The latest news this week in the Built Environment

 

Thameslink director appointed as East West Rail’s first CEO

East West Rail has announced its first chief executive as Simon Blanchflower, the programme director for Thameslink. Read more…

Interserve to roll-out £650m debt reduction plan

Interserve chief Debbie White has pledged to unveil plans to tackle the group’s mountain of debt early next year. Read more…

Rail parliamentary roundup: Grayling denies ‘tin ear’ jibes on northern investment, investigation launched into SWR’s ‘Mayhem Monday’

The transport secretary has hit back against claims that the government has underinvested in transport in the north following new analysis from the IPPR this week. Read more…

Yorkshire Water announces £30M Saltend WWTW investment

Yorkshire Water is to invest £30M in its wastewater treatment works in Saltend, Hull to improve the site’s operation. Read more…

My life in rail: Caitlin Gent

For the first in a new series meeting rail staff at different stages of their careers, we sat down with rising rail apprentice Caitlin Gent. Read more…

Major Brands Sign “Waste To Wealth” Commitment

Business in the Community – The Prince’s Responsible Business Network will challenge business to reduce waste or turn “waste into wealth” to prevent catastrophic climate change during at the Waste to Wealth Summit, held today (22 November). Read more…

 

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The latest news this week in the Water & Utilities Industry

 

MUS gets water network alliance deal with Welsh Water

Morrison Utility Services (MUS), the UK’s largest dedicated utility service provider and part of M Group Services, has been awarded a new four-year water network alliance contract with Dwr Cymru Welsh Water. Read more…

Tesco And WWF Join Forces To Make Food More Sustainable

Tesco and WWF today announced a ground-breaking, long-term partnership2 with the aim of reducing the environmental impact of the average UK shopping basket by 50%, improving the sustainability of food while ensuring it remains affordable for all. Read more…

South Staffs and Cambridge Water make new board appointments

South Staffs Water has welcomed three new independent non-executive directors to its board. Read more…

Co-op Rolls Out Compostable Carrier Bags In 1,000 Stores

The Co-op has this week rolled out its scheme to offer compostable carrier bags to customers from 1,000 stores across the country, replacing an estimated 60m single-use plastic bags. Read more…

Yorkshire Water announces £30M Saltend WWTW investment

Yorkshire Water is to invest £30M in its wastewater treatment works in Saltend, Hull to improve the site’s operation. Read more…

“Refundable” Levy On All Packaging Recommended In New Report

Policy measures to deliver increased use of post-consumer recycled materials (PCR) in the UK economy are outlined in a new report from Eunomia Research and Consulting, released today (20 November). Read more…

 

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The latest news this week in the Built Environment

 

Building new city-centre lines instead of using existing network inflates HS2 cost by 15%

HS2’s second phase will cost more compared to similar overseas schemes because it relies on new dedicated high-speed lines into city-centre terminal stations at Manchester and Leeds rather than using the existing conventional railway. Read more…

Nearly 98% of bathing waters pass EA quality standards

The Environment Agency has announced that 97.9 per cent of England’s bathing waters passed standards following tests this year. Read more…

A6 Manchester Airport relief road creates thousands of jobs

Greater Manchester is set to benefit from 5,000 more jobs thanks to a new road improving connections in and around the city to Manchester Airport. Read more…

Industry set to ‘smash’ government target after new build completions see 6.4% year-on-year rise

According to the latest government statistics, new build completions accounted for 195,290 of supply in 2017-18 in the year to April – a rise of 6.4%. Read more…

Wates wins £82m London Haringey tower job

Wates Construction has been appointed by London residential developer Anthology to build a 32-storey tower in Tottenham Hale. Read more…

 

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The latest news this week in the Built Environment

 

Crossrail chief executive stands down as London Underground boss takes up role

Transport for London announced today that Simon Wright, the chief executive of the £15.4bn project, will step down from the role “as planned,” and on 19 November will be replaced by Mark Wild, who is currently the managing director of London Underground. Read more…

ISG appointed to deliver £200m Waterloo development

ISG is set to transform 135,000 sq ft at the former Waterloo International Eurostar Terminal into a new retail, leisure and cultural development. Read more…

Civils skills shortage worst on record

Civils contractors are warning they now face a serious skills gap with dissatisfaction about finding sufficiently skilled staff in England running at record levels. Read more…

Travertine pavements could cut flooding by 50% – study

Changing the material used in pavements could reduce flooding by 50 percent and purify stormwater at the same time, according to researchers from Xi’an Jiaotong- Liverpool University (XJTLU). Read more…

Colgate Launches Oral Care Products Recycling Solution

Dental hygiene brand Colgate is partnering with TerraCycle to launch the Colgate Oral Care Recycling Programme, a free Nationwide recycling solution for oral care products and packaging in the UK. Read more…

 

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 The latest news this week in the Water & Utilities Industry

Irish Water to upgrade nine water treatment plants in Mayo

Irish Water has announced that it will spend €8.75 million on upgrading nine water treatment plants across County Mayo. Read more…

