scheme year must be submitted to CITB-ConstructionSkills by 31 October 2011. Any claims received after this date will be rejected.

Funding in Scotland

‘Flexible Training Opportunities’ allows companies in Scotland with up to 150 employees to apply for up to £5,000 towards employee training costs. Funding is available for up to 10 training courses per company and Skills Development Scotland will refund up to 50% of each employee training session up to a maximum of £500 for each course. For more information, call Skills Development Scotland on 0800 783 6000.

Increase in Attendance Grant for Site Safety Plus Courses

As a means of stimulating training in the current economic climate, the CITB-ConstructionSkills attendance grant for all Site Safety Plus courses (including the 5-day SMSTS, the 2-day SSSTS, the 3-day Site Safety for Shopfitters and Interior Contractors and the 2-day SMSTS refresher) will increase from £17.50 to £52.50 per day from 1 October 2011 to 31 March 2012. After that date it will revert to £17.50 per day.

FeRFA members can also obtain £50 off the Site Management Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS) and Site Supervisors Safety Training Scheme (SSSTS) for NSCC Specialist Contractors from the training providers listed below. Contact them for dates and locations and quote NSCC Site Safety Plus and FeRFA to receive your discount. 5-day SMSTS courses start from £550 + VAT and 2-day SSSTS courses from £310 + VAT.

FeRFA Upskilling Courses

FeRFA will be running a series of one-day upskilling courses in January/February 2012. To ensure we cover topics which are relevant and of value to your business, please email Lisa with any specific training requirements to meet your needs. Courses can be customised to suit you and will be held at locations convenient to your business. If required we can run courses over two days to cover more than one topic.

Changes to Construction Act

The changes to the Construction Act came into force in England and Wales on 1 October 2011 and will take effect in Scotland on 1 November 2011. NSCC has published easy to understand guidance to help members take advantage of the fact that there is now a lot more certainty about how much money is due for payment and when it should be received.

The guidance can be downloaded by clicking here.

National Minimum Wage Rates

From 1 October 2011, the National Minimum Wage rates will be as follows:

Find Out More About SSIP

The Safety Schemes in Procurement (SSIP) Forum continues to expand and there are now 24 health and safety pre-qualification schemes on board helping to reduce duplication in the prequalification process for Specialist Contractors.

NSCC has recently updated its guidance on SSIP, providing easy to understand information on SSIP and how you can make the most of mutual recognition amongst SSIP schemes. There is a new section on the SSIP Portal, which lists the details of more than 20,000 members of all the SSIP schemes, and a template letter to promote to clients that you belong to an SSIP member scheme and have already been assessed for pre-qualification stage one by a recognised scheme.

If you are a member of an SSIP scheme, find out how you can register with others without going through their full assessment process by clicking here.

Don't miss the FeRFA AGM EVENT 2011 - Friday 18 November 2011

This is a whole day industry event with meeting, seminars and exhbitions followed by dinner and great evening entertainment. In will be at the world-famous Belfry Hotel, near Sutton Coldfield, which although close to all the major transport links, sits in 550 acres of English countryside.  In addition to its excellent golf courses, the hotel boasts top class spa and leisure facilities.

During the day, as well as a short Annual General Meeting and review of FeRFA’s activities there will be an exhibition of specialist suppliers and service providers to the resin flooring industry.  Following lunch there will be a seminar programme. 
This is a unique occasion to network, to see what’s new in the industry and to hear the latest on the latest range of benefits and services for FeRFA members.
In the evening, following a four course dinner with wine, we will be presenting the Best Practice Awards for innovation, service and quality performance within the resin flooring industry, and celebrating the achievements of the latest FeRFA Apprentices.
Back by popular demand, our entertainment for the evening will be provided by e2 - a fantastic 8 piece female-fronted band - featuring outstanding vocalists and world class session musicians, playing rock and pop classics from an extensive repertoire. We will also be entertained by close-up magician Phil Jay.

Click here for FULL DETAILS and BOOKING FORM

Have you joined the FeRFA RECYCLING SCHEME yet?

Are you recyling your waste efficiently? Do you have a company environmental policy to present to your clients? Join the FeRFA scheme and download the FeRFA Environmental Guide and an Environmental Template to use as a basis for own company policy.

The FeRFA Recycling Scheme brings contractors and manufacturers together in a recycling programme for waste packaging.  Waste packaging (hazardous and non hazardous) is collected, decontaminated and reprocessed for future use, with up to 100% of waste being recycled.

Not only does this scheme improve the environmental image of resin flooring it will also save you money by managing your waste more efficiently. There is a dedicated section of the website at www.ferfa.org.uk/html/recycling.htm where you can get full information on the scheme and find out how you can benefit from the scheme.

As part of this initiative in implementing sustainable practices, FeRFA has joined the Halving Waste to Landfill commitment and is urging individual members of FeRFA to do so as well. Companies who sign up for the scheme can use the distinctive logo and will have their logos added to our 'Wall of Fame' at http://www.ferfa.org.uk/html/HWLLogoGallery.html Signing up to the scheme will enable you to provide your clients with clear evidence of your environmental performance and commitment to sustainable practices. It can also form an important part of any pre-qualification process.