News

As specialist recruiters to the Building Controls Industry, SER will be in attendance at the BCIA Awards 2017, which will take place on the 11th May at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole.

Paul Murphy and Marc Hudson will be in attendance at the awards, which are now in their 11th year.

The BCIA Awards are recognised as the most exclusive event in the building controls calendar. The awards recognise and reward excellence in the building controls industry providing entrants with a fantastic opportunity to showcase their top products and projects from the past 12 months.

There are eight categories which include; Independent Building Controls and BEMS Installer; Best Service and Maintenance Provider; Technical Innovation of the Year - Projects; Technical Innovation of the Year - Products; Energy Management Award; Contribution to Training; Engineer of the Year and Young Engineer of the Year.

We will post some pictures from the awards night in the coming days.

Good luck to all the entrants.

PHEX exhibition is taking place next week between 17th & 18th May 2017 at Alexandra Palace in London.

PHEX+ is now the largest dedicated installer and contractor event staged in the UK.

At the show you can expect to meet over 90 leading manufacturers, suppliers and trade associations in attendance.

They hold 3 events throughout the year at Alexandra Palace in London, Manchester and Chelsea.

To find out more about the show, visit their website: http://www.phexshow.co.uk/

Should you wish to attend and you are yet to register, you can register here: https://registration.n200.com/survey/2gj9a7r5uw9qo

BESA (Building Engineering Services Association) has responded enthusiastically to the boost to vocational training which was announced by Chancellor Philip Hammond in his recent budget.

The Chancellor announced £500 million to develop new 'T Levels' in 15 vocational categories including engineering and construction.

T Levels are designed to be the technical equivalent of A Levels, which will help to prevent students who wish to pursue a non-academic path from being disadvantaged in the eyes of future employers or dissuaded by their parents.

Tony Howard who is BESA's training director has welcomed the move and said it would underpin the work the association is doing to help building – engineering employer address skills shortages by developing a range of new trailblazer apprenticeships in England while also driving forward training standards in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

T Levels are to be developed between 2018 and 2022.

According to BESA, every £1 of taxpayer's money invested in apprenticeships at level 2 and 3 pays back £26 to £28 in long-term economic benefits and 83% of apprentices believe their career prospects have improved as a result of securing a place on an apprenticeship scheme.

I is for Interviews

Interviews are crucial to the job application process – whether they are by phone, video or face to face. They help to convey parts of your character that a covering letter and CV can not. They help the candidate and client find out if they will fit with the company culture.

There are too many people who fall at this crucial hurdle; they see interviews as a daunting and very uncomfortable process in which they need to struggle their way through.

With this download of simple tips you will be able to conquer the nerves and make interviews a far less fearsome proposition.

When we put you forward for a job, we will check that you have everything you need to have a successful interview, and if there is anything you are not certain about ask us – we can help you.

Tel: 01254 781300

Your Career, Your Future,
Your Choice.

H is for Hired.

Again, you probably predicted that letter H would be something along these lines. We all know that hired in the recruitment world means, being selected by a company and becoming a member of their staff.

Effectively, SER are there to help you get hired.

We know the people who are doing the hiring in the industries you work in, so we can line you up to the correct job, in the correct company, at the right time for you.

Why should you use a recruitment agency like SER to help you get hired?

• You no longer have to take the time and energy doing it yourself – the chances are you already don't have enough time in your day to do everything you want to get done anyway, so looking for a new position will eat into more of that time.

• It means you won't have to liaise with 15 different agencies, which will cut down on the phone calls you receive, cut down on the amount of emails you receive and make it easier for you to deal with.

• We offer you a professional approach and also a greater understanding of what is required for a position within your industry.

• You are dealing with specialists - you will no longer find yourself having conversations about a job that clearly isn't right for you.

We understand the industry, what is changing, skill shortages and most importantly the companies within it.

Your Career, Your Future,
Your Choice.

G is for growth and goals.

We couldn't decide which word was more appropriate, so for the letter G, we are going to cover 2 topics.

In letter A we covered career advancement, and now we are covering career growth. Are they the same thing? The simple answer is no. They are very different. Career growth depends on career advancement. Career advancement are the things you do for yourself, whether that is attend CPD sessions to continually improve your skills and knowledge. Career growth then comes when you have enough knowledge and experience to be able to take the next step, whether that is within your current company or whether that requires a move to another company.

When we speak about goals, we mean the targets that we set ourselves to achieve career growth.

The goals are usually the reason we take part in career advancement which will lead with career growth. Goals are often more achievable when they are based over a shorter term. A good way to look at goals and to set them, is by ensuring that they are SMART – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time bound. Career goals are often asked about during an interview and so it is important that you know what your goals are.

SER is aware of these important stages throughout your career and we are here to help you when the time is needed.
Contact us to find out about the available opportunities we have that could be the next step for your career growth.

Tel: 01254 781300

Your Career, Your Future,
Your Choice.

