Manufacturing employers urged to put outstanding youngsters up for awards

Stuart Pearcey
-
0
Manufacturing employers urged to put outstanding youngsters up for awards
West Yorkshire’s manufacturing and engineering employers are once again being urged to nominate their outstanding younger employees for the 2024 Leeds Manufacturing Festival Awards, which return for the third year to celebrate the rising stars of the sector. The awards are one of the highlights of the Leeds Manufacturing Festival. As well as recognising the successes and achievements of younger people within the industry, they also aim to showcase the diversity of careers available in a sector that faces a continued skills crisis and shortfall of new talent. Nominations for the awards are now open and close Friday 31 May, with an awards ceremony taking place at the Rose Bowl, Leeds Beckett University, next month. This year’s award categories are for Apprentice of the Year, Rising Star of the Year, Future Manufacturing Leader and Employer of the Year. This year’s event will also feature a special award for Manufacturing Ambassador, which will be presented to an individual who has done something exceptional to raise the profile of the industry.
Adam Tipper, whose Next Gen Makers organisation delivers a nationally recognised quality assurance programme for engineering apprenticeships and is sponsoring the Apprentice of the Year category, said: “Apprentices are the lifeblood of manufacturing and engineering firms and this award is a real celebration of excellence and of the industry as a fantastic career choice for ambitious young people. “Resources such as our Engineering Apprenticeships: Excellent Employers online careers platform are helping students to identify the best firms for apprenticeships and really empowering both young people and the industry to achieve great things.” Sponsor of the Rising Star award, Leeds City College’s head of engineering, Mitch Scott, said: “We work as a team with employers to ensure they are equipped to nurture and develop young people starting out in their careers and enable them to develop their full potential. These awards, and especially the Rising Star category, are an important recognition of the fantastic young people who bring vital energy and innovation to the sector.” The Employer of the Year category, for a business that has excelled in attracting and supporting talented young people, is sponsored by engineering and manufacturing recruiter E3 Recruitment. Associate director Matthew Booth said: “Attracting talented young people and enabling them to thrive and contribute great things to a business is very much down to the employers and we’re really pleased to be sponsoring this category which recognises the huge effort and focus that the very best employers put into developing their young trainees and employees, offering job satisfaction and great careers.” Entry forms for the Leeds Manufacturing Festival Awards can be found on the festival website and entries must be received by 31 May. The awards ceremony will take place on 13 June, compered by Yorkshire Post deputy business editor Greg Wright. Leeds Manufacturing Festival is sponsored by Next Gen Makers, Leeds City College, and E3 Recruitment, as well as by Leeds City Council and manufacturing employers MPM, Leeds Welding Company, Greyhound Box and Sound Leisure, Kirkstall Precision Engineering, Saftronics and Bensons Panels, which are members of the Leeds Manufacturing Alliance.

Train operator predicts orange card tickets could soon be museum pieces

Stuart Pearcey
-
0
Train operator predicts orange card tickets could soon be museum pieces

Northern Trains says the iconic, orange ‘magstripe’ train ticket could be a museum exhibit within as little as five years.

The train operator says its customers’ ever-growing preference for digital tickets and the introduction of actual ‘paper’ tickets has seen them use 2.3m fewer ‘magstripes’ in the last 12 months.

Fewer than 20% of journeys on Northern services in 2023-24 were made using a ‘magstripe’, with the number in-use falling by 12% compared to 2022-23, from 20.3m to 18m. During the same period, the number of people using digital tickets on Northern services grew by almost 19%, from 54.8m to 65.2m.

A spokesperson for Northern said: “All of our standard tickets are available in electronic format and people clearly enjoy the flexibility of buying their ticket ‘on the go’ and being able to store it on their mobile phone or tablet.

“We’re also increasingly able to offer actual ‘paper’ tickets from our ticket offices and vending machines for those who prefer a physical proof of purchase.

“Whilst ‘magstripes’ might generate a sense of nostalgia, it’s important to remember that because they’re made from more than one material, they’re less recyclable and could ultimately end up in landfill – whereas paper tickets can be easily recycled with other paper products.

“At the current rate of decline and with an ever-greater focus on digital and paper alternatives, ‘magstripes’ are definitely nearing the end of the line. They could be something of a museum exhibit within five years.”

