News
ECA past president shortlisted for First Women business awards
DIANE JOHNSON, ECA PAST PRESIDENT and skills ambassador for the association, has been shortlisted for the prestigious First Women Awards. The nomination acknowledges Johnson’s work in conceiving and implementing the Wired for Success: ECA Women into Electrical Contracting initiative. Founded in 2005 by Real Business and the CBI, the First Women Awards recognise trailblazing women who are laying the foundations for the next generation of female talent. This year’s awards, held in association with Lloyds Banking Group, have a new category, The Built Environment, for which Johnson has been shortlisted.
Wired for Success is a revolutionary training and employment initiative that aims to make the electrical industry more accessible to women. Through being shortlisted, Johnson hopes to inspire other likeminded organisations to follow the Wired for Success model – and to break down the barriers that prevent women from joining the electrical contracting industry. She commented: ‘Being shortlisted for this award is a great way to celebrate the achievements of the ladies taking part in the Wired for Success pilot scheme. It is also recognition of all the hard work that the ECA and its partner organisations have put in to making Wired for Success a reality.’
GOVERNMENT FOCUS ON MEDIATION WELCOMED
JIB MEDIATION SERVICES HAS WELCOMED A forthcoming government focus on resolving workplace disputes before they lead to more formal legal procedures. The new Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill, announced in the Queen’s Speech, is set to introduce new measures for the resolution of potential claims to the Employment Tribunal, a move that provides a clear opportunity for the more widespread use of mediation to resolve conflict at work. ‘There is considerable misunderstanding about exactly what mediation is,’ said Jane Bird, former Acas executive director and a mediator with JIBMS. ‘Used effectively it can be significantly less stressful and less costly than using formal dispute procedures or going to the Employment Tribunal. Finding a mutually agreeable way forward is often a much more desirable option for both the employer and employee. ‘We hope that this development will bring about greater knowledge and understanding of how mediation works and the benefits it can bring, resulting in more workplace conflict being resolved in this way.’
Diane Johnson (centre) ‘Recognise value of vocational qualifications’
JTL IS BACKING CALLS TO IMPROVE knowledge of vocational qualifications in schools. This comes after research from Edge that revealed a quarter (23 per cent) of sixth-form students feel that their teachers are pushing them towards university, regardless of what is right for them. Denis Hird, JTL’s chief executive, said: ‘By fully recognising the value of vocational qualifications for school-age students, we stand a much greater chance of being able to recruit and train the electricians that we need. University is not the right course for everyone. Schools need to accept that and be flexible towards learners’ needs. Youth unemployment is deplorably high at the moment – clearly something isn’t working. I would strongly suggest that presenting apprenticeships as a quality choice for young people would be a great way to start.’
Jeremy Hodge
This call from JTL comes after Vocational Qualifications (VQ) Day, which took place on 20 June. Hird concluded: ‘Apprenticeships are a great and established route to qualification. We want to continue to attract the best candidates to apprenticeships, and we can only do that with the support of schools and their careers officers. It is these apprentices who, upon qualifying as electricians, will take the industry forwards.’
UK’s largest cable testing facility
THE BRITISH APPROVALS Service for Cables (BASEC) has announced the completion of a new 18,000ft2
world-class
cable testing laboratory. The state-of-the-art facility, which has also become BASEC’s new head office, is the largest dedicated testing laboratory for cables in the UK.
BASEC has made a significant investment in the new laboratory, including the
6 ECA Today July 2012
commissioning of brand new test equipment. BASEC’s previous arrangement for testing with the British Standards Institution (BSI) has been concluded and staff and equipment have been transferred to BASEC. New fire performance testing capabilities will be commissioned in mid-2012, and there are further plans for additional test capabilities, cable types and product areas.
‘This is a very exciting time for BASEC,’ said Jeremy Hodge, BASEC chief executive. ‘This facility aims to be a centre of excellence for cable testing. Our intended benefits for our clients are increased efficiency and more rapid turnaround of samples. We will be expanding the range of services to cover fire and other tests, for the benefit of our clients holding BASEC approvals.’
SHUTTERSTOCK / GOODLUZ
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