Leaders in construction and civil engineering helped to inspire the next generation of civils specialists at a ground-breaking secondary school event at The Manchester College.

 More than 200 14 and 15 year olds from 11 Manchester schools took part in an interactive, two day Civil Engineering Experience Event at the College’s Openshaw campus, which explored the wide range of careers available in construction and civil engineering.

The event was instigated and sponsored by Jack Rowley Managing Director of CPUK Civils and Remediation and developed in partnership with Novus and The Manchester College (Schools Liaison Team), alongside the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and machine simulation expert Tenstar.

Students enjoyed a series of interactive activities, including trying out Tenstar’s plant simulators and virtual reality headsets. Diggers, dumpers, traffic management and surveying equipment filled the College campus, and a range of other construction companies including Tarmac, Balfour Beatty, Lendlease and AECOM, explained the broad range of careers options and pathways.

The construction and civil engineering sector is facing a skills shortage and this event, thought to be the largest of its kind in the region, is part of a growing effort to raise awareness of the opportunities that exist for young people.

Jack Rowley, who heads CPUK Civils and Remediation and led on the event, said: “Recent research in Greater Manchester has highlighted a potential worrying shortfall in the number of civil engineers, civil engineering operatives and plant operatives, describing it as a key challenge facing construction companies and developers in the region.

“We have to meet that challenge and it means reaching out to young people from a variety of backgrounds to ensure we are recruiting from as wide a talent pool as possible. We have work to do to open up the sector to women in particular.”

Paul Pritchard, Employment Broker North West for Novus, said: “We recognise there is a massive skills gap, both regionally and nationally, in engineering and construction. Employers are asking us how we can support that agenda, so collaboratively we have been working with agencies such as CITB, CECA and LTE Group, and regional, national and multinational organisations, to put on this event. We’ve had some great participation from schools across Greater Manchester.”

Wendy Osborn, Partnership Manager in the North West for CITB, said: “Construction and infrastructure projects are playing a major role in economic growth in Greater Manchester.

“Construction offers some amazing and well-paid career options for young people and adults considering retraining. It’s essential that construction companies and education providers work together to promote these opportunities and inspire young people.

“We are very proud to support the collaboration between these companies, The Manchester College and Tenstar.”

Guy Lawson, director at CECA said: “This is the first event of its kind in Greater Manchester to encourage young people into the civil engineering and plant sector.”

Two Manchester business have come together to refurbish a local church and community centre in the city which will benefit the local area.

The Salvation Army Manchester Central, located on Grosvenor Street, which has been part of the city for over 140 years after coming to Manchester in 1878, needed a refurbishment of its current site in order to further serve the community in which it operates and that was made possible thanks to a partnership with construction company Willmott Dixon’s Manchester team.

The new church and community centre will now offer a community café and grocery shop after Wilmott Dixon brought together a team of 80 volunteers to deliver a refurbishment worth £118k of the charitable organisation’s building, which saw the Lord Mayor of Manchester, Cllr Abid Latif Chohan, officially open the building.

The refurbishment work took the form of fully remodelling the building to provide new facilities including an IT training room, meeting spaces, secure office space and a food bank for those in need in the local community. Willmott Dixon’s Manchester supply chain partners and customers donated their time and resources making the transformation of the building possible.

Captain Kay Blues, leader of The Salvation Army Manchester Central church and community centre said: “We can’t thank the team at Willmott Dixon enough for putting the dreams and hopes we have had for so long into reality. The very fact that two Manchester businesses can work together to deliver such a refurbishment is testament to how the city pulls together to support the local community.

“The work that Willmott Dixon put in to call upon its contacts to help us deliver our vision for the Manchester community in which we operate was fantastic and we want to extend our thanks to them too as without them, none of this would have been possible.

“The excellent work that has been carried out to redevelop the centre has now made it a hub of activity for the local community and we were so pleased that the Lord Mayor of Manchester was able to join us for the grand reopening.”

Willmott Dixon’s management trainee Jack Hall, from Oldham, brought together a team of volunteers to deliver the £118k refurbishment of The Salvation Army’s building through the construction firm’s Management Trainee Scheme which includes an annual challenge to make a real change to the lives of people in local communities. The scheme is just one of countless initiatives underlining Willmott Dixon’s commitment leaving a lasting legacy in the communities it works in, and which has this year seen it awarded The Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the category of Promoting Opportunity.

Anthony Dillon, managing director of Willmott Dixon in the North, said: “We are committed to leaving lasting legacies in the communities in which we work, and our flagship annual Management Trainee Challenge is just one of the ways in which our people can make a real change.

“The challenge to refurbish and breathe new life into the Salvation Army building, led brilliantly by our management trainee Jack Hall, involved more than 30 organisations and 80 volunteers. The transformation would not have been possible without the generosity and dedication of our people, and supply chain partners, who gave up their time to support an invaluable cause. I want to say a huge thank you to everyone involved.

“The official opening was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate this milestone and bring together the inspiring number of organisations and people across central Manchester’s diverse community who will benefit enormously from the care and support offered by this centre.”

Jack, who joined Willmott Dixon as an apprentice building manager in September 2014, is now part of the Oldham-based construction company’s Management Trainee Scheme. Jack said: “The Salvation Army and The Works are two incredible causes that are changing lives and offering real opportunities to help the most vulnerable people in our city get back on their feet. I’d like to say a huge thank you to the team of volunteers drawn from Willmott Dixon’s people, our supply chain partners and our customers. Without everyone’s kind support and donations the renovation simply wouldn’t be possible.