Unilever & Veolia Sign Collaboration Agreement On Sustainable Packaging

Unilever and Veolia have announced that they have signed a collaboration agreement to jointly work on emerging technologies that will help create a circular economy on plastics across various geographies, starting in India and Indonesia. Read more…

Severn Trent customers offered video calling service to report leaks

Severn Trent is now offering a video calling service that allows its customers to speak ‘face-to-face’ with an engineer when they report a leak. Read more…

United Utilities signs AI deal in UK first

United Utilities has become the first water company in the UK to introduce large-scale artificial intelligence into its operational systems. Read more…

Work begins on Glasgow’s groundbreaking ‘smart canal’

Construction of Europe’s first ever ‘smart canal’ scheme, which will use the 250-year-old Forth & Clyde Canal and 21st century technology to mitigate flood risk as well as enable significant regeneration, is now underway in Glasgow. Read more…

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The latest news this week in the Built Environment

 

Colmore Tang has won the contract to convert the former Intel Security office building in Slough into a luxury apartment complex for developer SevenCapital.

Work will see the building converted into 58 one and two-bedroom boutique apartments. Read more…

Network Rail supplier spend table revealed

Network’s Rail’s investment in signalling and train control systems saw Siemens Rail Automation unseat Costain as the infrastructure group’s biggest supplier by spend. Read more…

London council picks Countryside for big estate rebuild

The London Borough of Kingston has selected Countryside Properties to redevelop a major housing estate. Read more…

BAM Nuttall wins first stage of £60m Lowestoft bridge

BAM Nuttall has won the contract for the first stage of completing the £60m Lake Lothing Third Crossing in Lowestoft. Read more…

New framework announced for measuring the impact UK rail has on society and sustainability

The RSSB has developed a new framework which can measure the social value of the UK’s railway. Read more…

DERAGGER demonstrates benefits in independent trial

Clearwater Controls’ DERAGGER device cuts energy consumption by up to 80 per cent, significantly reduces maintenance requirements and helps to extend asset life, according to a new independent trial. Read more…

Thames Water publishes environmental, social and governance statement

Thames Water has published its first Environmental, Social and Governance Statement today (25 October) and been recognised for its commitment to sustainability in a global review. Read more…

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UU building floating solar farm on Langthwaite Reservoir

United Utilities is building a floating solar farm on the surface of Langthwaite Reservoir. Read more…

Former Kier MD Fletcher to lead Anglian’s @one Alliance

Anglian Water has appointed former Kier MD Paul Fletcher as director of its @one Alliance – a 15-year partnership of engineering and construction partners. Read more…

Anglian gets permission for solar installation at Grafham Water

Grafham Water is to become the latest part of Anglian Water’s carbon neutral journey as the installation of a solar array has been permitted on operational land at the site. Read more…

Nissan Leaf gets green light for vehicle-to-grid use in Germany

Electric car is first to win regulatory approval from German authorities to supply energy from battery back to the grid. Read more…

Aluminium Drink Cans Recycling Hits Record High in Ireland

The official recycling rate for aluminium drink cans consumed in Ireland has jumped from 54% in 2016 to 73% in 2017. Read more…

Uber to introduce clean air fee to all London rides

Uber will charge its customers in London an extra 15p per mile on every trip to help its drivers buy electric cars. Read more…

 

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Searching for a job can be a daunting prospect; understanding your worth on the job market, navigating job boards, recruiters and social networks can all present barriers to finding the perfect role. But all is not lost, new technology and algorithms on established platforms are all geared to help you find your next role with minimum effort.

So how do you find a job in the technological age?

Here are 3 simple tips to help speed up your job search.

Update your Virtual CV

 

 

Your social media profile can act as a virtual CV, it’s there 24/7 as your own personal advert to the job market. Create a LinkedIn profile or update your existing profile by detailing your relevant skills and experience to maximise your online presence. Share your profile edits to draw attention to your refreshed profile among your followers.

Register for Job Alerts

 

 

Save time with your search by registering for job alerts. By registering with relevant job boards and setting up job alerts, you can receive notifications of new opportunities straight to your inbox. You can be as specific as you want to be, narrowing it down to location, salary, job title or industry. Targeting industry-specific job sites can be a good way of narrowing down the number of jobs sent to you.

Utilise Recruiters

 

 

Good recruiters will have a comprehensive understanding of your market and current opportunities. Engaging recruiters is a quick way of tapping into this knowledge to help you in your search. Even better, they already have a relationship with the hiring managers and can guide you through the process, from interviews and salary negotiation through to offer and onboarding.

You can now choose to show recruiters and hiring managers, who are searching for potential candidates, that you are ‘open to opportunities’ on LinkedIn. This will not be visible to your current company but will alert hiring managers and recruiters that you are open to approaches!

 

Looking for your next career?

Advance TRS is a niche recruitment consultancy specialising in the provision of highly-skilled technical professionals. Since establishing, Advance TRS has grown rapidly and now provides permanent, contract and temporary recruitment solutions to both candidates and clients across a number of key technical sectors, including Rail, Property, Construction, Water and Utilities.

