The Welsh Government is currently recruiting positions for a Structural Engineer and an Architect to the Building Regulations Advisory Committee for Wales (BRACW). 

Welsh Ministers have a duty to appoint a Building Regulations Advisory Committee for Wales for the purpose of advising Welsh Ministers on the exercise of their power to make building regulations and on other subjects connected with building regulations. Welsh Ministers have a statutory duty to consult it (and other relevant bodies) before making building regulations that contain substantive requirements. 

The role of BRACW is to advise the Welsh Ministers on the making and amending of building regulations, provide views on all relevant policy, technical and other related matters in Wales.  Members are appointed on a voluntary independent basis to represent particular areas/fields of expertise and experience. 

Click here to view the vacancies on the Welsh Government website and I would be grateful if you could circulate the link to your members or include the details in any newsletter or on your website. 

Eligible professionals working in the built environment in Wales have the opportunity to attend free training in managing natural resources using Integrated Catchment Management (ICM).

Sign up for the last few remaining spaces here.

The course will equip participants with a comprehensive understanding of the design, planning and engagement activities required for effective implementation of ICM approaches. Participants will leave with a toolkit of techniques to enable them to work in line with the emerging Welsh Government water strategy as well as deliver ICM solutions in their day to day role.

The courses will deliver 20 learning hours over a 5 week period in March/April with a mixture of webinars, flexible e-learning and a workshop (venues in north, south-east and south-west Wales). There are three courses in the first phase. Webinar 1 will be available from 2nd March and Webinar 2 from the 9th March. The associated workshops are on 16th March (south east Wales) 17th March (south west Wales) and 19th March (north Wales). There is then a further webinar and then the course assessment. Successful completion of the course will lead to CQFW Level 4 accreditation.

To be eligible you must:

• Live or work in Wales’ Convergence Area
• Be employed, self-employed or in full time education
• Work in the built environment or allied services
• NOT work for a public sector organisation

If you are interested but ineligible you can register your interest here.

Procurement Advice Note (PAN) on Employment Practices on publicly funded projects was launched 11th March by the Minister for Finance and Government Business.

The new guidance requires fair employment practices on publicly funded projects in Wales and the Minister has requested that the advice contained in the PAN is put in place on all public sector projects with immediate effect.

Download: Procurement Advice Note on employment practices on publicly funded projects March 2015

The Welsh Government is seeking a Chair for the Board of Natural Resources Wales. 

Remuneration - £28k per annum plus reasonable expenses – 60 days per year 

The closing date for applications is 1 April 2015.  

For further details and to apply click here or for queries contact the HR Helpdesk on 029 2082 5454 or email

Download: Chair recruitment General

This fully funded course will provide you with the information necessary to make efficient waste related decisions, whilst increasing sustainability and improving performance. This course is aimed at any business which generates, handles or manages waste.

There is a £35.00 charge for the CIWM certificate which is payable in advance. When you register, you will be contacted by email and/or phone to settle your payment.  

Course content:

• What is a resource?
• The cost of managing waste
• The environmental impact of waste
• Understanding and applying the waste hierarchy
• Legislation and ensuring compliance  

The course concludes with a short assignment based on content supplied during the sessions with predominantly multiple choice questions  

Wednesday 25th March 2015 9.30 to 16.00 at: Natural Resources Wales, Maes Newydd, Britannic Way West, Llandarcy, SA10 6JQ  - Book here

Friday 27th March 2015 9.30 to 16.00 At: United Reform Church, Windsor Place, Cardiff, CF10 3BZ  - Book here

Book your place here: For more information visit WasteSmart Course or please call 02920652003 or email  Waste Smart is a certified industry standard training course that has been developed by the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management, and is supported by Defra, the Environment Agency and ESA.  

The University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) has launched a period of public consultation in order to inform the next planning stages of the Swansea Waterfront Innovation Quarter, which will be established in the SA1 area of the city.

As a major part of the University’s investment in Swansea, UWTSD has acquired sizable areas of the remaining development land in the SA1 Waterfront area.  Following an exploration period involving looking at ideas and potential development, UWTSD is now sharing its vision with the public. It includes proposals to develop purpose-built facilities for learning, teaching and applied research as well as social, leisure and wider recreational spaces.

Those who would like to share their views about the University’s plans can do so on the following dates:

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The Swansea Waterfront Innovation Quarter is an ambitious, innovative, city development that will become a neighbourhood rather than a campus - reinventing and rethinking the university experience for the 21st Century.Alternatively, the plans are available online and feedback can be submitted via the University’s website, at any time, up until 8^th April, www.uwtsd.ac.uk.

The Quarter will allow core student services, including student support and a Students’ Union, along with a library, sports and leisure facilities which will sit alongside community and commercial amenities.

The University’s vision for this development will create a new beginning for SA1, grounded in the city’s heritage and driven by innovation. It will be made possible through collaboration and partnership with local communities, business and industry, the University’s staff and students, as well as the Welsh Government and the City and County of Swansea.

The long term goal is to create a Swansea Waterfront Innovation Quarter that will be situated in a vibrant, modern waterfront location with easy access to the city centre. Its key aims will be to:

• Support and enhance the student experience
• Contribute to the viability and ongoing sustainability of the University
• Stimulate investment and economic benefits to Swansea, the Swansea Bay City Region and beyond
• Provide opportunities for diversifying income streams as the University maximises its engagement with the private sector
• Establish a substantial University presence in the SA1 Waterfront area by 2018

“UWTSD is proud to be forging a new future for itself and the city in SA1,” says Professor Medwin Hughes, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David.  “This is a large scale project that will deliver a new kind of university, bringing fresh ideas, developing new collaborations, and breathing new life into the city.

“UWTSD investing in a collective future - the future of the University, the city, of regional enterprise, and of vibrant communities.  We will create a new University experience – drawing on a long and proud history, and forging a dynamic future based on creativity, innovation and enterprise.

“This is a project for the University, the city, the region and its people. Therefore we have voluntarily decided to undertake a public consultation in order for us to gather feedback at this very early stage in the development.”

UWTSD’s Swansea Waterfront Innovation Quarter will rethink the very nature of how universities work and function.  The plan is to create a new presence for the University that will be a part of the city, evolving to meet the needs of a shared community of learners; of businesses and institutions, and of communities.

Its aim is to revive this once thriving docklands and waterfront, forging a range of new connections between learning and enterprise; research and industry; government and education; and between the University and the community.  The public consultation will allow these key stakeholders to have their say and help shape the future of the Swansea Waterfront Innovation Quarter.

Note to Editor

• For more information please contact Steven Stokes, Principal Corporate Communications and PR Officer on 07872 423788 steven.stokes@uwtsd.ac.uk
• The University of Wales Trinity Saint David was established in 2010 through the merger of the University of Wales Lampeter and Trinity University College, Carmarthen. On 1 August 2013 the Swansea Metropolitan University merged with the University
• The University’s Royal Charter 1828 is the oldest in Wales, and it is third behind Oxford and Cambridge in Wales and England. HRH Prince of Wales is the Patron of the University
• On 1 August, 2013 Coleg Sir Gâr merged with the University of Wales Trinity Saint David Group, however they will keep their own brand. Coleg Ceredigion merged with the Group on 1 January 2014

Further Information

For more information please contact Steven Stokes, Principal Corporate Communications and PR Officer on 07872 423788 email