A construction worker from Rochdale is celebrating after achieving one of the highest site-based qualifications in the sector.

David Letts, who works as a site manager with global construction and engineering company Laing O'Rourke, has been awarded Level 6 NVQ in Construction Site Management (Building and Civil Engineering Pathway) after completing a six-month course.

A £7.5 million construction innovation centre is to be established in Scotland to connect industry and academia. The Construction Scotland innovation centre will provide the 31,000-plus businesses involved in the sector with a one-stop shop for accessing a team of academic experts and public support.

Funded by the Scottish Funding Council, the centre is supported by Scottish Enterprise, Highlands & Islands Enterprise and 11 Scottish universities.

Randstad CPE were proud to support the Highbury College Construction Awards 2014 by sponsoring the Brickwork Apprentice of the Year 2014.  Jack Musselwhite, 18, of Portsmouth won the prestigious award on 27th June for his hard work, effort and attitude.  Jack received a Voucher from Jason Clements, Branch Manager at Randstad CPE to purchase construction tools and equipment from All Clothing and Protection supplies.

West Anglia Training Association (WATA) of Huntingdon, Cambridge has become the latest training provider to gain Construction Industry Scaffolders Record Scheme (CISRS) accreditation.

Following successful completion of their CISRS accreditation audit which took place in early June, WATA can now offer the following courses: CISRS Part 1 Scaffolding, CISRS Operative Training Scheme (COTS), Basic Scaffold Inspection Training Scheme (SITS), and they are also looking to offer several System product courses in the near future.

On Wednesday 25 June, a group of our City College Plymouth Construction students visited Tregantle Fort, to see a demonstration of a training facility they helped to create.

Work undertaken at the Fort has seen four open classrooms transformed into the mock-up of the inside of a ship, complete with 18 separate compartments. The facility is being used by the Military Training Unit (MTU), based at HMS Raleigh, to teach sailors the correct routines for searching vessels for intruders as part of the ship’s protection team.

Cape Asia Academy in Muntinlupa City, Philippines has been awarded accreditation to run the Construction Industry Scaffolder’s Record Scheme (CISRS) Overseas Scaffolder Training Scheme (OSTS) at its centre.

Andover College students attending one of the Construction courses at the College (NVQ Level 2) have put their skills into practice working alongside the professionals from Amiri Construction as the finishing touches are put to Sparsholt College’s new Motor Vehicle, Engineering and Agricultural Engineering Workshop. Part of a £3.2 million new build/refurbishment of the College facilities, the workshops are now state-of-the-art in terms of facility and environmental performance.

Having recently returned to the UK after carrying out successful annual accreditation visits to two CISRS providers – Safety and Access Middle East in Ajman and Simian Skills in Dubai – CISRS have announced that they are very excited about the positive response CISRS scaffolding training is receiving within the region.

Whilst both training providers have only been in operation for a 12month period, several hundred delegates have now undertaken CISRS Overseas Scaffolder Training Scheme (OSTS) courses. These have included Level 1 Scaffolder, Basic Scaffold Inspection and Scaffolding Supervision.

A new course which focuses on architectural visualisation techniques is being launched at Robert Gordon University’s (RGU) Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and Built Environment this year.

RGU will add an MSc in Visualisation in Architecture and Built Environment to its portfolio, covering the rapid development of digital visualisation techniques in the industry, their implications for design, construction and collaboration and the ways in which they will impact on working practices.

Rt Hon Nick Raynsford MP, President of Youthbuild UK, has launched the 2014 Young Builder of the Year Awards, inviting entries from young builders across the UK.

"I'm delighted to launch the 15th Young Builder of the Year Awards to celebrate the achievements of young people, who have successfully overcome barriers to train or gain employment in the construction industry,” he said.