City partners with SignLive to enhance translation service

Stuart Pearcey
-
0
City partners with SignLive to enhance translation service
Deaf-owned and deaf-led organisation SignLive is partnering with the Council to enhance the organisation’s translation and interpretation services. The organisation has a pool of about 120 qualified and accredited interpreters trained in anti-fraud and safeguarding measures, which the community can access this service 24/7. Fiona Mackay, COO of SignLive, said: “We are thrilled to partner with Sheffield City Council to enhance accessibility for the Deaf community. This collaboration signifies a major step towards inclusive communication, ensuring that Deaf individuals can easily access essential services and support. We look forward to working together to break down barriers and create a more inclusive environment for all residents.” Users will be able to call the Council for free, following a one-time registration on the SignLive app, where they will be able to access the service. Through this partnership, the Council is now implementing a new video relay service and a new video interpreting service, which is supported by SignLive. This new functionality improves the experience of our Deaf citizens and those with a hearing impairment- supporting them with a live, on-demand British Sign Language (BSL) qualified interpreter when contacting the Council. Cllr Tom Hunt, Leader of Sheffield City Council, said: “The launch of SignLive is a brilliant step in making our services more accessible to everyone in our communities. We are paving the way to make sure everyone has the support they need when contacting us.  Introducing this functionality will make make our services more accessible to our deaf community.”

Ramsdens strengthens Yorkshire private wealth team with partner appointment

Tess Egginton
-
0
Ramsdens strengthens Yorkshire private wealth team with partner appointment
Ramsdens Solicitors, which has 11 offices across Yorkshire, is continuing to build its private wealth team with the appointment of James Knowles as partner. With over 20 years’ experience as a private client lawyer, Mr Knowles joins from the York office of Knights, where he was a partner in the tax and wills and estates teams. He also spent more than two years as a partner with Langleys Solicitors and over six years at Weightmans. Mr Knowles’ areas of expertise include capital tax planning for high-net worth individuals; complex will drafting; succession planning; and managing trusts. He also specialises in long-term care planning, and estate administration. Chris Reynolds, partner and head of Ramsdens’ private wealth services team, said: “As we continue to build the expertise of our private wealth team, James’ extensive knowledge of business succession planning will further strengthen our services to business owners, and individuals. “James is a well known figure in the private client arena in both North and West Yorkshire, having worked for some of the large, national firms, and his strong network will be invaluable, helping us to grow our presence across the region.” Mr Knowles said: “Joining the Ramsdens team is an exciting opportunity to help build the brand as a leading firm in Yorkshire and raise awareness of the extent of our private wealth offering. I’m looking forward to being part of a traditional law firm which focuses on people, whether by providing an outstanding service to clients or helping to develop talent within the team.”

