There are just a few days to go until the closing date for the seventh annual CEW Awards, so if you’re planning to enter now is the time.

The Constructing Excellence in Wales Awards, are fast becoming the most prestigious in the construction industry, recognising best practice and celebrating projects which are not only collaborative but put sustainability at the forefront.

Many of our potential entrants have benefited from attending our recent meet-the-judges drop-in events in Llandudno, Cardiff and Swansea – to talk about the awards and to look through submissions from successful entrants of previous years.

It’s the first time we’ve staged these drop-ins, which were well-attended. Our CEO Milica Kitson said there was a lot to be gained from looking over the award submissions of past winners. “It’s a bit like looking over past exam entries. The key to a successful submission is to carefully read the brief and answer the questions.”

You can also find details about past winners and the categories on our website. The deadline for submissions is midday, Tuesday 5 March 2013. If you want to check anything then please call our team on 02920 493322.

The winners will be announced at the CEW Awards 2013 dinner at the SWALEC Stadium on the 5 July; they then go through to an autumn final, competing with winners from other CE regions in the UK. Welsh winners have historically been very successful at the finals.

Wales leads the UK in terms of best practice; so if you enter the CEW Awards 2013 there is every chance you could be a winner on the national stage too. Go on – go for it!!

A major new training programme for professionals in the built environment sector aims to put Wales at the forefront of sustainability expertise.

Built Environment Sustainability Training (BEST) will offer flexible, subsidised training to develop knowledge and skills in the latest sustainability practices - particularly in construction, energy, waste, and water.

Courses will be offered to people who live or work in one of Wales’ Convergence areas, from Autumn 2013.

“We will pull together the very best training providers to deliver training which will benefit businesses, employees, the environment and the economy of Wales,” said programme director, Dr Julie Gwilliam, of the Welsh School of Architecture at Cardiff University.  “Training will be for people such as energy assessors and advisors, architects, planners, engineers, maintenance teams, surveyors, site supervisors and many other related roles.  We’re especially keen to involve women and people aged over 50 working across different areas of the built environment.”

Training will be designed to be flexible through delivery outside of working hours or online in order to minimise inconvenience and time away from work.

BEST is led by the Welsh School of Architecture in partnership with, Asset Skills, CITBConstructionSkills, Constructing Excellence in Wales, the Energy Saving Trust, Proskills and SummitSkills.

It is supported by the European Social Fund, through the Welsh Government to deliver training until July 2015.

BEST coincides with the launch of the UK Government’s Green Deal, which aims to encourage people to invest in saving energy at home.

“Although the BEST programme will end in 2015, we are determined to leave a valuable legacy,” said programme manager Cerys Ponting.  “We will work with key stakeholders with responsibilities for the skills of the energy, waste, water and built environment sectors to create a 10-year strategy and training delivery roadmap which will better equip businesses, employees and training providers in Wales through the courses which we will be coordinating.”

Information about BEST is available on the BEST Website or by phoning 029 2087 0990.

The consultation process on the draft regulations for Site Waste Management Plans is well underway, and we’re delighted that at CEW our waste team has launched a series of workshops to enable the industry to fully participate.

The aim behind SWMP is for everyone involved in construction and demolition – from clients, to developers, to contractors – to build in plans for reducing waste and sustainably managing waste that does arise.

The 12-week consultation process for SWMP, announced by the Minister for Environment and Sustainable Development in Wales, John Griffiths AM, runs until April 25 and between now and then there is opportunity for stakeholders to view the proposals.

The workshops will be on the following dates:

Cardiff – March 5 (morning & afternoon)
Cardiff – March 7 (evening)

Llandudno – March 13 (evening)
Llandudno – March 14 (morning)

Wrexham – March 20 (evening)
Wrexham – March 21 (morning)

To register to attend one of the workshops please email CEWales. The consultation documents can also be accessed via the Welsh Government website.

Our support for SWMP is clear; it is key to ensuring Wales’ goals for reducing waste generated in the building process are met and will make waste awareness top of the agenda for everyone involved in construction.

“Help with Site Waste Management Plans” – if you are struggling with the concept of waste planning on your projects then you should take advantage of the chance to get to know how to use SmartWaste, the web based management tool developed by BRE.

BRE ran a workshop in Swansea on 27th February, three more have been organised, these will take place in Watford. To book your place visit the BRE Website.

Climate change needs to move higher up everyone’s agenda. That was the clear message from the Climate Change Commission for Wales (CCCW) when it published its annual progress report on Monday, 18 February.

The Wales Low Zero Carbon Hub (WLZCH) worked with the CCCW to develop the built environment chapter. It sets out a number of priorities for 2013/14, which must be acted upon if we’re to avoid predicted global warming of between 4^oC and 6^oC within the next century. One of the report’s conclusions is that climate change has slipped down the political agenda, while nations focus instead on the global financial crisis. This has got to change and in the WLZCH position statement published this week this is stressed again. It is crucial that in spite of the tough economic climate, all sectors – including construction – must act in a sustainable way.

Peter Davies, Chair of the Climate Change Commission for Wales said, “The Climate Change Commission members agree unanimously a choice between the economy and the environment is not the way forward. We are clear that the solution to both the financial and environmental problems is a transition to a low carbon economy. The economic transition needs to be rapid and Wales needs to be ready for the competitive and collaborative nature of these changes.”

The Minister for Environment and Sustainable Development, John Griffiths A.M back in March 2012 noted that it was critical for CCCW to identify and remove obstacles in delivering the climate change agenda in Wales.

In direct response, the Commission has identified priority areas and made a number of recommendations. One of these is the reduction of emissions from the built environment, something that CEW and the WLZCH is working hard to achieve, especially in our work to make sure the retrofit of Welsh home is managed appropriately. It’s no secret that construction and demolition projects should also be aiming for low carbon emissions, both in the development process and in the resulting build and this is something we will be championing via the CEW Awards, the Exemplar and Demonstration programmes as well as via the WLZCH.

If you want to find out more about the Wales Low Zero Carbon Hub, please contact us at CEWales or 02920 493322. Details of the CCCW report can be found here or you can contact Cynnal Cymru who provides the secretariat for CCCW.

Investment in infrastructure projects over the coming years is likely to be heavily influenced by the Nuclear sector and given the proximity of Wylfa, Trawsfynydd, Hinkley Point and Oldbury to Wales, this offers invaluable opportunities to the Welsh construction industry. But what are the “real” opportunities for local Welsh businesses in the nuclear sector? It’s not all about building nuclear reactors. There’s a significant element of “non-nuclear” infrastructure work required. But how do local businesses position themselves competitvely to compete for this work over short and long term?

CEW are holding an event in North and South Wales, these will provide an opportunity for you to hear from key individuals in the nuclear sector who will give their thoughts on what potential opportunities could be available and how local businesses can align themselves to the requirements of potential clients. These events will also set out how CEWales’ core principles of collaborative working through integrated teams and supply chains provide the best way to maximise value for local communities and businesses whilst meeting the client and end users requirements.

If you are interested in attending at either Cardiff (Tuesday 26th March 2013) or Llandudno (Thursday 18th April 2013), please email CEWales to register or visit our website for more information.

Download: Cardiff - Flyer / Agenda
Download: Llandudno - Flyer / Agenda