The members’ newsletter of ICE Yorkshire and Humber November 2011
yorkshireandhumber
ICE Local
ice.org.uk/yorkshireandhumber
In this issue Why it's good to be a softie
Bridgewater Place Leeds
Granville Davies reports on why the softer skills might just give you the edge in the current job market & what ICE Y&H is doing to help you gain those skills.
Regional Advisory Board
Bringing you news and views on civil engineering in your Region. We welcome your comments, letters and articles. Please contact us at: iceyandh@ice.org.uk Follow us on Twitter:
@ICEYorksHumber
Don't just moan about it, do something! Those of us who volunteer for the ICE often hear comments from members asking why we aren’t more effective at influencing government policy. Why don’t we get more involved with schools, or get more press and media coverage? Many of us already do lots – to promote ICE and the engineering industry as a whole. We work closely with the Government on a number of issues (see page 26 of NCE 20/10/2011 for some examples). Our Regional Advisory Board also works hard to help decision-makers, such as the Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), and consults with a number of regional external bodies and organisations. Our Ambassadors run regular, often weekly, events with schools across the region. So, for those of you complaining, could you do something to help?
All of us, as ICE members, need to take responsibility for making a difference – whether that be influencing local or national government policy or encouraging school children to take STEM subjects. Could you become a school governor or, perhaps, an Ambassador? Do you attend public meetings and voice your opinions? Do you take the time to write to your local government representative or others in positions of influence? We can provide you with guidance and ideas on how to get involved. Rhianna Rose MEng CEng MICE ICE Y&H Chair 2011-12
John Bowes brings you up to date on the role of our Regional Advisory Board and their recent contributions aimed at helping policy makers.
Education Update Josie Chandler & Cath Topliss write about how the RET is reaching out to pupils of all ages and bringing STEM subjects to life in the classroom.
Regional Achiever Bringing you news on the achievements of local engineers.
Project Focus Damian Kilburn highlights progress at the Leeds Arena.
ICE Member Benefits We detail a different member benefit in every issue.
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Why it’s good to be a softie We all know how important our “technical” skills are in the workplace but what about other skills – the ability to lead a project team successfully, tackle a tricky negotiation or make a presentation to a room full of colleagues? How important is the development of these skills and where does the ICE fit in? As you progress as a Civil Engineer, your technical skills - or “hard” skills - will always remain at the heart of what you do, but they will need to sit alongside other “softer” skills – skills that you have developed through experience and by taking advantage of training and development opportunities. You will need to demonstrate leadership and management skills, effective negotiation and communication techniques – proving your expertise in working alongside, supporting and motivating your colleagues. Projects cannot be delivered in isolation – successful collaboration is imperative. We cannot underestimate the importance our employers place on recruiting and retaining Civil Engineers with the best “package” of skills. Failure to develop the softer skills will limit the career opportunities open to you. So how do we develop these softer skills? A challenging economic climate may not help – although we need to remember that it is precisely in such a tough environment that we need to really distinguish ourselves. Some employers may not have the budget to offer bespoke external courses, but look at the training you can receive in-house. Ask for feedback on your own performance identify your strengths, look at how you might gain further expertise through your day-to-day work. Consider becoming an ICE Ambassador - a great way to develop presentational and other softer skills.
Keep up-to-date with ICE meetings and workshops – ICE Y&H is running an evening workshop in leadership skills, for example, on 30 November (see panel below). This is intended to help delegates to become more effective leaders, to develop the Prof Richard Field skills to pull together and (above) motivate the most effective Peter McNab teams and to understand (right) how best to manage people.
Responding to Challenging Times: Adding Change Processes to your Toolkit Thursday 30 November, 18:30 (refreshments from 18:00) Crowne Plaza Hotel, Wellington Street, Leeds, LS1 4DL. Booking is essential, email: iceyandh@ice.org.uk Professor Richard Field OBE DBA MPhil FLInstLM MMC Richard has chaired and been chief executive of both public and private organisations, in manufacturing, IT, and recruitment. He’s been involved with setting up a university, a school, Common Purpose, The Prince of Wales’ Volunteers, a TEC, and a variety of other government and private initiatives. Peter McNab Peter is an INLPTA Master Trainer who started teaching NLP in 1991. He has worked with a wide variety of organisations including blue chip companies such as P&G, and BT, and in the public sector with the Police Forces, the Fire & Rescue Service, and several universities. He has delivered NLP workshops around the world in over twenty countries on four continents.
Regional Achiever Sue O'Neill was nominated for an MBE in the New Year's Honours list for her professional work as a Flood Risk Manager for the Environment Agency in Yorkshire and the North East. The MBE also recognises her dedication to educating the Civil Engineers of the future, and her scouting and church contributions.
Sue O’Neill
David Dangerfield, Environment Agency Director in Yorkshire and the North East, said: "As a Flood Risk Manager, Sue was the Environment Agency's lead representative during the floods in 2007 in South and East Yorkshire. Her intimate knowledge of
the flood defences ensured that crucial decisions were taken calmly and with confidence.” (Northern Echo 28/06/2011) As a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers (FICE), Mrs O'Neill takes an active interest in helping aspiring engineers into the profession. Co-chairing the Civil Engineering Industrial Advisory Board at the University of Bradford's School of Engineering, Design and Technology, Sue acts as an important link between industry and academia. If you would like to nominate a regional achiever to feature in the next newsletter please contact us.
