Please find below some snippets of training news from around the industry: – The ‘Z Clause Webinar’ that was held at the ICE on 25 September 2104 may now be viewed through YouTube if you follow this link. The sound quality is not the best but we think you may find the content useful. – Applications were invited by the ICE on 1 October for the next cycle of the QUEST Technician Scholarship programme.  It is worth £1500 over a two year course or £750 if the applicant is in the second year of their course.  Details & application forms can be obtained from ice.org.uk/questtechnician, with the application window opening on 13 October and closing on 21 November. Interviews will be held and scholarships awarded between December and January. If you have any training needs not covered by the above then please feel free to contact Andy Goodwin to see how we at Surepath could help.

Courses for the remainder of 2014 are available for booking now and listed below by subject area: Safety Related Courses CDM Regulations: Leeds, 6 & 20 October – we are running two half day courses that are aimed in particular at recent graduates and those new to CDM; one course provides an overview of the Regulations whilst the second looks at the management of risk; the courses cost £125 + VAT each or £220 + VAT for both, with bespoke versions available for individual companies on request  Professional Qualification 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 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 Geotechnical Courses 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 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.

As we deliver regular courses on geotechnics we thought you ought to be aware that both EC1 and EC7 have been amended. BSI have announced that the following standards have been amended: BS EN 1991-1-7:2006+A1:2014; BS EN 1991-1:2004+A1:2013 Contact BSI for details on how to purchase the amended standards.

We have a range of courses coming up in October covering ICE professional reviews, CDM, and Geotechnics: 15 October (Chesterfield): SPACES ARE RUNNING OUT on our ever-popular course Mentoring for Engineering Geologists on Geotechnical Engineering.  This 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 29 October (Chesterfield): The ICE Professional Review – Overview and Preparation course aims to provide practical assistance to those preparing to sit their review in the next 12 months; this full day course costs £220 + VAT 6 & 20 October: We are running two half day courses on the CDM Regulations that are aimed at recent graduates and those new to CDM. One course provides an overview of the Regulations whilst the second looks at the management of risk; the courses both cost just £125 + VAT and are running in Leeds Brief information on each course may be found here but if you require any additional information before making a booking on any course, please contact us at enquiries@surepathtraining.co.uk.

Mansfield District Council has teamed up with Ashfield District Council to offer grants of between £1,000 and £1,500 to support companies which would not otherwise be in a position to recruit an apprentice.  In total there is a £60,000 fund available in total, which can be applied for in addition to the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers of 16-to-24 year olds. Employers wishing to take advantage of this new grant must be located within the administrative borders of either Mansfield or Ashfield District Councils, employ fewer than 250 people, demonstrate they are creating an additional or new Apprenticeship position, and work with an approved training provider. In addition, the apprentice(s) they employ must be aged between 19-24 years when they start their Apprenticeship, and reside within the administrative borders of Mansfield or Ashfield District Councils. If you require any additional information on the funds then contact the local Derbyshire Nottinghamshire Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce on 01332 851280 for more information. If your apprentice will be pursuing a professional qualification in civil engineering then contact Surepath too to discuss how we could provide mentor support to your apprentices.

We have a range of courses coming up in September and October for which bookings are now being taken, covering the ICE professional reviews, CDM, and Geotechnics: 10 September (Leeds): The ICE Professional Review – Preparing for the Interview is an intensive mock interview (and more!) course for those intending to sit their professional review in the autumn session; inclusive of pre-course work and individual feedback to the maximum of 4 delegates, the course costs £375 + VAT 15 September (Chesterfield): Our Foundations and Building Settlement is a course aimed at civil and structural engineers looking to refresh and develop their theoretical and practical understanding of foundation design; the course costs £220 + VAT 15 October (Chesterfield): Our ever-popular course Mentoring for Engineering Geologists on Geotechnical Engineering 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 29 October (Chesterfield): The ICE Professional Review – Overview and Preparation course aims to provide practical assistance to those preparing to sit their review in the next 12 months; this full day course costs £220 + VAT 4 dates in September and October: We are running two complimentary half day courses on the CDM Regulations that are aimed at recent graduates and those new to CDM. One course provides an overview of the Regulations whilst the second looks at the management of risk; the courses both cost just £125 + VAT and are running at East Midlands Airport on 8 & 22 September, and again in Leeds on 6 & 20 October Brief information on each course may be found here but if you require any additional information before making a booking on any course, please contact us at enquiries@surepathtraining.co.uk.

