WORKERS in Scotland are routinely being exploited by employers who are refusing to pay the minimum wage.

It’s all go for graduate recruiters in the construction industry at the moment: they’re busy starting to open up their 2012 graduate schemes while still filling some ad hoc vacancies for 2011 (yes, if you’re looking for an immediate start, there are still a few jobs out there). Whatever your degree background, recruiters stress that your transferable, non-technical skills are the key to securing a graduate job offer. Nigel Kibler, training manager at BAM Construct UK Ltd, gave us his tips on the competencies construction recruiters are looking for, and how to demonstrate that you have them.

UK’s tallest crane installed to lift first steel sections today The UK’s tallest crane has been installed to lift the first steel sections of the Shard’s spire into place today. When fully extended the crane will sit 317m (1,040 ft) above ground level - seven metres taller than the building’s eventual highest point.

The UK's life signs are worrying. Consumer and business confidence has slumped, unemployment is rising again and consumer spending and manufacturing output are falling. The Bank of England and the Treasury are being forced into awkward U-turns.

Three hundred electricians occupied a construction site at Farringdon station in London today to pile pressure on rogue bosses who want to slash wages by up to 35 per cent. The civil disobedience at the site of work on the Thameslink rail network is part of a countrywide campaign against eight electrical contractors who have pulled out of a national agreement on terms and conditions.

FIRMS in the North East’s construction industry are being offered guidance on how they can secure more public sector work with one of the UK’s leading contractors. London-based construction and infrastructure company Morgan Sindall, which employs around 100 staff at offices in Belmont Business Park, Durham, is hosting a “meet the buyer” event on October 4 in partnership with industry body Constructing Excellence.

Construction companies in the region – other than the giants such as Kier Group – have had a pretty rough ride in the last couple of years. The industry is riven with threats and disputes and sound legal advice is essential to help contractors and sub-contractors negotiate what is often a litigation minefield.

John Hardy, managing director, Portland Consulting Engineering, talks about his frustration with what he calls the “academic-led” approach to training in the construction industry and why it’s failing.

A £9 BILLION building budget was unveiled by Scottish ministers as they backed a construction-led stimulus to prevent the country tumbling back into recession.
The SNP Government said it was switching £750 million pencilled in for government departments towards infrastructure spending, including the new Forth road crossing and construction work on schools and homes.

Manufacturer Leica Geosystems argues that the era of purely mechanical or optical surveying instruments is over, and digital instruments are essential for contractors to remain competitive. It is of course still possible to work in the traditional way with a professional surveyor, but producers of digital equipment point out that this involves at least two people, requires specialist knowledge, and can take much longer.