An article written by James Brockett, and featured in the April edition of WWT Magazine, has identified that a survey from trade union Prospect revealed almost 9 in 10 scientists and engineers are dissatisfied with government preparations for life outside the European Union.

The survey was completed by 2750 Prospect members and found that 69% of respondents agreed that uncertainty about the timing and impact of the Brexit process had impacted negatively on their organisations ability to fulfil ongoing functions and plan or undertake long term projects.

This research was released to coincide with the launch of a booklet which details the implications of Brexit for funding, collaboration and skills in UK science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).

This research revealed concern about Brexit among STEM Professionals.

64% said they feel less secure in their employment since the EU referendum.

23% said they are confident that their organisation has the staff and skills to inform and support government negotiations on Brexit and take on new responsibilities that Brexit may bring.

77% of people who responded see continued access to the single market as a priority.

80% prioritised freedom of movement and 90% wanted guaranteed rights for EU nationals to stay in the UK.

11% said they were planning to leave the UK up to and after Brexit.

A further 22% of STEM professionals said they would consider leaving in the future.

In January 2017, an update was published to BS 9999, which is the code of practice for fire security in the design, management and use of buildings. BS 9999 provides guidance on the ongoing management of fire safety throughout the lifecycle of a building, including guidance for designers to ensure that the overall design of a building assists and enhances the management of fire safety.

What's new?

BS 9999 is being fully revised to align with current practices, new technology and other parts of the fire safety standards series, namely BS 9990 and BS 9991. The new edition of BS 9999 will introduce the following changes:

• Inclusion of flowchart showing the sequential steps in the design process, to assist users in the application of the standard
• Revised clause on fire safety management with references to PAS 7
• Inclusion of watermist fire suppression systems
• Expansion of guidance on voice alarms
• Expansion of fire growth rates table to provide more information
• Removal of content now covered by BS 9991
• General update to take into account new and revised standards published since 2008

The standard also features revised recommendations for:

• Smoke and heat control
• Fire curtain barrier assemblies
• Mechanical ventilation and air-condition systems
• Shopping complexes
• Building exits
• Ducting

The updated standards can be bought here: http://shop.bsigroup.com/ProductDetail/?pid=000000000030357099

The Labour Force Survey suggests that between November 2016 to February 2017, there were more people in work, the number of unemployed people fell and the number of people aged between 16 and 64 not working and not seeking or available to work also fell.

31.84 million people were in work, which is 39,000 more than in September to November 2016 and 312,000 more than the previous year.

The employment rate was 74.6% which is the joint highest since comparable record began in 1971.

There were 1.56 million unemployed people which was 45,000 less than September to November 2016 and 141,000 less that the previous year.

The unemployment rate was down 0.4% from the previous year to 4.7%, which is the lowest it has been since June to August 1975. This unemployment rate relates to the proportion of the labour force that were unemployed.

There were 8.8million people aged from 16 to 64 who were economically inactive (not working and not seeking or available to work) 10,000 less than September to November 2016 and 36,000 less than a year earlier.

Recruitment & Employment Confederation chief executive, Kevin Green, said, "The labour market is moving in a positive direction, with employment at a record high and unemployment still falling. Our monthly jobs report shows placements via recruiters are increasing and demand for staff is at an 18 month peak, so it's likely employment numbers will continue to creep up.

"However, wage growth is slowing as inflation is rising, meaning people are feeling the pinch as their take home pay doesn't stretch as far. Our data shows employers are increasing starting salary offers to compete for the limited talent available. People will be tempted to move jobs as a way of increasing income, especially if pay in their current role remains static. As demand for staff increases yet supply of candidates deteriorates, employers need to reward their staff so they retain them.

"It's already really tough to find candidates and skills shortages have been intensifying. Sectors across the economy, from healthcare to food manufacturing, are reliant on EU workers. They're getting increasingly worried about how they'll cope if recruiting from abroad becomes even harder post-Brexit."

Energy & Utilities Alliance (EUA) chief executive Mike Foster said "the people have spoken and it is time for the Government to listen when 99 times out of 100 they buy a gas boiler and not a heat pump."

There are large subsidy's paid for the heat pumps, but figures recently released have shown that between 2009 and 2016, 12.6 million homes have had new gas boiler fitted compared to 113,299 air source heat pumps.

Mr Foster has stated, "Consumers have voted with their heat, and chosen high-efficiency condensing gas boilers rather than electric alternatives for their homes. It is high time the Government acknowledge this and accept that the all-electric heat scenario adopted by the previous administration is dead."

"People like gas central heating; it suits their needs and pockets. The Government should now concentrate all their efforts on greening the gas we use, reducing carbon emissions, rather than continue with the failed experiment of promoting heat pumps as the wholesale solution."

"There is a role for heat pumps but not as the mainstay of UK heat provision. The industry needs to see the Government accept this and then work with them, not against them, in delivering an affordable, secure and low-carbon means of heating the home."