York Handmade signs up to Net Zero initiative

Tess Egginton
-
0
York Handmade signs up to Net Zero initiative
York Handmade Brick Company has signed up to the Ceramics UK Net Zero initiative. This is another major commitment towards sustainability and Net Zero by York Handmade, who are based at Alne, near Easingwold. Managing director Guy Armitage explained: “Here at York Handmade Brick, we are very proud of our sustainability record as we strive to do our best to hit the Government’s target to reach net zero by 2050. This will require a concerted effort and I am tempted to quote John F Kennedy’s famous and apposite comment: We are doing this not because it is easy, but because it is hard. “That is why we have just signed up to the Ceramics UK Towards Net Zero initiative. The UK manufacturing industry is making a really big effort to achieve net zero by 2050 and I believe us smaller members have a big part to play, as we have advantages over our larger peers. “Our work into effectively recovering heat from intermittent kilns for intermittent dryers will be shared across the industry, with other research being shared via Ceramics UK. “All of this is yet another reason for our customers to buy UK manufactured brick, leaving aside for now the appalling conditions in which brick is manufactured in South-East Asia. I really believe that we are ahead of the curve on this with our ambition in comparison to the rest of the world.” This Ceramics UK campaign is a key support programme to help its members to work together in delivering further ceramic sector decarbonisation action in a progressive but realistic manner. In the first few months since launching the initiative, an ever-growing number of members, including many SMEs, have signed up and are willing to work together, share ideas and approaches, and show the sector’s collective commitment to the decarbonisation challenge. The scheme is free for members, voluntary, and has a simple sign-up process where participants self-declare against a set of light-touch principles. The initial tools and activities being provided include a Business-to-Business Sector Partnering and Mentorship scheme, which involves sharing ideas and approaches in a non-competitive and collaborative manner, and an Employee Engagement and Awareness training material, which aims to raise employee awareness and engagement in energy reduction and decarbonisation. Guy Armitage continued: “There is no doubt that the energy and emissions policy landscape, and how this is implemented, is critical to the UK ceramic sector and all member companies. This new campaign by Ceramics UK will help members understand complex issues and upcoming changes, supporting the industry’s continued collaboration and response to growing challenges driven through the UK’s net zero. “Here at York Handmade, we are very proud to be putting these objectives into practice, having recently been awarded a grant to improve our energy efficiency and to reduce our carbon emissions. “We successfully applied to the “game-changing” Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IETF) for £38,800 to pursue our sustainability agenda. We are completely committed to improving the energy efficiency of our factory site at Alne and are currently undertaking a detailed techno-economic feasibility study. This extremely welcome grant minimises the cost and risks of the study and of any subsequent capital investment.” The special project aims to improve the energy efficiency of the site by capturing the high-grade (high temperature) waste heat from the kilns and utilising it in the dryers. This will offset/replace the need for gas-firing in the dryers and lead to significant energy, carbon and cost reductions. The kilns operate at high temperatures (up to about 1100 degrees C) and the exhaust gases from the kilns carry substantial amounts of heat which is currently being wasted. The solution involves installing a heat exchanger in the exhaust stack of each kiln to capture this heat into high pressure hot water or thermal oil. This hot water/oil will then be stored in a thermal battery. The thermal battery can then provide heat to the brick dryers using a radiator system on demand and allow the operations of the kilns and dryers independent of each other. Guy added: “Sustainability is extremely important for energy intensive businesses like York Handmade as we are seeing an eight-fold increase in our energy costs. The government has already announced withdrawing financial support for industry with energy bills and many similar businesses are facing existential threats due to high energy costs, inflation and reduced spending power of their customers. “The government’s commitment to net zero by 2050 will require industry emissions to reduce by nearly 90 per cent from the present value. We are both happy and proud to play our part.”

Bradford Council to consolidate estate in city centre

Tess Egginton
-
0
Bradford Council to consolidate estate in city centre
Bradford Council is looking to consolidate its estate in the city centre which will save £1.1million per year. The move of Bradford’s City Library is also part of the City Centre Accommodation Programme. The Council regularly reviews the use of its buildings to ensure that facilities operate efficiently and effectively in light of changing patterns of use. The programme will ensure staff can be accommodated more effectively, whilst delivering significant budget savings. The Council is a major employer in the district and employs hundreds of staff based in the city centre across a range of buildings. The Council proposes to close and eventually dispose of Margaret McMillan Tower. The building sits on the boundary of the Council’s Transforming Cities work near the former Jacob’s Well roundabout. With new public realm and green spaces on its doorstep and sitting next to the National Science & Media Museum, which is also undergoing a significant refurbishment, Margaret McMillan Tower will represent one of the most exciting investment opportunities in the city. Staff currently working at Margaret McMillan Tower will relocate to City Hall and Britannia House. Cllr Alex Ross-Shaw, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, said: “Our staff are our greatest asset, and we want to make sure they have the right spaces and facilities to work to the best of their abilities for the residents of this district. “We have always carefully monitored the use of our buildings to ensure they remain cost-effective. It makes sense to look at how these spaces fit our future needs and how we can best utilise our assets and save money where possible. Although there will be initial costs associated with the move it will save £1.1m year on year and make our workspaces fit for future needs. “The disposal of Margaret McMillan Tower also represents an exciting opportunity for the next phase of our regeneration programme. It sits in a prime spot in the city centre and could potentially fulfil a number of uses in the future. “There’s a bit of work to do yet before we take it to market but we’re looking forward to exploring opportunities for it in the future. The move of Bradford’s City Library will also represent a significant opportunity and more details will follow shortly.”

