All Building articles in CITB Supplement 2004

View all stories from this issue.

  • A sure way in
    Features

    A sure way in

    2004-11-19T00:00:00Z

    Construction apprenticeships are as popular as ever with young people, but employers are less enthusiastic about the costs involved. So what can be done to give young people a secure path into the industry?

  • Features

    A mature influence

    2004-11-19T00:00:00Z

    Stories of posh plumbers – city bankers who swap pinstripes for overalls – may be exaggerated, but it is true that an increasing number of people in other professions want to learn construction skills. So how can the industry meet their training needs?

  • John Rackstraw
    Features

    The ideal partner

    2004-11-19T00:00:00Z

    John Rackstraw, chief executive of Pearce Group and a devotee of the Egan message, explains how he’s putting the principles of partnering and integrated supply chains into action

  • Features

    Our golden opportunity

    2004-11-19T00:00:00Z

    Over the past five months Building has run the Action for Skills series, with ConstructionSkills, to kick-start a debate about training and the new sector skills agreement. Now, to round off the series, this supplement – a constructor’s manual, if you will – offers an overview of training needs ...

  • Crème de la crème
    Features

    Crème de la crème

    2004-11-19T00:00:00Z

    A degree and a pile of debt – the net result after several years of hard study and student nights out. But how prepared are graduates for the tough world of work and the particular demands of construction?

  • Where credit's due
    Features

    Where credit’s due

    2004-11-19T00:00:00Z

    Talent, skill and hard work characterise most of construction’s 2 million workers, yet in the past the industry has not formerly recognised their contributions or helped individuals develop their careers. Now companies are waking up to the value of staff and are investing in lifelong training

  • Trainees decorating a Coventry church
    Features

    A collective task: training for local people

    2004-11-19T00:00:00Z

    Whitefriars Housing Group is a collective of three housing firms that formed in September 2000 to manage more than 19,000 former Coventry council homes.

  • Features

    A better deal for migrants

    2004-11-19T00:00:00Z

    Foreign workers play a vital role in construction, and to protect them from exploitation more needs to be done to regulate pay and conditions as well as improve health and safety training

  • Michael Latham
    Comment

    The path ahead

    2004-11-19T00:00:00Z

    Having been involved in the construction industry in various capacities since 1965, I find it hard to recall a time when there have been greater opportunities for the sector.

  • We're only as strong as our weakest link ...
    Features

    Step 3: integrate the supply - We’re only as strong as our weakest link …

    2004-11-19T00:00:00Z

    Construction’s worst flaw is said to be its supply chain, which is why so much work is going into improving relationships between suppliers, contractors and clients. Here are some examples of joined-up thinking

  • News

    CITB Supplement 2004

    2004-11-19T00:00:00Z

    A constructor's manual: best practice in construction

  • A matter of life and death
    Features

    Step 2: equip the workforce - A matter of life and death

    2004-11-19T00:00:00Z

    Construction sites are always going to be dangerous places to work – despite efforts to improve health and safety attitudes. Here’s how government, unions and contractors are trying to minimise accidents

  • Features

    Appendix 2: the government’s role - Friends in high places

    2004-11-19T00:00:00Z

    Public spending is on the increase – which means construction and government need each other more than ever before. Here’s how the two of them are coming to a mutual understanding …

  • Young hearts and minds
    Features

    Step 1: educate the people - Young hearts and minds

    2004-11-19T00:00:00Z

    Can a child of seven appreciate great buildings? Will a 15-year-old see the career opportunities construction has to offer? Well yes, but only if construction firms go to schools and actually talk to young people

  • Features

    Appendix 1: regional skills roundup - A nationwide skills hunt

    2004-11-19T00:00:00Z

    Employers across the country complain of a skills shortage, but has it hit some regions more than others? And could we be experiencing the effects of a North-South divide? Some researchers intend to find out …