Category Archives: project management

APRIL NEWSLETTER ISSUED

We are pleased to confirm that our April 2019 newsletter has just been issued.  For those who are not registered on our mailing list, you can download it from here .  You can also opt to join our newsletter mailing list by following this link – it takes only a few seconds.  Rest assured we never pass your information to third parties, as stated in our privacy statement.

COURSES IN JUNE 2018

The following courses are planned to run in Chesterfield in June 2018.  Brief descriptions and costs for each are summarised below for ease of reference: Retaining Walls – Principles and Practice, on 7 June 2018 £250 + VAT per delegate This course aims to develop the abilities of the delegates to understand the principles and practice behind retaining structures, including the design of gravity and embedded walls. Introduction to Structural Design to the Eurocodes, on 14 June 2018 £250 + VAT per delegate The course will review the essential elements of the Eurocodes, including EC0, EC1, EC2 and EC3.  It will explore how the codes work and use guided examples to illustrate their application.
Essentials of Project Management, 19 June 2018  REVISED DATE £250 + VAT per delegate Taught from a practical perspective, the course examines what project management is and why it is needed, before introducing delegates to the importance of understanding project financing, contract requirements, and commercial risk. Ground Risk Management for Managers, on 21 June 2018 £250 + VAT per delegate Targeted at project managers and those managing / delivering geotechnical works, the course looks at how ground risk can be managed to enhance project success.
The ICE Professional Review – Overview and Preparation, on 28 June 2018 £250 + VAT per delegate Delivered by an ICE Reviewer, the course will give delegates a rounded view of the review process and provide practical tips on how to prepare your report, and prepare for the interview and written exercise. Please contact us if you wish to receive further details of any course or if you wish to make a booking.  Discounts are available for group bookings or delegates attending more than one course.
 

COURSES IN MAY 2018

The following courses are planned to run in Chesterfield in May 2018.  Brief descriptions and costs for each are summarised below for ease of reference: Shallow Foundations and Settlement – Principles and Practice, 3 May 2018 £250 + VAT per delegate The course will consider how shallow foundations are built and could fail before focusing on bearing capacity, settlement prediction, and design requirements. Mentoring for Engineering Geologists on Geotechnical Engineering, 8 May 2018 £335 + VAT per delegate This ‘long day’ course provides the equivalent of 1.5 days training with just one day out of the office.  It covers fundamental soil mechanics concepts before applying the principles to foundations, retaining walls and slopes. ICE Professional Review – Preparing for the Written Exercise, 10 May 2018 £250 + VAT per delegate The role of the Written Exercise in the review process will be discussed before examining typical question styles to help delegates understand what a question is looking for.  Exercises to plan and discuss answers will be included. Essentials of Project Management, 17 May 2018 £250 + VAT per delegate Taught from a practical perspective, the course examines what project management is and why it is needed, before introducing delegates to the importance of understanding project financing, contract requirements, and commercial risk. CDM 2015 – Thre Years On (half day), on 22 May 2018 £150 + VAT per delegate The course will review the essential elements of CDM 2015 before reflecting on the lessons learned since the Regulations were implemented. Managing and Leading Teams, on 24 May 2018 £250 + VAT per delegate This course is aimed primarily at young staff wanting or needing to develop their understanding of the breadth of management and leadership approaches. Please contact us if you wish to receive further details of any course or if you wish to make a booking.  Discounts are available for group bookings or delegates attending more than one course.  

COURSES IN OCTOBER 2017

With summer over, and new graduates starting maybe, now is a good time to look at your staff development needs.  We have numerous courses coming up in October, including: Geotechnical Design to Eurocode 7, 3 October 2017 (£295 + VAT)  This course looks at the practical application of EC7 in design using worked examples and discussion sessions.  It provides the equivalent of 1.5 days training in a ‘long day’ format. Essentials of Project Management, 12 October 2017 (£220 + VAT) Especially useful for those looking to sit their ICE review in 2018 and those new to project management, the course examines what constitutes good practice to deliver a successful project. Retaining Wall Design – Principles and Practice, 17 October 2017 (£220 + VAT) The analysis, design and performance of gravity and embedded retaining walls will be explored using worked examples and with reference to current design codes. ICE Professional Review – Preparing for the Written Exercise, 19 October 2017 (£220 + VAT) Lead by an experienced ICE reviewer, the course is aimed at those sitting their professional review in 2018. It will explore what makes a good Written Exercise before discussing typical questions. Each course is running in Chesterfield.  Discounts are available for group bookings or delegates attending more than one course. Please call or email us to reserve your place on a course. Remember too that all courses can be run bespoke for your company if there are sufficient numbers – just call us to see what we could do for you.  

