WET News

2 WET NEWS OCTOBER 2017 COMMENT "The ICE initiative may sound like a classi ed US government operation..." OCTOBER 250 Severn Trent is set to recruit a further 250 people to boost its frontline service to customers. The additional sta‚ will be in the company's asset creation and repair and maintenance teams. "...he has led the way in developing our thinking on environmental engineering" Cranfi eld University's Prof Sir Peter Gregson on Prof Simon Pollard (left), pro-vice-chancellor for Cranfi eld's School of Water, Energy and Environment, being elected a Fellow at the Royal Academy of Engineering. 3% 5% £480K Southern Water's ne for supplying water un t for human consumption and using a non-approved product where a failed operation to cap a 24in pipe caused discoloured water to be supplied. 30% How much Anglian Water's @One Alliance has reduced the cost of investment projects by. "It's another step towards realising our ambition of building a consultancy to provide the highest level geotechnical services..." Gavin & Doherty Geosolutions managing director Paul Doherty on the geotechnical engineering consultancy acquiring Applied Geotechnical Engineering. "It's amazing to see this project developing from pioneering research to full-scale delivery in such a short period of time" South West Water managing director Stephen Bird showing o… £60M fl agship project, the new Mayfl ower WTW, to visitors from around the globe. £20M Yorkshire Water has announced plans to carry out a £20M scheme at its treatment works at Langsett near Stocksbridge in the Peak District. The scheme is designed to improve the way it treats water collected in Langsett reservoir. Project 13 encouraging collaborative working A nglian Water is an old hand when it comes to the collaboration game having been one of the rst water utilities to go down the alliancing route f0r its capital delivery programme. And with 17 years worth of experience – it established the @One Alliance back in 2005 – it seems tting that the company is supporting Project 13. The new ICE initiative (see front page) may sound like a classi ed US government operation, like the infamous Area 51, but it is in fact aimed at encouraging collaboration between civil engineering companies, clients and suppliers. Project 13 seeks to replicate the alliancing model, now established in the water sector, in order to transform the UK construction industry. It is hoped that by establishing collaborative working models that performance and productivity will be improved. Most water companies, if not all, have now either created an alliance to carry out capital delivery programmes or have collaborative ventures in some shape or form working for them having realised the bene ts. Such partnerships have helped bring greater cost and performance e' ciencies, as well as enabled contractors to spread project risk. So, good luck to ICE and Project 13. I'm only surprised it's taken this long for the construction industry to see the collaborative light. Water infrastructure Army Reserves catch up with WET News Thank you to Captain John Williams, of the 506 STRE (WI) (Specialist Team Royal Engineers, Water Infrastructure), for sending in this pic of one of his colleagues catching up with last month's issue of WET News while waiting to ˜ y out to Cyprus. The Army Reserve team comprises water industry specialists that help support the Ministry of Defence with the expertise and resources needed to manage all aspects of water infrastructure as required. And Capt Williams says the team is always looking for volunteers from the sector! (www.army.mod.uk/ royalengineers/units) IN A NUTSHELL Kier's underlying pro t from operations was £146M, up 3% after £7M interest and tax cost from JVs, for the year to June 30, 2017. Revenue rose 5% to £4.27bn. Haydn Mursell, chief executive, said: "Our underlying performance was good. Having simpli ed our portfolio, the group is more focused and able to pursue its growth ambitions in our three core markets; building, infrastructure and housing." T he Future Water Associa- tion (FWA) is urging the sector to get behind its campaign to get young people interested in the sector and help nd the next generation of workers for the water industry. The Skills for the Future ini- tiative aims to get children of early secondary school age (11- 14) taking part in fun chal- lenges, lessons and projects that will get them thinking about the importance of water and the vital role played by the water utilities. The idea for the initiative has developed from the trade body's Young Water Dragons competition, which challenges schoolchildren to come up with innovative solutions to water- related problems. The inaugural Young Water Dragons competi- tion was held at the Big Bang Fair in March this year and the winners were Teesside High School. During the four days of the Big Bang Fair, which focuses on Science, Technology, Engineer- ing & Mathematics (STEM) – Future Water Association ¦ Trade body says youngsters need to be shown that water sector is 'a vibrant and exciting place to work'. Future Water Association urges firms to back youth initiative judged projects from over a dozen schools, with subjects ranging from 'Could Algae Save the world'; 'Morbosphere and reducing Malaria'; 'Aquatic Pacer'; 'Hydroponic systems' 'Hydro-power' 'microbes and wastewater treatment' and many more. ª The association wants Young Water Dragons to be the centrepiece of a wider e« ort to engage young people in the sec- tor which will include estab- lishing Water Dragons as a reg- ular part of the National STEM Awards programme, holding regular communications with schools to get young people interested in water, and an engagement plan of talks and events which focus on water projects and help put water on the careers agenda. Organisations to have already backed the initiative include Amec Foster Wheeler, Artesia Consulting, blu-3, Clancy Docwra, Immerse, In˜ owmatix, Murphy Group, MSC Associates, Onsite, RPS, Skanska, Water 2 Business and WRc. Paul Horton, chief executive o' cer of the FWA, said: "Water is so critical to our future that is underpins our economy and way of life. We don't just need to attract the next generation of creative thinkers, we need to show them that the water sector is a vibrant and exciting place to work, more interesting than NASA." The utility sector is facing a skills crisis as a result of ageing workforce and a declining skills base; by 2024, water companies will need to have replaced their entire workforce, said Horton. It is therefore essential to encour- age young people to be excited by the water sector as a poten- tial career. "I've spoken to a number of schools' career advisers who have said 'glad you got in touch, because we don't know anything about the sector'," says Horton. "We don't talk to our kids about the sector. It seems crazy when water is so valuable, but if we don't do anything now, then in seven years' time, we'll have a lot less people." 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