Opinion

Time to act on plans for 2016 and celebrate 2015

Nelson Ogunshakin

The New Year has come. Time to put in place plans for 2016 and reflect upon triumphs of the past 12 months, writes Nelson Ogunshakin. 

Here at the ACE group offices, and across our membership, we have many accomplishments to celebrate from 2015. 

Every year I have the opportunity to host industry CEOs from across Europe at the European CEO Conference. Reflecting upon the discussions we had at the November event, many had similar concerns regarding mergers and acquisition, late payments, international collaborations, skills development, retention gap, as well as diversity and inclusion. I am sure these topics will continue into 2016. Therefore, ACE must continue to foster a spectrum of event and debate opportunities for all size businesses to ensure upcoming challenges are addressed with effectiveness, gained through the sharing of knowledge and best practice.

Across the board, our industry has seen significant government commitments, including the establishment of the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC), further developing the infrastructure pipeline as well as UK skills development. ACE is confident that government momentum shall continue into 2016, and hopes that NIC will take on board expertise seen in bodies such as NIPSEF, to move projects forward as efficiently as possible.

"ACE has high hopes for 2016, and we are confident that our industry will continue to rise to the challenges before it."

The increased number of projects has inspired further government involvement in UK skills development; such as the Apprenticeship Levy and availability of apprenticeship positions and specialised colleges.

ACE will continue to be actively engaged in the devolution process, ensuring that members have a voice at all government levels throughout the United Kingdom, for 2016 and beyond.

The Technician Apprenticeship Consortium (TAC), supported by ACE, has shown the importance of industry collaborations for the development of apprentice skills standards, having served 1000 apprentices within its five years of existence. In 2015 TAC programmes and apprentices won or were nominated for numerous awards, showing further proof of successful skill development to meet industry needs, and create opportunity for the industry to attract diverse candidates.

Continuing to look towards incoming and new talent to our industry, ACE engagement efforts for young professionals in the field have increased through the continued expansion of Progress Network, providing a supportive network that encourages industry wide retention of talent. 

Recognising these initiatives as crucial to business performance, ACE’s National Conference on 15th March 2016 will focus on the key theme of ‘Building Teams: Boosting Productivity’.

"2015 has also, regrettably, seen the rise in concerns pertaining to security. With the tragedy in Paris still raw for many of us, security of one’s workforce at home or abroad as well as general site security must now be considered"

Given the nature of international projects undertaken by members, ACE is delighted that 2015 saw the launch of Progress Network Middle East. This complements and builds upon existing ACE efforts abroad, such as the Middle East Group and the International Business Group, which ensures that even when working on projects abroad members are able to access the discussion forums and strategic insights from the wider ACE group. 

Closer to home, ACE has been actively involved within the Royal Academy of Engineering, Diversity Leadership Group in the production of the first ever benchmarking tool specifically geared towards the engineering sector. Particularly with the current skills and retention challenges, the business case for a diverse and inclusive workforce has never been higher. In January 2016 ACE will provide the industry with tangible and realistic recommendations for incorporation into business strategies. This is a key solution for businesses large and small to address challenges ahead. ACE encourages all industry leaders to engage in industry wide improvement, through the report and resource hub launched in January.

2015 has also, regrettably, seen the rise in concerns pertaining to security. With the tragedy in Paris still raw for many of us, security of one’s workforce at home or abroad as well as general site security must now be considered. 

Though physical security currently dominates minds in preparations for 2016, the industry must also look towards other cyber security, particularly with the continued use of internet based company resources, cloud technology and the use of BIM.

ACE has high hopes for 2016, and we are confident that our industry will continue to rise to the challenges before it. ACE will continue to serve the industry through specialised research, collaborative working groups, financial and insurance advice, contract and legal services, high level representation and lobbying, as well numerous events with networking.