Read on for information on funding available to support the recruitment of new apprentices: – From 1 June 2014 Derby City Council were offering 75 grants of £1000 to employers on a first come first served basis through their ‘Get Derby Working’ fund. Contact them direct if your apprentice lives within the borders of Derby City Council and will be aged 16 to 18 when they start their apprenticeship to see if funds are still available… – Nottinghamshire County Council is offering £1500 grants to eligible employers taking on an apprentice for the first time. Funds will be awarded on a first come first served basis. Companies should contact NCC direct to see if funds are still available if you qualify, i.e. your company is located within NCC, your apprentice lives within the borders of NCC, and your apprentice will be aged 16 to 19 when they start their apprenticeship. If you require any additional information on the funds then contact the local Derbyshire Nottinghamshire Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce on 01332 851280 for more information. If your apprentice will be pursuing a professional qualification in civil engineering then contact Surepath too to discuss how we could provide mentor support to your apprentices.

Are you an employer in Derbyshire or Nottinghamshire with fewer than 250 employees? If so then read on…. Fully funded training is available to qualifying companies, if the trainees are 19 or over, work for 16 hours or more a week and meet UK residency criteria. Training could include short courses, bespoke training, statutory training and work-based or professional qualifications. If you require any additional information then contact the local Derbyshire Nottinghamshire Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce on 01246 212519 for more information. Don’t forget to mention Surepath and the courses we offer that compliment the DNLCC offerings!

Our next geotechnics focused course is Earthworks – Principles and Practice, which is being held in Chesterfield on 21 July 2014 at a cost of £220 + VAT per delegate The design and construction of successful earthworks requires a holistic understanding of how and why earthworks behave as they do. Using case studies as appropriate to emphasise key points, the course will begin with a review of the typical forms of earthworks and their contrasting performance requirements, and progress to discuss the types of specification available, identify common forms, and emphasise the need to integrate design and construction aspects if an effective specification is to be prepared. It will cover also acceptability criteria, monitoring and control of earthworks, and reporting and certification. If you require any additional information before making a booking on any course, please contact us at enquiries@surepathtraining.co.uk.

As an experienced ICE reviewer and SCE, our Andy Goodwin knows that this is the time for graduates to be finalising their documentation for submission in August and to be thinking hard about how they are going to prepare for the ‘big day’. Two key elements to look at are the Written Exercise and the interview itself. We are running two courses over the next few months that are designed to help you succeed: The ICE Professional Review – Preparing for the Written Exercise, Chesterfield, 20 June 2014, £220 + VAT per delegate Starting with a review of the basis of the Written Exercise and how submissions are assessed, the course will progress to focus in particular on the subjects around which Written Exercise titles are set, how the reviewers select topics for you, and typical forms of question. Delegates will be provided with example questions based on the attributes, and guided through the process of preparing an answer. Discussion sessions will then be used to explore in more depth common subject topics, which should allow delegates to identify any areas of weakness in their knowledge and understanding. The ICE Professional Review – Preparing for the Interview, East Midlands Airport, 13 August 2014, £395 + VAT per delegate This course is strictly limited to a maximum of 4 delegates as it is an intensive session designed to give candidates individual attention and feedback. The course comprises three elements:

• Submission one week before the course of the draft reports that will ultimately be submitted to the ICE as part of the main review, for review by the course leader
• On the day the course delegates are taken through the review process before they undertake a mock interview with an experienced ICE Reviewer
• Individual feedback is provided after the course, which includes comments / suggestions on the draft submission documents, comments on your presentation and interview performance, indicative questions / lines of questioning that may be asked at the real review, and an indication of the type of Written Exercise questions that may be set based on your draft reports

All delegates will course notes to support the reinforcement of their learning after the course. If you as a company have sufficient candidates in-house then a bespoke version of either course could be offered at a date to suit you. If you require any additional information before making a booking on any course, please contact us at enquiries@surepathtraining.co.uk.