A skills gap in Civil Engineering is emerging, if it is not already here. Ground Engineering (August 2014) reported that “companies must commit to providing good training and benefits packages to both recruit and retain the best talent”. We have collated and summarise below some information that may assist our Clients address this issue: Support the Government Drive for Apprenticeships: If you are not already involved, find out more information here on what an apprenticeship is. Employer Toolkit to Support Apprenticeships: A new toolkit has been developed by the The National Institute of Adult Continuing Education to help employers develop a more inclusive and diverse workforce through apprenticeships. Collaboration between Employers and Universities: A publication examining how employers and universities can work together to improve skill levels is available here.

Brief information on our first three public courses in 2015 may be found below: Introduction to Reinforced Earth: Chesterfield, 26 January at a cost of £220 + VAT, this course aims to provide delegates with an introduction to the design of reinforced earth slopes and walls; the principle content comprises types of reinforced earth, fundamental mechanics of reinforcement action & analytical principles, and basic design principles for reinforced slopes and walls The ICE Professional Review – Preparing for the Mock Interview: Running in Chesterfield on 9 February this is an intensive mock interview course for those intending to sit their professional review in the Spring 2015 session; inclusive of pre-course work and individual feedback to the maximum of 4 delegates, the course costs £295 + VAT Mentoring for Engineering Geologists on Geotechnical Engineering: Chesterfield, 24 February – this ever-popular course provides engineering geologists and those that do not specialise in geotechnics with an introduction to the design of foundations, retaining walls and slopes based on a core understanding of how soils behave in principle; the course delivers the equivalent of 1.5 days training in a single ‘long day’ format to make it both cost and time effective, and costs just £295 + VAT If you require any additional information before making a booking on any course, please contact us at enquiries@surepathtraining.co.uk.

We are pleased to announce our Course Calendar for 2015 is now available here. Please feel free to browse and inquire after any courses of interest. Don’t hesitate to contact us either if you have any bespoke need as based on 2014 demand we have provisionally reserved some dates for such courses . If you require any additional information before making a booking on any course, please contact us at enquiries@surepathtraining.co.uk.

There are just two remaining opportunities to join us for geotechnical training in 2014: Introduction to Reinforced Earth: Chesterfield, 17 November – at a cost of £220 + VAT, this course aims to provide delegates with an introduction to the design of reinforced earth slopes and walls; the principle content comprises types of reinforced earth, fundamental mechanics of reinforcement action & analytical principles, and basic design principles for reinforced slopes and walls Geotechnical Design to EC7: Chesterfield, 3 December – this course will look at general Eurocode and EC7 principles before focusing on the requirements and practice for EC7 compliant design of foundations, walls and slopes; the course delivers the equivalent of 1.5 days training in a single ‘long day’ format to make it both cost and time effective, and costs just £320 + VATWe have a range of courses coming up in October covering ICE professional reviews, CDM, and Geotechnics: If you require any additional information before making a booking on any course, please contact us at enquiries@surepathtraining.co.uk.

We have the following general civil engineering training courses running in November and December 2014: Professional Review Courses The ICE Professional Review – Preparing for the Written Exercise: Chesterfield, 8 December – this course will guide delegates through the requirements for the written exercise, and discuss / provide practical tips on how to prepare for them and how to write your submission; this course costs £220 + VAT and will be taught by an experienced ICE reviewer and SCE Courses for Managers & Designers Ground Risk Management for Managers: Chesterfield, 3 November – the course will help delegates develop an understanding of how ground risk can be managed to enhance project success, and is suitable for structural engineers, architects and non-geotechnical specialists managing projects that involve ground risk; taught from a non-technical perspective, it will focus on providing practical guidance and costs £220 + VAT Sustainable Development – Principles & Practice: Chesterfield, 24 November – the focus of this course is understanding how sustainability can be implemented effectively in projects; it will look at what is sustainable development and how it can be measured before focusing on the use of case studies to explore best practice and examine some of the practical steps that can be adopted; the course costs just £220 + VAT If you require any additional information before making a booking on any course, please contact us at enquiries@surepathtraining.co.uk.

We have the following geotechnics courses running in November and December 2014: Ground Risk Management for Managers: Chesterfield, 3 November – the course will help delegates develop an understanding of how ground risk can be managed to enhance project success, and is suitable for structural engineers, architects and non-geotechnical specialists managing projects that involve ground risk; taught from a non-technical perspective, it will focus on providing practical guidance and costs £220 + VAT Introduction to Reinforced Earth: Chesterfield, 17 November – at a cost of £220 + VAT, this course aims to provide delegates with an introduction to the design of reinforced earth slopes and walls; the principle content comprises types of reinforced earth, fundamental mechanics of reinforcement action & analytical principles, and basic design principles for reinforced slopes and walls Geotechnical Design to EC7: Chesterfield, 3 December – this course will look at general Eurocode and EC7 principles before focusing on the requirements and practice for EC7 compliant design of foundations, walls and slopes; the course delivers the equivalent of 1.5 days training in a single ‘long day’ format to make it both cost and time effective, and costs just £320 + VATWe have a range of courses coming up in October covering ICE professional reviews, CDM, and Geotechnics: If you require any additional information before making a booking on any course, please contact us at enquiries@surepathtraining.co.uk.

We have 3 courses in October that are still available for booking: Mentoring for Engineering Geologists on Geotechnical Engineering: Chesterfield, 15 October – this ever-popular course provides engineering geologists and those that do not specialise in geotechnics with an introduction to the design of foundations, retaining walls and slopes based on a core understanding of how soils behave in principle; the course delivers the equivalent of 1.5 days training in a single ‘long day’ format to make it both cost and time effective, and costs just £320 + VAT CDM Regulations: Leeds, 20 October – we are running a half day course on the management of risk under CDM at a cost of just £125 + VAT each  The ICE Professional Review – Overview and Preparation: Chesterfield, 29 October – this course will provide practical assistance to those preparing to sit their review in the next 12 months; taught by an experienced ICE reviewer and SCE, this full day course costs just £220 + VAT If you require any additional information before making a booking on any course, please contact us at enquiries@surepathtraining.co.uk. Note too that all courses can be run bespoke for your company if there are sufficient numbers – just contact us using the enquiries email address above for more details.