Provide the opportunity for members to contribute to and influence regional and national priorities within our industry through active participation in CECA Southern activities.

Regular liaison meetings with principal clients, regulatory bodies and local and regional government officers providing extensive networking and business development opportunities through inter member and member/client contact.

Relations have been established with key regional LEPs and will be developed where appropriate to raise LEP awareness of the need for ongoing investment in Infrastructure whilst understanding some of the key industry issues that may impact on this.

We support Innovation in the south representing our members at events such as the Innovation South Showcase.

Through active engagement, we will support and promote the aims of the Transport for the South East Partnership to improve the transport network for all and grow the economy of the South East area.

Quarterly Members’ Meetings with presentations on topical issues and providing members with the opportunity to network.

Access to a wide range of technical and legal/contractual presentations and training on topical industry and member issues.

Members are entitled to the use of a (free) Construction & Law Helpline.

Attracting and Encouraging a Diverse and Talented Workforce

One of the biggest challenges facing the industry is attracting enough talented people into the workforce from diverse backgrounds to support the sector as the anticipated increase in workload materialises. We are working with members, industry partners and stakeholders to help us attract recruits and persuade parents and teachers of the value of a career in civil engineering.

We will seek, where possible, to embrace and support arrangements that both member and regional bodies already have in place to engage with the next generation of civil engineering contractors in colleges, schools and academies within the region.

CECA (Southern) is proud to have supported The Solent Civil Engineering Employers’ Group, who, in conjunction with Fareham College, is offering an exciting new Apprenticeship programme designed to prepare young people and adults for a career in civil engineering occupations. The Civil Engineering and Groundworks Apprenticeship (CEGA) will enable participants to develop the skills needed to work in a diverse range of construction sites and get paid a wage while gaining a recognised qualification. CEGA will be delivered at The Civil Engineering Training Centre (CETC), and the course has been specially designed to ensure all apprentices are job ready after a twenty-week site preparation programme.

We are also proud to have been involved with The Aspirations Academies Trust which has a very successful record in not only greatly improving failing and under-performing schools, but also in developing new, innovative schools. The Trust’s vision is to deliver an authentic education for the 21st century for children from the age of 4 to 19.

CECA (Southern) is also looking to strengthen its university engagement, with initial target universities being Portsmouth, Southampton and Solent, building on existing contacts and developing new ones. We already have a good relationship with Brunel University – see details here.

We are also increasing our engagement with younger members through social media and events. Our Annual Awards recognises our greatest resource, which is our people. That’s why each year we celebrate the achievements of those working in our industry.

Our award categories are:

• Most Promising Industrial Placement
• Most Promising Apprentice Level 2-3
• Most Promising Apprentice Level 4-7
• Most Promising Trainee Quantity Surveyor
• Most Promising Trainee Civil Engineer
• Outstanding Contribution / Lifetime Achievement
• Workplace Wellbeing

More details can be found here.

The health, safety and wellbeing of our workforce is the essential component of our industry. Every family has a right to expect any member working in the industry to return home safely from work at the end of every working day.

CECA have produced our own CDM guidance identifying and promoting good industry practices. This has been well received across the industry and is being used by many to drive improvements.

Across the UK, CECA also leads an annual Stop. Make a Change campaign which involves businesses across the sector ‘standing down’ their employees to specifically draw attention to and focus on workforce welfare issues.

We also promote the sharing of best practice amongst members, and Osborne’s ‘STOP Think! Cascade’ is one example which we share with members.

For those who are attracted to the sector and for those already part of the workforce, it is essential that we provide high quality training and development opportunities to maintain and grow their competency.

At CECA Southern we have developed a training and development programme for our members which encompasses the NEC form of contract, personal skills development, health and safety and temporary works training as well as practical skills for new entrants to our industry.

The training is provided by: –

Bob Bilbrough of Robert Bilbrough Associates Limited.

Bob is an experienced consultant, qualified teacher and QCF/NVQ assessor. He is a Chartered Builder, Construction Manager, Environmentalist and Member of the Chartered Manager Institute.  Bob provides regular training for CECA members in risk management, effective communication, commercial awareness and planning and programming. One of our most important training courses is the Management Development Programme for which candidates gain an NVQ Level 6/7.

Glenn Hide runs GMH Planning, which is a specialist consultancy, solely focusing on the use of NEC contracts in the construction industry.

Since 2019 GMH Planning has developed several different training sessions to allow members to fine tune their contractual knowledge around different aspects of the contract, from a more general overview to the detailed specifics of managing programmes and compensation events. Since January 2021, GMH Planning has also been producing monthly CECA NEC4 focused bulletins, each one addressing a specific issue or aspect of the contract.

 Brian Stretton is the owner of 2020 Safety Solutions Ltd.

Brian delivers important training for CECA members covering CITB Temporary Works Coordinator, CITB Site Supervisor Safety Training (SSSTS) and CITB Site Manager Safety Training (SMSTS).

These courses are delivered ‘live from Lichfield’ by Brian on a regular basis.

 CECA SOUTHERN – TRAINING PROGRAMME 2024

Details of CECA Southern Training Programme can be found here.