Sheffield appoints Chair for Race Equality Partnership

Stuart Pearcey
-
0
Sheffield appoints Chair for Race Equality Partnership
Experienced leadership, diversity, and inclusion professional Fatima Khan-Shah has been named Chair of REPS – the Race Equality Partnership for Sheffield, where her role of Chair will be to provide visible and collaborative leadership of REPS, working with key partners across the city. She won the role due to her extensive experience leading on nationally recognised and multi-award-winning programmes around equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), as well as for her passion for Sheffield, the city she grew up in. Councillor Tom Hunt, Leader of Sheffield City Council, said: “Racism has no place in Sheffield or anywhere. The Race Equality Partnership will play an important role in helping us to create an inclusive city for all, free from discrimination, where everyone can thrive. “I’m delighted to welcome Fatima Khan-Shah as the new Chair of the Partnership. Through the Partnership, she will play an invaluable role in helping to create a more inclusive Sheffield. “The Race Equality Partnership for Sheffield provides an opportunity to think strategically about how we bring our diverse communities together and how we share best practice on race equality, and hold each other to account, in our pursuit of long-term change.” Fatima is currently working with leaders across the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and the West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership, where she provides expert advice on inclusion and addresses factors of social, economic and health inequalities. Fatima is West Yorkshire’s first ever Inclusivity Champion, where she advises on inequality as part of the mayor’s pledge to achieve greater equality across the region. Fatima said: “As someone born and bred in Sheffield my roots in this incredible city have made me the person I am today. “I am grateful for the opportunity to be of service to the people of Sheffield. The Race Equality Partnership is an important opportunity for everyone across this city to work together to deliver upon the legacy of the Race Equality Commission and I will do everything I can to further our journey towards a truly anti-racist Sheffield.”

£2.21m of investment allocated to deliver Mayor’s priorities for York and North Yorkshire

Tess Egginton
-
0
£2.21m of investment allocated to deliver Mayor’s priorities for York and North Yorkshire
A budget of £2.21 million for mayoral priorities has been approved by York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority. The Combined Authority has allocated Mayoral Investment Fund money towards six areas of work. This includes development of a Mayor’s High Street Investment Fund; transport, housing, innovation and economic growth plans and strategies for the region and updating carbon reduction activity. Funding approval was granted at a meeting of the Combined Authority on Friday (31). At the same meeting, Mayor David Skaith confirmed Pete Kilbane as Deputy Mayor. Pete Kilbane is the Deputy Leader for City of York Council and a member of the Combined Authority. A breakdown of funds approved:
  • Routemap to Carbon Negative. Update the evidence base to this existing report and carry out further stakeholder engagement. £100,000 in 2024/25.
  • Cost of living plan. A policy officer post will be created to scope and commission initial data and research, working alongside City of York Council and North Yorkshire Council, to develop a cost of living plan. £260,000 from 2024/25 – 2027/28.
  • Town plans and business support. A policy officer post will be created to scope and develop a Mayor’s High Street Investment Fund. Work will also be carried out to produce a growth development plan for every town in the region. £1,550,000 from 2024/25 – 2025/26.
  • Transport. Working with City of York Council and North Yorkshire Council to scope and develop a business case for movement studies, including separate studies for York and York to Scarborough and York to Harrogate routes. £200,000 in 2024/25.
  • Housing. Development of a region wide Housing Retrofit Strategy, working with City of York Council and North Yorkshire Council. £50,000 in 2024/25.
  • Business and skills. Develop an Innovation and Investment Plan. This builds on work with Innovate UK with the ambition to publish a joint York and North Yorkshire Innovation Action Plan. £50,000 in 2024/25.
James Farrar, Interim Head of Paid Service and Director of Economy at York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, said: “This £2.21 million of investment has been allocated to deliver the Mayor’s key priorities for the region. “It’s an initial investment which enables the Combined Authority to develop strategies, plans and investment opportunities, helping to achieve economic growth, address the cost of living and transition to being a carbon negative region.”