For the latest opportunities visit www.advance-trs.com or speak to one of our team on 01483 361061.

Bristol Water supporting growth of innovative entrepreneurs

Bristol Water has launched its business incubator to boost innovation and help support the local economy. The Workshop encourages small, start-up businesses to help solve business challenges. Read more…

Severn Trent set to expand trial with leak-finding robot

Following trials earlier this year, Severn Trent is working with US-based WatchTower Robotics on creating and trialling a UK-specific leak-finding robot in the company’s pipes. Read more…

UK’s Biggest Collaborative Push To Improve Recycling On-The-Go Launches

Bubble-blowing bins, recycling reward machines, a huge art installation and ‘Re-Cycler’ recycling collection bikes will appear across Leeds city centre from today [Tuesday 9 October] as part of #LeedsByExample – the UK’s biggest push, to date, to trial innovative ways to improve rates of recycling on the go. Read more…

Thames’ ‘micro-machine’ to cut roadworks disruption

Thames Water is bringing an innovative new micro-machine to London to cut down travel disruption caused by essential roadworks. Read more…

Ofwat not ambitious enough on ‘shocking’ leakage levels – MPs

Ofwat’s 15 per cent leakage target is “not ambitious enough” while more must be done to incentivise water transfers, MPs have said in a report on the regulation of the water industry. Read more…

Walkers To Create UK’s First Nationwide Crisp Packet Recycling Scheme

Walkers is set to launch the UK’s first nationwide recycling scheme for crisp packets. Read more…

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This September, the Advance TRS team marked 7 years of trading in style. Since establishing in 2011, Advance TRS has grown from one man’s idea into a £30 million turnover business, now with 2 office locations and over 35 staff recruiting across 4 key industry sectors.

Group Managing Director Andy Ridout’s unique energy and dedication has inspired and driven the team to place over 2,600 professionals, boasting over 1.5 million hours worked on the railway without serious incident.

In the last year alone, Advance TRS Ltd. have been presented awards including Leadership Team of the Year and Employer of the Year for Surrey. These add to the companies growing awards cupboard, as previous winners of the M3 Growth Hub High Growth Award and Finalists for the UKRIA Recruitment Excellence award.

With plans to more than double the workforce again in the next 3 years, the rapidly growing team shares Andy’s commitment to providing excellent customer service to both candidates and clients alike, finding the best candidates for each role.

Building on more than 150 years of combined industry experience and mobilising the dynamism of new recruits, the team are going from strength to strength.

The company has recently invested in a new Training and Development Director and Head of Facilities Managment to support the senior leadership team, with expansion plans including new recruits and new office locations.

All of this has been achieved whilst maintaining a singular dedication to excellent customer service, epitomized by the company’s Core Values of Quality, Commitment, Integrity, Honesty and Loyalty.

With business development plans firmly rooted in these five principles, Advance TRS aims to continue this pattern of growth whilst maintaining their strong reputation as dependable, effective and honest.

“Advance TRS’ success has been proven that hard work and a dedication to delivering excellent service pays off” Andy explains, reflecting on the last 7 years.

“Now, the team and I are more motivated than ever to continue this sensational track record of growth and are excited for what the future brings.”

If you’re interested in being part of an award-winning team, please contact Neil Wilkie on 01483 361061 or click here to visit our ‘Work for us’ page and apply for one of our current vacancies!

Our Water Team at Advance TRS attended the Water Industry Achievement Awards at The Vox Conference Centre in Birmingham on Monday 21st May.

This event is a great occasion where all of the water companies come together to celebrate all the achievements in the water industry over the last year, with the opportunity to enter your own company for different categories to prove that you are the best in that area. The categories covered all areas including Customer Service, Drainage and Flood Prevention, Energy and Carbon, Water resilience, Engineering Projects, Most innovative use of an existing technology, Most Innovative New Technology of the year and so on. Of course, there were some overall awards which were Water Company of the year and Water Industry Contractor of the Year. There was a record-breaking number of entries and you can see the full list of winners here.

The awards night consisted of a drinks reception from 7pm followed by a 3 course meal and the awards. We sat with representatives from Severn Trent Water and a partner of theirs, Malvern Panalytical who were jointly nominated for an award – which they won! Congratulations to them and all of the winners! The night ended with a charity casino followed by drinks at the bar until the early hours of the morning.

This event was a brilliant opportunity to see this industry link together to celebrate all of it’s amazing achievements over the last year and to see how much hard work goes into each part of the water industry. It’s an excellent networking event and an all round great evening.

The team also went to Utility Week Live the next day which was at the NEC in Birmingham. This event includes a hall of company stands within the utilities industry, including green energy, utility providers, tech companies and various equipment manufacturers and more. The chance to explore the opportunities and threats of disruptive technologies and business models and of course, networking with 3,000+ utility industry colleagues and contacts. There was ongoing seminars for all the sectors and these along with the Keynote Speakers were also very interesting and it was brilliant to meet some of the VIPs of the day.

These two days were great for our Water Team and it was all very enjoyable and a great way to do some team bonding. We hope to catch up with the new people and companies that we met soon!