Get your golf clubs and party shoes ready - the CEW Awards 2015 is now going to be held at the Celtic Manor on 12th June; not the SWALEC Stadium.

Don’t change your diary plans, but do please check your travel arrangements as CEW has decided to take up a superb offer and use the Celtic Manor as the venue for the 2015 CEW Awards on 12th  June. Home of the Ryder Cup in 2011 and major events such as the NATO conference, Celtic Manor is by far the most glamorous location for what is renowned as the biggest event in Welsh construction.

Any worries about travel from Cardiff to the Celtic Manor can be put to one side as coaches will be arranged and the room rate packages offered by the hotel are far more competitive than those available in Cardiff. The package, the overall location and the reputation of the Celtic Manor for superb hospitality means that the 2015 CEW Awards are all set to be the biggest, best and most memorable for many years.

If you have any concerns about your booking, travel plans, or overnight accommodation contact the CEW Awards team direct on 02920 493322 or by email.

The website has been updated to explain all of the changes.

If you require accommodation at the Celtic Manor to book as soon as possible as rooms are selling out out fast!

BEST invites you to enrol on our Understanding Building Energy Performance Course.

This course will provide knowledge and understanding of energy use in non-domestic buildings. Specifically, participants will be able to better recognise where and how energy is being used in buildings they manage. They will also be able to compare the performance of their building to typical and best practice examples, as well as target reductions and implement improvement plans in a structured and methodical manner. This course is designed and delivered by the Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University. Sessions will be held in South, Mid and North Wales.

For more information and to register please contact the course tutor: Elizabeth Doe on 02920 875 947, or via email

Sustainable architecture seeks to minimize the negative environmental impact of buildings.  This is an exciting opportunity for Architects, Planners, Surveyors and other built environment professionals to join RSAW and BEST for a series of modules covering:

1. Retrofitting for climate change adaptation
2. The Sustainability Jigsaw and how it affects you
3. Passivhaus and other systems
4. Refurbishment and performance of pre-1919 buildings
5. The place of home
6. Whole-life costing procurement and contracts

This course is designed and delivered by the Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University. Sessions will be held in South, Mid and North Wales.

For more information and to register please contact the course tutor: Angela Ruiz Del Portal Sanz

So, what happens after the designers and builders move out and the occupiers and end users move in? Are the facilities we build fit for purpose or not? One sure fire way to find out is a Post Occupancy Analysis. But how do you do it and learn so you can avoid repeating mistakes and focus on what works best? BEST invites you to enrol on our Post Occupancy Assessment course. This course will provide knowledge and understanding of post-occupancy assessment methodologies for non-domestic buildings. Participants will be able to better recognise ways in which to optimise building energy performance and occupant comfort, with an aim to achieving continual improvements over time.

Participants will develop their understanding of how energy use and building users relate to one another, addressing questions such as: ‘Is the building meeting the needs of those who use it?’ and, conversely, ‘what effects do the actions of the users have on the energy performance of the building?’.

This course will explore the potential for achieving good energy performance and occupant satisfaction simultaneously. This course is designed and delivered by the Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University. Sessions will be held in South, Mid and North Wales.

For more information and to register please contact the course tutor: Elizabeth Doe on 02920 875 947, or via email

Skills shortages have sparked a poaching war between contractors which is set to intensify throughout the rest of this year.

Construction companies are all competing for the best talent from a pool of people which seems inadequate to fill the number of vacancies available as the industry continues to recover.

One recruitment expert said: “Everyone knows the problems of attracting new talent into the industry – and even those we find need time to train.

“That means the main focus now is on luring experienced people from rival firms – it’s a dog-eat-dog world out there.”

The challenge for HR departments now is filling the roles needed to keep the construction recovery on track.

The Enquirer can help with our un-rivalled reach into construction offices across the country.

The whole industry now reads our news online – as an example the Enquirer now has more than 1,000 subscribers at both Laing O’Rourke and Balfour Beatty among our 42,000 daily newsletter subscribers.

That reach is replicated across the industry as construction professionals have boosted the Enquirer’s readership to 1.6m page views a month from 260,000 unique visitors.

These numbers dwarf the declining circulations of traditional magazines with trade titles now going out to less than 9,000 readers a week.

Everyone is now fighting for the best talent and we can put your job ads in front of people already working in the industry.

Unlike job boards and some recruitment agencies we won’t flood you with CVs from people who have been unemployable for years.

Their readers work in the industry for your rivals – but might be looking for a change in direction.

Most people in construction are now reading the Enquirer.

If your HR department is placing your vacancies elsewhere it is time to ask why – or rival firms could be poaching your staff.

Their single job ads cost just £200 a month.

Corporate packages for larger recruiters cost just £500 a month for a large display ad and at least two highlighted roles.

For more information contact Paula Millsom: 07939 152081 or Grant Prior 07775 870417