CONSTRUCTION SKILLS SHORTAGE – MORE TRAINING NEEDED

We would say more training is needed wouldn’t we?  Well we have turned business away and advised people that a particular course is not the best option for them, as we believe in providing good advice and support.  However we wanted to draw your attention to an article today (12 May 2017) in Development Finance Today that reports a growing issue in the construction industry.  The article can be found in full here, with key excerpts reproduced below: “The increases in workload are contrasted with a skills shortage, as 53% of respondents stated that a shortage of skilled labour is a key impediment to growth, up from 50% in the previous quarter….  ….Improved education pathways and training could be the most effective policy response to alleviate labour supply pressures, with 59% agreeing with this idea, while 31% of contributors felt direct government subsidisation of training would be the most effective solution.” We hope this provides you with some food for thought.  If you wish to discuss how we could help you address your skill development needs then just call Andy Goodwin on 01246 807808 on a free no-obligation basis.  Options available include a SWOT analysis of the skills you already have, provision of appropriate training, and / or mentoring and coaching support to staff to help them develop more effectively.  We look forward to hearing from you.

DELAY AND DISRUPTION PROTOCOL

Though we all hope to avoid delays and disruptions on our construction projects, when they do occur it is best to have a clear approach set out to help resolve matters.  That is why we thought it would be useful to bring to our visitors attention that a second edition of the delay and disruption protocol has been issued by the Society of Construction Law in February 2017.  It is intended to be used to determine extensions of time and compensation for delay and disruption, and recognises that transparency of information and methodology is central to both dispute prevention and dispute resolution. If you wish to download a copy of the protocol (for free) follow this link to the Society’s web pages.  Graduates pursuing qualification with the ICE may find this useful to peruse too as part of their general preparation for their professional review.

LAST CALL FOR COURSES IN MAY 2016

This is the last call for the following courses in May: Structural Concrete Design to EC2 (£395 + VAT per delegate) Due to demand dates for this 2 day course have been amended and it is now running non-consecutively in Chesterfield on 20 May & 9 June 2016. This practically biased course will provide delegates with the opportunity to learn how to apply EC2 in design, using numerous worked examples. The course will begin with an overview of the Eurocodes and EC2 in particular, before looking at the basis of structural design to EC2. The main focus of the course will be on the Eurocodes and their use in design practice, using beams, slabs, columns, shear walls and foundations as design topics to explore and illustrate the application of EC2. Ground Risk Management for Managers & Architects (£220 + VAT per delegate) By its nature the ground is variable and project issues commonly arise from not fully appreciating the hazards it presents. This one day course is running in Chesterfield on 24 May 2016 and is aimed more at those leading, managing or coordinating projects than geotechnical engineers. Its fundamental aim is to develop a core understanding of how ground risk can be managed to enhance project delivery. It will cover the major types and impacts of ground hazard, before looking at how ground risk can be assessed and managed. The importance of desk studies and phased ground investigations in hazard mapping and the risk management process will be addressed. Please contact us asap if you are interested in either course. Discounts are available for group bookings or delegates attending more than one course. Please call or email us to reserve your place on a course.

COURSE FEEDBACK REVIEW – EXCELLENCE DEMONSTRATED!

As part of our quality processes we have recently audited our course feedback over the last few years. The headline finding was a 94% excellent / very good rating of all the quantitative feedback received for our courses, with a 2:1 bias to excellent. This superb feedback is something we are very proud of, and we aim to keep driving this percentage higher still. Digging deeper into the feedback we found numerous equally positive qualitative feedback comments too, such as:
  • “Excellent course! You are a great teacher” (EC7 course, February 2016)
  • “I liked the link between geotechnical and structural design” (Bespoke foundation engineering course, November 2015)
  • “Very good course – difficult topics made clear and interesting” (Bespoke geotechnical engineering course, October 2015)
  • “Great knowledge of subject matter and strong delivery” (Slope stability course, September 2015)
  • “Great day – look forward to the next course” (Bespoke mentoring course on geotechnics to engineering geologists, June 2015)
  • “Great course given the detailed subject matter” (EC7 course on foundations, March 2015)
Many thanks to all the people we have worked with and helped over the years, for all your feedback. Without it we would not be able to strive to continuously improve our performance and achieve our goal of helping you make the most of yourselves.

COURSES TO ASSIST ICE PROFESSIONAL REVIEW PREPARATIONS

We have scheduled two courses in February 2016 that should in particular assist delegates in their preparations for their ICE professional reviews. In brief the courses comprise:
  • Essentials of Project Management on 1 February 2016; this full day course costs only £220 + VAT per delegate, and would be of use too to young professionals interested in project management
  • The ICE Professional Review – Preparing for the Interview on 4 February 2015; limited to a maximum of 4 delegates, this course includes individual feedback on both the draft review report submitted by each delegate and on their performance during the mock interview; it costs £295 + VAT per delegate
Both courses are scheduled to run in Chesterfield. Discounts are available for group bookings or delegates attending more than one course. Please call or email us to reserve your place on a course. More courses are available – see here for our 2016 calendar of public courses or here for our full list of courses including those available on a bespoke basis.

PRICES HELD FOR 2016

We are pleased to announce that our Course Calendar for 2016 is now available for download from here or from the bottom left of our web site pages. You will be pleased to know that:
  • prices have been held at 2015 levels;
  • discounts are available for group bookings or delegates attending more than one course;
  • more open courses are being offered; and
  • a wider geographic spread of course venues is to be used.
We are still offering bespoke courses to suit your needs too, so if you wish to run a course just for your team then feel free to call us to discuss your needs. See our full list of courses for ideas. We look forward to seeing you in 2016.