Construction Job Seekers

Official figures revealed by the

Government have shown that more than 210,000 people are seeking work in the construction industry. The figures revealed in

Parliamentary answers and the Government’s own Jobcentre Plus website, show that 210,260 people on Jobseeker’s Allowance are looking for construction jobs, while the Government’s website lists just 302 jobs for the whole country. Bridget Boreham from the

Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) said, “The Government has stated that official figures, which go beyond the Jobcentre Plus website, put vacancies closer to the 7,000 mark but that still shows how competitive the race for construction jobs has become. “We have seen an increase in the

last twelve months of 8% in our own membership as Professional Qualifications increasingly become a ‘must have’ to stand out from the crowd. We have also seen a significant increase in female

applications, and in our experience these trends will continue as the industry recovers. “The key for construction and the

Government is to keep hold of our unemployed workers, and those coming into the industry, during the recession. If we don’t we will face the same skills shortages we had from the last recession and that will hinder the industry’s ability to respond to the upturn of the economy.” For every £1 spent on construction the UK economy benefits by a total of £2.84, and 92% of that is spent in the UK. Independent economic impact analysis* commissioned by eight other (non CIOB) UK leading professional bodies has revealed that individuals with professional qualifications stand to gain £152,000 in additional earnings, over the course of their career. They also have a 9 per cent increase in the probability of being employed because of the transferable skills on offer.

Baxi and Nottingham City Homes Join Forces To Heat Homes

Nottingham City Homes has

teamed up with Baxi to install 11,200 new high efficiency boilers over the next three years. The project is part of its ‘Secure Warm Modern’ scheme to bring the 29,000 homes it manages up to the Decent Homes standard by 2013. Paul Ruston heads up the

‘Warmth’ area of the project. He says: “We are delighted to have established a partnership with Baxi. Nottingham City Homes is committed to providing affordable warmth for all our residents. Replacing old inefficient boilers with new high efficiency models along with double glazing and adequate loft insulation helps to lower their fuel use and save them money. “Nottingham City Homes is

committed to this huge refurbishment project, and in order to complete it by 2013 it is vital that we have an effective supply chain. Our target is to install 405 new boilers a month, so this means working closely with manufacturer, contractors and local merchants to ensure we can work quickly and effectively in our residents’ homes with minimum inconvenience to them.

“We are pleased that Baxi is our boiler supplier because, as well as a range of high efficiency boilers that suits the various properties we are updating, it also provides complete technical, training and service back up.” Steve Rickards, Baxi Group Specification Director, added: “Nottingham City Homes has an extremely comprehensive programme in place to update their properties, and we are proud to be part of it as their sole boiler supplier.” The boilers are supplied through local Nottingham merchants and installed by Nottingham City Homes’ property services section and contractor partners Vinshires Plumbing and Heating and Superior Plumbing Installations.

Barratt Introduces School-Finder Service for Cambridgeshire Parents

Some 32 per cent of

prospective homebuyers say that proximity to a good school is an important factor when buying a new property, according to customer research from Barratt Northampton. So now Cambridgeshire’s leading housebuilder has teamed- up with the Good Schools Guide to give parents who are looking for a new home the opportunity to research the best schools in the catchment area at the same time. Visitors to

www.barratthomes.co.uk simply enter a location, postcode or the name of the development in which they are interested and then have the option of asking for more information on nearby schools. The Good Schools Guide

search engine then generates a list of the nearest schools. Parents can filter the search by age-range (nursery, primary and secondary) or type (mainstream and special needs). By clicking on a school’s name,

parents can instantly access details such as the number of

pupils and the percentages passing exams in English, Maths and Science as well as Key Stage 2 statistics. For those who want to find out more in-depth information, the school’s website and contact details are also listed. Written by parents for parents,

the Good Schools Guide is widely recognised as one of the most authoritative and independent education resources available today. “Schools are a major consideration when we buy land to build our developments,” said Paul Walker, Sales Director at Barratt Northampton. “We understand that parents

want the very best for their children and that often it’s the school that dictates where they live – not the other way round.” “We are introducing this

service now because parents who plan to move in time for the new school year often start house-hunting during the Spring selling season. We believe that our school-finder will give them a head start.”

Strong Market in Central North Oxford

There is currently huge demand

for houses in central north Oxford, with prices being driven higher by increasing demand and lack of supply.

William Kirkland, manager of John D Wood & Co.’s Oxford office, comments “Anyone spending more than £600,000 wants to live in central north Oxford, due to its convenience for the city centre and the quality of the architecture, but it is a small geographic area, and available properties are always limited. Relocating Londoners in particular find this hard to understand; they think a £2 million budget will buy them anything they want, but the

best properties will take more than this.” John D Wood & Co. are currently

offering for sale 2 substantial family houses in this area. A period family house on

Leckford Road with 1,725 sq ft of accommodation over four floors, with an outlook to the rear across city gardens. The guide price is £1,250,000. An attractive family house on

the north side of Norham Road, one of a pair designed by the architect Wilkinson in 1884. The house provides an excellent family house in this prime location close to the city centre. The guide price is £2,250,000.

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