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Regional Advisory Board (RAB) Who are we? The RAB is a group of Civil Engineers, with a variety of specialisms across the civil engineering sector, who offer free and impartial advice to both public and private sector groups. Our main aims are to: n become a proactive source of knowledgeable advice across a range of sectors n promote a coherent strategy for infrastructure development in the Region n ensure there is informed debate about infrastructure development in the Region n influence the policymakers, where appropriate
Our Specialisms: Transport Rail Marine Structures Water / Waste Water Reservoirs Flood Risk Waste Energy Education and Skills
Influencing the influencers The RAB held a workshop with representatives from the Sheffield Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), the South Yorkshire Chambers of Commerce and representatives from Sheffield City
Council. The purpose was to raise the awareness of the skills and knowledge within the RAB so that we; n become more influential in the Region, becoming the first point of enquiry on infrastructure matters n promote our independence and our sense of responsibility to society n demonstrate the risk of failing to involve Civil Engineers from the outset of a scheme We intend to use this model with other LEPs in the very near future.
State of the Nation Reports During the past 18 months, the ICE produced a national report on Infrastructure generally, and a subjectspecific one on Waste and Waste Management. Our RAB contributed to these reports through review and comment, but also provided detailed input by appointing one of the group's specialists to the specific working group for each study. ICE Yorkshire and Humber also produced Regional Briefing Sheets to accompany both these publications.
How to contact us Please feel free to contact the RAB at any time via iceyandh@ice.org.uk
D i d y o u k n o w ? The HSE is focussing on 10 specific areas this year including: Temporary Works - “we will promote awareness and knowledge of the importance of managing temporary works effectively and ensure that adequate management arrangements are in place.”¹ The construction of most types of permanent works will require the use of some form of temporary works and most projects will require the appointment of a Temporary Works Co-ordinator (TWC). The TWC is responsible for ensuring that the contractor's procedures for the control of temporary works are implemented on-site. The TWC is not normally the designer. The principal activities of the TWC are listed in BS5975:2008. The HSE states that ideally a TWC would: n Have experience of the relevant types of temporary works n Have completed formal TWC training n Hold a degree / HND in civil/structural engineering n Be a Chartered Civil / Structural Engineer² ¹hse.gov.uk/construction/work-plan-2011-12.pdf ²hse.gov.uk/foi/internalops/sectors/construction/021004.htm
ICE Member Benefits ICE Library Located on the first floor of the ICE headquarters at One Great George Street, the ICE Library collection is designated as being of outstanding national importance by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. With over 130,000 titles, the ICE Library is the largest resource in civil engineering in the world. ICE members (i.e. all grades) can borrow up to three items in person or by post within the UK and Ireland. Items can be requested for posting or reserved for collection through the Library catalogue, by telephone or by email. Requested items are sent first class by Royal Mail (certain large items may be sent by parcel post or courier) and any book requests received before 15:00 will be sent the same day. The service is free but we would be grateful for a refund of our postage cost. The loan period is three weeks.
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Regional Education Team (RET) Introducing the STEM subjects and engineering to the schoolchildren of our Region. ICE Yorkshire and Humber's Regional Education Team facilitates activities in schools throughout the Region and currently has around 200 Ambassadors. Our Ambassadors deliver a wide range of fun, yet informative, civil engineering based activities, attend careers and science fairs, and give presentations. ICE Ambassadors volunteer to work with schools, encouraging awareness and enthusiasm for civil engineering. The objective is to encourage children to consider subjects such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics as the platform for a new generation that can create, design and build for the future. Recent events include: Titus Salt Secondary School, Shipley - Rapid Response Engineering Challenge: by far our most popular activitiy for schools and Ambassadors! A day
event that sees Ambassadors recreating events from Hurricane Mitch, and showing schoolchildren the role of the engineer in such natural disaster situations. The day ends with the children making their own shelters and water supplies which we test with water (and they do get wet!). Big Bang & Teentech: both nationally recognised-events that see ICE alongside other STEM providers in educating school children by promoting civil engineering and undertaking one-hour activities. CreateSport: a 12-week challenge to design a new community sports venue, spurred on by the 2012 Olympics. Ambassadors attended regular workshops to help the teams to produce a report, a model and a presentation that was judged at Xscape in Castleford.
Building wind turbines during the President's visit – 18 March 2011
Would you like to become an Ambassador? Do you know a teacher or governor, or have links with a school which could benefit from our activities? Would your company be able to support any events? The ICE Regional Education Team would be pleased to hear from you: iceyandh@ice.org.uk
Regional Project Focus - Leeds Arena The specification of the arena includes: n A 'super-theatre' configuration n 24 executive boxes which will contain an average of 12 seats n Flexible accommodation to host music, concerts and family entertainment shows n A suitable venue for events with an audience as small as 1,500 n Clear views of the centre of the stage from every seat
The arena will be built on the 5.1 acre Clay Pit Lane site in the centre of Leeds. The city centre location benefits from being close to the bus and rail stations and will help the regeneration of the Northern Quarter of the city centre. Construction of the Leeds Arena started in May 2011. BAM have been appointed as Principal Contractor and are now progressing with construction. Current activity includes laying the reinforced concrete foundations, and putting the building's lift shafts and staircase into place. The ICE evening meeting on 4 July 2012 will provide a detailed update of progress, issues and solutions. If you wish to visit the site, there is an onsite visitor centre where you can view the entire site (open 9am-4pm Monday to Friday). To visit, go to the site entrance on Clay Pit Lane and inform security that you wish to go to the visitor centre.