Young people share vision for future of West Yorkshire’s mass transit

Tess Egginton
-
0
Young people share vision for future of West Yorkshire’s mass transit
Mott MacDonald, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) and West Yorkshire Mayor, in conjunction with leading ESG partner, Ahead Partnership, recently hosted eight young people from schools across West Yorkshire at UKREiiF. The young people took centre stage at a panel session on the Thursday, showcasing their visions and insights on the region’s proposed mass transit system. In total, over 100 year 12 students from Brigshaw High School, Beckfoot School, Shelley College, Brighouse High School and Leeds City College took part in this interactive project, which has been adapted to be as inclusive as possible, providing maximum opportunity to the region’s young people and prompting consideration on key issues such as how impacted mobility can affect access to public transport. Students from each school who went above and beyond in their presentations were invited to represent their peers at the UKREiiF conference during an exclusive panel co-hosted by Tracy Brabin, the Mayor of West Yorkshire, and Steven Adams, a graduate transport planner from Mott MacDonald. The panel was introduced by Georgina Johnson, Programme Manager at Ahead Partnership, who provided an overview of the programme’s achievements to date, emphasizing the importance of youth consultation in major regional projects such as mass transit. Having developed their public speaking and presentation skills during the initial project, the young leaders confidently responded to a range of questions, including “What do you think needs to be done to make more people aware of mass transit?” and “What opportunities will mass transit create for you as a young person in the region?” Key findings were that young people felt that mass transit would provide them better access to jobs and work experience, and wanted maximum accessibility and safety to be provided when travelling on public transport, to ensure that everyone is provided equal opportunities. Sustainability was also frequently brought up, with a number of different students noticing the positive impact it would have on air quality and reducing reliance on cars. Following the session, the eight young people also had the opportunity to network with a range of built environment and infrastructure professionals. Sponsored by WYCA and Mott MacDonald, the project has enabled young people to engage directly with leading industry employers on the opportunities that mass transit will bring, developing their leadership and communication skills, as well as learning more about the positive impact that improved public transport will have on themselves and their communities. Stephanie Burras CBE, Chief Executive at Ahead Partnership, said: “The vision for mass transit is set to bring profound benefits to many across the region and beyond, but in order for it to be truly inclusive and accessible, it’s important that we seek the views of all who are set to benefit, including young people. “We’ve been so impressed by the insights and suggestions of all the young people who have been involved, and were incredibly proud to welcome them to one of the industry’s most prestigious conferences to share their views with key stakeholders and sector leaders. “Thank you to each of our partners for realising this opportunity to engage young people in exciting developments within their region, enhancing their skills and confidence, and opening their eyes to the multitude of career opportunities that projects such as mass transit can offer them.” Lisa Littlefair, Leeds City Lead at Mott MacDonald, said: “From community engagement and transport planning, to sustainability and engineering, the vision for mass transit will require skills and expertise across a number of disciplines to create a public transport system that is accessible, sustainable and inclusive. “That is why we are proud to be supporting young people explore future career opportunities that will help drive the growth and prosperity of the region. The creativity from the students has been incredible and it demonstrates the strength of skill and talent we have on our doorstep.”

Goole-built battery trains could save £3.5bn over 35 years, says Siemens Mobility

Stuart Pearcey
-
0
Goole-built battery trains could save £3.5bn over 35 years, says Siemens Mobility
Siemens Mobility says its Goole-built new battery bi-mode trains could save Britain’s railways £3.5 billion and 12 million tonnes of CO2 over 35 years. The trains would be powered by overhead wires on already electrified routes, then switch to battery power where there are no wires. That means only small sections of the routes and/or particular stations have to be electrified with overhead line equipment, making it much quicker and less disruptive to replace diesel trains compared to full electrification. Sambit Banerjee, Joint CEO for Siemens Mobility UK & Ireland said: “Britain should never have to buy a diesel passenger train again. Our battery trains, which we’d assemble in our new Goole factory, can replace Britain’s aging diesel trains without us having to electrify hundreds of miles more track in the next few years. So, on routes from Perth to Penzance, passengers could be travelling on clean, green battery-electric trains by the early 2030s. And the best thing is that this would save the country £3.5bn over 35 years.” A number of train operators are looking to replace their aging diesel fleets, including Chiltern, Great Western Railway, Northern, ScotRail, TransPennine Express, and Transport for Wales, whilst East-West Rail will need to secure new trains. Siemens Mobility says extensive modelling using advanced train performance simulation software to compare using battery bi-mode trains to running diesel or part-diesel powered trains shows that Siemens Mobility’s battery bi-mode trains would only require 20 – 30% of a line to be electrified. These trains, utilising Lithium Titanate Oxide battery chemistry, can charge their batteries to full capacity in 20 minutes whilst moving along the electrified sections or charging whilst stopped at stations. Siemens Mobility’s first battery train fleet is already in passenger service in Germany. These highly advanced trains are running in the Ortenau region and will save 1.8 million litres of diesel per year when operating throughout the whole network.
1...325326327...993Page 326 of 993