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Presidential view Prepare to succeed


As his busy schedule continues, ECA president PHIL FAGG looks ahead to the new year and new opportunities


A


s we approach the new year, there seems at last to be some light at the end of a very long tunnel. After some terrible years, there does seem to be some sustained pick-up in the construction sector. Talking


to members around the country, it seems that many more people in the industry are expressing positive sentiment about the coming year. There is clearly a more upbeat feeling – although that doesn’t mean anyone is under the illusion that it will be an easy ride. The market is likely to continue to be challenging for some time; margins remain low and electrical contractors will still have to work hard to make the most of any opportunities out there. Over the last few months, in my capacity as


ECA president, I have been travelling all over the UK, meeting members at a number of regional conferences, business days, branch meetings and other industry occasions. As well as regional events in Greater London, South Wales, East and West Midlands, the North West, West and my own South East area, my schedule has taken me north of the border to the annual SELECT Awards in Glasgow, as a guest of our electrical industry colleagues from Scotland. It has really brought home to me again how


important it is for members to get involved at a regional or branch level. It can off er so much for your business – giving a small amount of time to participate in the association can really bring signifi cant benefi ts to your business in terms of sharing knowledge, support and expertise from others in the industry. To put it another way, can you aff ord not to get involved? On the subject of awards, I should remind ECA


members that now is the time to be thinking about preparing entries for our own ECA Annual Awards 2014 – which will be presented at a gala awards dinner as the climax of The Electric Event on 30 May at the ICC Birmingham. It is also the time when members should be considering nominees for the 2014 ECA Edmundson Awards for apprentice and adult trainee of the year. If you feel your company has something to shout about, make sure you do – you can fi nd full details on the ECA website (www.eca.co.uk).


Positive action From a longer-term perspective, there have been other recent developments that off er encouragement for our industry. The government’s long-awaited announcement of a deal for the construction of a new nuclear power plant – Hinkley Point C in Somerset – is


18 ECA Today December 2013


the fi rst of what we expect will be a new generation of power plants in the UK. Although the start of construction is still some way off , and completion due in 2023, building the plant could create some 25,000 jobs overall. Ultimately this, and other new nuclear facilities, will be a huge boost to some larger players in the mechanical and electrical sector, with additional work coming through to smaller businesses. It should also address some of the potential UK energy shortfall issues the ECA has long been warning about.


Skills However, as any upturn in our industry gathers pace, the spotlight again falls on the potential skills crisis if we fail to address the shortage of apprenticeship within the sector. Government is now making some welcome positive statements about the value of apprenticeships – although we still need to see more action in terms of funding arrangements. The bottom line is still that we need more


apprentices joining our industry, or there will undoubtedly be a shortfall. We need to address this problem now; the apprentices of today will be the electricians working on the new generation of nuclear power stations. They will also be the ones helping to implement other critical energy solutions to help the country meet its carbon reduction obligations. We simply can’t aff ord to ignore this issue, otherwise we may fi nd ourselves looking elsewhere – probably overseas – to fi ll in the gaps where our highly-skilled UK electricians should be.


About the author


Phil Fagg is the ECA’s 100th president. Managing director of Ashford-based electrical contractor GW&E Wright, he has been in the industry for more than 40 years.


Services On a positive note, now the construction sector is starting to look up, it may be good time for electrical contractors to prepare their businesses for the future. With its comprehensive range of high-class support services and in-house expertise, the ECA can act as your ‘virtual back offi ce’ and can help you ‘health- check’ your business to make sure you’re ready for opportunities when they arise. I would, as always, urge members to make the most of the excellent services that your industry trade association provides. Finally, as we look ahead to the festive season, I


would like to wish all ECA members a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year. Let’s look forward to better times ahead, and ensure that 2014 becomes the year that we fi nally turn the corner. Enjoy the holiday.


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