So with the minimum wage rising and the government outlining its new, if not compulsorily plans for transparency around pay its a bit about money this month.

It’s also a little about toilets so please do follow the link and take a couple of minutes out of your day to sign the petition around public toilets – whilst it might not be top of your list of concerns right now it might well be the next time you get caught short.

Chrissi x

!!!!!!!!!!NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Minimum Wage set to increase in October

A bit of clarity for those considering taking on a school or college leaver in the near future;

The National Minimum Wage rates are reviewed each year by the Low Pay Commission and from 1 October 2011:
• the main rate for workers aged 21 and over will increase to £6.08
• the 18-20 rate will increase to £4.98
• the 16-17 rate for workers above school leaving age but under 18 will increase to £3.68
• the apprentice rate, for apprentices under 19 or 19 or over and in the first year of their apprenticeship will increase to £2.60

Home Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities Theresa May said the aim of Think, Act, Report is to improve transparency on pay and wider workplace equality issues to help drive change, including closing down the gender pay gap.

Tesco, BT and law firm Eversheds are among the first UK companies which have signed up to the government’s new framework.

The framework has been designed by the government and business as a step-by-step guide on gender reporting.  The scheme aims to help employers identify the barriers facing their female employees, take action to address the issues identified, and report publicly on their progress. Read more

Sex and power report 2011

Every three years the Equality and Human Rights Commission releases the sex and power report. Whilst it does not directly look at construction it gives some strong data regarding representation at the top of UK industry.

The progress of women to positions of authority in Britain has been tortuously slow. This year’s Sex and Power Report   an index of women in positions of power and influence   shows a trend which is not abating; while women make progress in some sectors, that progress regularly stalls or even reverses in other sectors. It is a trend of waxing and waning; not one of constant upward movement. Read the sex and power report.

This really is an important planning issues that particularly affects parents and the elderly one of which you likely to be one day! I’m yet to see a down side so please sign (it takes half a minute tops!) and make the lives of the ones we love a little easier.       Sign the petition

The law currently allows, but does not compel Local Authorities to provide toilets. The situation is worsening; 40% of Public Toilets have closed in the last decade. Many people lead restricted lives because they cannot rely on access to a Public Toilet in the places and at the times required. 

Sign up if you would like a law requiring Local Authorities to provide and maintain suitable, safe, clean and appropriately located Public Toilets with realistic opening hours.

Construction Manager Magazine has teamed up with Freda Lines to create this easy to follow ten step guide to understanding the new retirement legislation. Read more.

If you don’t already subscribe to Construction Managers free weekly news roundup we would advise you to consider doing so.

Qualified Plumber and Electrician Vacancies in London

Willmott Dixon has vacancies for qualified Electricians and Plumbers at their Nottinghill Branch, the minimum qualifications needed are as follows

Electrical = NVQ 3 Electro technical Certificate including the AM2 exam

Plumbing = NVQ 2 Plumbing (Domestic) (not just the technical L2 or L3 6129 must be the full NVQ 2 certificate)

All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply, the positions are for an immediate start please contact Sharon Ayles by email (sharon.ayles@willmottdixon.co.uk) for more information.

WSP - Summer Placement and Industrial Placement - 2012 intake

If you are studying a relevant techncial degree (BEng or Masters)and your grades will reflect that of a 2;1 or 1st. Ideally in your penultimate year and can demonstrate outstanding verbal and written skills and a desire to learn and have a flexible attitude you should consider applying for a placement with WSP

Based in UK/Ireland the closing date for applications is not till May but why not beat the rable and get you application in early. More details here

Negotiation; evening workshop for women, North West

Work in the built environment and want to improve your negotiation skills?

Learn how to sell yourself, your ideas and your work to others. Every day in the construction industry we need to negotiate to ensure that we are heard and that the right decisions are made;  How can we do this efficiently?

This interactive workshop looks at how negotiation is used in construction and how you can improve upon your skills; you should walk away feeling more confident, able and ready to sell yourself and your abilities.

This subsidised course is only £20 including buffet on the 11th October in Runcorn, booking must be made in advance as places are limited.

Subsidised Training for Women in Construction

The Women and Work Programme is part of a £25 million government investment for the training and development of 25,000 women, across a range of industries within which women are currently under-represented. The programme is one of a variety of measures which aims to help close the gender pay gap in a generation and stimulate cultural change among employers. The initiative was developed in response to recommendations made in the report 'Shaping a Fairer Future'.

ConstructionSkills has been delivering the Women and Work project since November 2006.  We have successfully secured additional funding through the UKCES Employer Investment Fund (EIF) to build and expand on the previous phases of the programme ensuring that it can continue to March 2012.

There are two courses available in locations throughout the UK (Please note that the 5 day course is not available in Northern Ireland)

Shortlist announced for 2011 WISE Awards

This year saw a record number of nominations for the 2011 WISE awards. The standard of applications was extremely high, and the judges commented on the quality and variety of the entrants. Here at Constructing Equality we were impressed to see a strong representation of nominees from built environment professions and want to wish all the individuals involved the best of luck.

The final shortlist of nominees can be found here.

We were delighted John McCallion from Balfour Beatty won the ODA Construction Award for Equality and inclusion and Jason Prior from AECOM won the award for Community Engagement with Richard Hurst gaining a well deserved recognition.

The awards were a brilliant showcase of the fantastic work individuals have put into the delivery of the Olympics, and whilst we have highlighted the winners in the categories we were honoured to judge we would also like to congratulate all the winners and nominees for their fantastic and dedicated work.

Diversity Expo Awards Winners

This is the first time awards have been handed out at the diversity expo so it was lovely to see individuals and organisations rewarded for their hard work in the field of diversity. Our CIC Diversity Panel Chair and Structural engineer Jane Wernick won best SME, Willmott Dixon best large organisation and Bruce Nixon and Natascha Pellegrinetti best individual contribution. So a big congrats to all and don’t forget to put in your applications next year.

How are mechanical engineers deployed in British industry?

If you are a mechanical engineer please take 10 mins to help out this student who is researching how mechanical engineers deployed in British industry for her dissertation.  The survey responses will be strictly confidential and anonymous.

Public Sector Equality Duty - Consultation on Public Sector Equality Duty Revised Draft Regulation

Here’s your chance to comment on the public sector equality duty for Scotland. On 9 September 2011, the Scottish Government equality unit published revised draft regulations for the public consultation on the regulations which will run until 25 November 2011.

!!!!!!BEST PRACTICE!!!!!!!!!

Report on developing LGBT-friendly workplaces

In July 2011, the Government Equalities Office published ‘Barriers to employers in developing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender-friendly workplaces’.

The research, by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, aimed to identify the barriers faced by employers in ensuring their workplaces are LGB&T-friendly, and to highlight what more Government could do to support employers in developing LGB&T-friendly workplaces.