6 minute read
employment and skills
Gatwick Station project – flying into year two
The start of 2021 has been busy at the Gatwick Airport station redevelopment to make passengers’ future journeys easier, while the station is open for travel.
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Over the last few weeks, the team reached a couple of important milestones on the journey to improving accessibility around the station:
The first stage of critical foundation work was complete on platforms 5 & 6. This allowed track realignment work to kick off to accommodate the construction of wider platforms, new escalators and stairs. These will create a seamless connection to a new, second station concourse built above platforms 5, 6 and 7. The concourse will be a new entrance into the Airport seamlessly connecting the train station to Airport Terminals, while doubling the amount of space for passengers.
Lift pits were constructed on platform 7 to prepare for the installation of a new lift and an escalator, which will also lead to the new station concourse.
Strengthening work has been carried out on platform 4 in preparation for the arrival of another new escalator and stairs, which will further improve accessibility and passenger movement around the station. Eight new escalators, five new lifts and four new stairways in total will be installed across the station to make journeys easier for all passengers including people with reduced mobility, the elderly and those travelling with a pushchair or luggage.
As part of the redevelopment the existing station concourse and link span into the Airport South Terminal will also be refurbished and station employees will benefit from a new Back of House building once works are complete in 2023.
As we look to the future, the Gatwick Airport station redevelopment will play a more important role than ever before in providing efficient, safe and sustainable transport links to London, the coast and abroad. Once complete, the upgraded station will be an impressive gateway into the UK, and it will help drive the recovery of the local, regional and national economy.
Most Southern trains will be diverted to London Bridge over May weekends and two Sunday’s in June as major signalling upgrades continue on the lines into London Victoria station. The investment will modernise 1980s track and signalling, improve reliability on the network and help even more passenger and freight trains arrive at their destinations on time. This phase of work, to take place between London Victoria, Clapham Junction and Balham, and the West London Lines from Clapham to Shepherds Bush, will continue until after Christmas 2022. On the following dates, most Southern trains will be diverted to London Bridge and no trains will run between Victoria-East Croydon.
Saturday 1 to Sunday 3 May (Bank
Holiday)
Saturday 8 to Sunday 9 May
Saturday 15 to Sunday 16 May
Saturday 22 to Sunday 23 May
Saturday 29 to Monday 31 May (Bank Holiday)
Sunday 6 June
Sunday 27 June. Rail tickets will be accepted on London Underground services between London Victoria, London Bridge and Balham, and on London Buses between Balham and Streatham Hill. Tickets will also be valid on South Western Railway services between Clapham Junction and London Waterloo. A limited bus replacement service will operate between East Croydon and Clapham Junction for local journeys. Learn more about the project at
www.networkrail.co.uk/ victoriaresignalling
How to stand out in a crowded job market with Love Local Talent Solutions
When the world suddenly changed in 2020 so did the way we interview. Being on the big screen (or not so big) is now the way of the modern ‘face to face’ interview and it’s harder to make a positive impact than ever!
So before you start, here are some important hints and tips to give you the greatest chance of success:
Make sure you have tested your equipment and all technical aspects before you go live;
Keep email and screen names professional, remember to remove the weekend quiz name!
Make sure your dressed for the occasion (at least from the middle up! As with any meeting, VC or face to face, you are still in first impression territory;
There’s no such thing as a firm hand shake on a VC introduction so you have to show confidence in other ways with body language and ‘nonverbal’ signals;
Eye contact is as important as ever – sitting up straight and looking directly at the camera will ensure a positive connection – and remember to smile! The interviewer can only see from the chest up so you should make sure you show positivity with your facial expressions and hand gestures (no matter how alien this might seem); Minimise any distractions where possible such as dogs barking, children entering the room, music, car alarms, flat mates etc – and think about your background. A natural setting is often advisable over the re-set versions on the VC package – but make sure to leave a positive impression – messy bedrooms, curtains hanging off and questionable taste in books may not be the best idea;
Remember if you have a natural setting/back drop that you don’t blend in with your surroundings, there is no harm in a coloured shirt or blouse, but hoodies are a no no!
Make sure you have researched the company and the role and always have pre-prepared questions of your own. Prepare questions, make sure you have your own that are relevant to the role and the business.
Research who you are meeting with on Linkedin, it’s nice to know their experience and how they progressed in their career. It’s important to know if they are a good fit for you just as much as you are for them. Find out what they like about the company, why do they work for the business? Etc. It’s always good to hear why people like where they work. Ask about the team; it’s important that you’re interested in the team you’ll be working with. Make sure you follow up as if you would on a face to face – thanking the interviewer for their time and expressing your interest in the role. While you are job searching make sure you keep your Whatsapp profile picture sensible, so many people now when working from home are using this to message or make Wi-Fi calls, so try to think about first impressions on this photo also.
Employment
At the time of writing this short column, more than half of the UK adult population has received their first covid-19 vaccination, we have an ‘irreversible’ timetable out of lockdown and increasing confidence that our business community will see some sustainable recovery during the rest of this year. Recovery will though bring significant challenges. Perhaps the greatest of these, with the most lasting impact on our society, will be permanent job creation in the 18-24 age group. According to ONS data, since February 2020, the number of payroll employees has fallen by 726,000. Unsurprisingly, the larger falls were seen at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, with the latest two months recording small increases. New analysis by age band shows that the 18 to 24 years age group has seen the greatest decrease in pay-rolled employees since February 2020. The number of job vacancies in November 2020 to January 2021 was 26% lower than a year ago. This is an improvement on the position in summer 2020 when vacancies were down by nearly 60% year on year, but the rate of improvement has slowed in the past few months. In October to December 2020, an estimated 11.6% of all people aged 16 to 24 years were not in education, employment or training (NEET). The percentage of those aged 18 to 24 years who were NEET was 13.8%. Whilst well intentioned the current Apprenticeship scheme appears to be misfiring badly and the Kickstart Scheme is not running at all smoothly yet. More and better is needed.
Rob Clare
Chairman Sussex Chamber of Commerce