“We’re all really proud to be able to help and thrilled to take part in such a fantastic celebration day.”

An Eccles opticians has completed a major store expansion, representing a £150,000 investment into Eccles’ community healthcare provision.

The expansion of Specsavers, located in Eccles town centre, will allow more eye health and hearing services to be offered to customers than ever before.

To help with the increase in customer demand, the store has expanded the number of sight testing rooms from two to three. The store also has a new and improved layout, modernized flooring and the latest virtual try-on technology, Frame Styler, which uses facial analysis to scan your face shape and features; taking the guess work out of buying glasses.

The growing demand for audiology services also means the Eccles store’s new equipment will see it offer an enhanced hearing service, supported by the store’s team of trained audiologists.

This investment in modernised facilities will further enhance the store’s capability, including the detection and management of minor eye conditions and dedicated diabetic screening.

Keval Subit, store director at Specsavers Eccles, said: “This expansion is a proud milestone for our team, and has only been made possible by the loyal support of the Eccles community over the years.

“The decision to invest in our store supports our growing business needs and has been carefully planned to ensure that we offer the best possible service to our customers.

“With increased appointments, shorter waiting times, and improved technology, we’re really proud of the changes that we’re making to the store. The entire team is excited for our loyal customers to experience the changes for themselves, whilst welcoming new customers through the door.”

Palatine Private Equity has boosted headcount in its Manchester office with the appointment of David Chapman as Business Development Manager.

David has over 10 years’ experience in business development, with five of those working in the legal sector. He joins from Shoosmiths, where he held the position of Bid and New Business Manager for almost three years. Prior to this, he spent over two and a half years at Hill Dickinson.

In his new role at Palatine, David will be working with the investment team to identify, progress and maintain relationships with potential investee management teams. As well as this, David will coordinate Palatine’s efforts and activities with advisors and network contacts.

Whilst based in Manchester, David will work on a national basis across both of Palatine’s active funds: the Buy-Out fund, which targets investments between £10m and £30m; and the Impact Fund, which backs businesses with a positive impact on society or the environment.

David Chapman said: “It’s an exciting time to be joining Palatine. The firm has an excellent reputation for backing ambitious management teams and adding significant value, whilst also transforming their operations to become more socially and environmentally responsible – a huge area of focus in the private equity space. I’m looking forward to helping the investment team identify and realise investments.”

Ed Fazakerley, Partner at Palatine Private Equity, said: “We’re delighted to welcome David who has a wealth of experience in business development and brings a different perspective. He will be working closely with Charlotte Ashton, our Senior Business Development Director and the wider team to help generate opportunities and demonstrate the value Palatine can bring.”

In one of the largest commercial property deals in south Manchester for years law firm Clarke Willmott has advised the ME Group on its relocation to new headquarters.

ME Group, a “legaltech” provider of litigation funding, insurance and legal representation for consumers with complex legal problems, has moved to the Lake House at the Cheadle Royal Business Park.

Previously located in Alderley Park where it occupied 18,000 sq ft, ME Group’s new headquarters building is more than double the size at 37,000 sq ft of Grade A office space.

Explaining that the decision to move to a new headquarters building was taken as a direct result of the business’s rapid growth, Rob Cooper, group chief executive for ME Group, said: “Our employment pool is in the South Manchester area so we were keen to remain in this area and we are pleased to find a great site which will support the future of our rapidly growing LegalTech business.”

He added: “We have taken the building in its existing fully fitted configuration and will be appointing a contractor to create an innovative space that will facilitate the significant growth plans we have.”

Law firm Clarke Willmott is ME Group’s long-term legal partner and represented the business during its move from Alderley Park to the Lake House.

Jin Takhar, a partner in Clarke Willmott’s commercial property team and adviser to ME Group, said: “We’ve acted for ME Group for a number of years now and it’s great to help the business take the next significant step in its evolution.

“ME Group is at the forefront of legaltech and is an example of how we can bring our sector experience with technology, financial and professional services to bear to a client’s benefit.

“ME Group needed a new home appropriate to its growth and status, and we’re glad to have played our part.”

Communication provider Connectus Group is to open a new office within the AJ Bell Stadium and will be delivering a series of network, telephony and Wi-Fi upgrades to the stadium management team and those organisations also operating on the site.

The tools provided by Connectus will allow for more efficient business operations as part of a contract to provide managed services for up to five years.

The AJ Bell Stadium, built in 2010 and opened in 2011, was an equal, joint venture between Peel Land & Property and Salford City Council. Today it is home to rugby union side Sale Sharks, rugby league Salford Red Devils as well as 10 additional companies.

Further to a range of auxiliary services, Connectus will be increasing the scope and robustness of the connectivity and VoIP services to the business tenants along with providing match day and large event support.

Connectus Group CEO, Roy Shelton, said: “Our focus on providing an end-to-end customer experience and building long-term value for our customers is of paramount importance to us, the benefits of which is clearly recognised by the team at AJ Bell Stadium. We are delighted to extend and build upon our current agreement by consolidating all other services from incumbent providers into one easily maintained managed services contract.”

Councillor David Lancaster, a Council nominated director speaking on behalf of COSCOS, said: “The stadium is delighted to be working with the Connectus team, bringing a host of opportunities to the tenants of the A J Bell Stadium through the roll out of next generation, feature-rich technology. This is also a pivotal moment for supporters and visitors of the stadium, as we enhance their experience through access to the upgraded service.”