The political and social events of 2016 proved that one thing that is constant in the modern world is change . This trend will no doubt continue into 2017 , so to help organisations anticipate , prepare and respond to change in order to survive and prosper , the British Safety Council is running a halfday seminar focused on building personal and organisational resilience . The seminar , to be held in Manchester at Double Tree by Hilton Manchester , Piccadilly , on 22nd February 2017 , will focus on ways of managing organisational security and safety , as well as workplace resilience and personal wellbeing . The speakers come from a wide range of sectors such as policing and security , government , transport , training and development . Louise Ward , policy , standards and communications director ,

Nathan Douglas , Double Olympian and Captain of GB Athletics European Championships 2016

said : “ 2017 is set to be a challenging year with political and economic uncertainty associated with Brexit and a new USA president , as well as growing threats to both physical and cyber security .

However , planning ahead and investing in people can boost resilience of both organisations and individuals so they can respond to challenges as they arise . “ Our seminar speakers , experts in their field , will share tips and advice and inspire the audience by example , especially people such as Nathan Douglas , double Olympian and Captain of the British Athletics team for the European Athletics Championships 2016 , who will talk about his experience of building personal resilience .” The seminar will also provide valuable networking opportunities , bringing together not only health and safety professionals from different industry sectors but also security experts and HR professionals , as well as other people concerned with organisational and personal resilience from across the Greater Manchester region .

The timetable for the seminar is as follows :

09:00 Registration

09:30 Welcome and introduction - Louise Ward , Policy Standards and Communications Director , British Safety Council

09:35 Planning for catastrophe - Tom Powell , Head of Audit and Risk Management , Manchester City Council

10:05 The changing face of workplace security - Superintendent Kyle Gordon , C Division Operations , British Transport Police

10:35 Tea / coffee break

11:00 Conflict avoidance ( case study ) - Dave Mulhall , Head of Safety and Security , TransPennine Express

11:30 Rest , recovery and resilience - Mark Davies , 7 Futures and Nathan Douglas , Double Olympian and Captain of GB Athletics European Championships 2016

12:25 Mates in Mind - Steve Hails , Director of Health , Safety & Wellbeing , Thames Tideway Tunnel

12:55 Closing remarks - Louise Ward , Policy and Standards Director , British Safety Council

13:00 Close

The price of a seminar ticket is £ 120 plus VAT for British Safety Council members and £ 165 plus VAT for non-members . To book a ticket please click https :// www . britsafe . org / sites / default / files / editor / MAE1612 _ Manchester-halfday-seminar-60-year-logo-editable . pdf

www . britsafe . org

Leading contractor Laing O ’ Rourke has called for an end to labour-only subcontracting in the construction industry - and a move to direct employment of the workforce . It also wants to see the Construction Industry Training Board ( CITB ) merge with the Engineering Construction Training Board and play a bigger role . These are among the recommendations in a report that Laing O ’ Rourke has produced called : ‘ A tenpoint plan to overcome the UK ’ s Construction and Infrastructure skills gap .’ The report presents a series of recommendations to government , industry and education providers on how

a unified approach can help to deliver the skilled workforce that our infrastructure and economy needs . John O ’ Connor , Laing O ’ Rourke ’ s human capital director said : “ Our plan highlights that there is a worrying skills shortage in the UK construction and engineering sectors and presents a clear series of practical recommendations to help close the skills gap in the design , manufacturing , engineering and construction spaces .” This ten-point plan provides recommendations which are realistic and achievable and will help tackle the crisis facing the country and the solutions will help advance the skills agenda moving forward .

The report ’ s ten recommendations are : 1 . Flex the government ’ s planned Apprenticeship Levy and reduce delays to approval of ‘ Trailblazer Apprenticeship ’ standards 2 . Create regionally focused skills pipelines 3 . Increase availability of Russell Group standard parttime degree apprenticeships 4 . Review options for career transitioning apprenticeships 5 . Introduce GCSEs and A-levels in Design , Engineer and Construct ( DEC ) disciplines 6 . Foster collaboration between industry and government to deliver a broader range of improved careers advice for construction and engineering

‘ there is a worrying skills shortage in the UK construction and engineering sectors ’

7 . Commit the industry to measurable improvements in diversity 8 . Seize the opportunity of the new Department for Business , Energy and Industrial Strategy 9 . Support the creation of a single construction and infrastructure skills body 10 . Facilitate the ongoing professional development of a directly employed workforce

The supply of skilled workers is vital to the industry in order for it to deliver major construction and infrastructure projects across the country , and with the government ’ s recent announcements , investment

and retention is needed more than ever to tackle the mismatch between the supply and demand of new recruits and trained professionals .

www . laingorourke . com