www.nce.co.uk1 25.03.10 NEWCIVil ENGINEER3
CONTENTS 25.03.10
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5
NEWS
Rail strike affeds upgrades Improvements face disruption over Easter weekend due to RMT industrial action.
15
MORE FOR LESS Delivering the agenda NCE kickstarts ils More for Less agenda with an eight-page special on cutting costs.
24
CONSTRUCTION Dust Busters
A report on how silica dust is rapidly becoming the industry's health time bomb.
Alsoin thisissue
06 News
Transport secretary ac- cused ofbias towards rail
07 News
Transport Scotland rolls out contract packaging
08 'News
Tories to prioritise gas security
12 Letters
Structures, energy, transport
29 Profile
Water specialist MWH on staying at the top 34 ICENews
Meeting the challenge of low carbon
Comment
AntonyOliver
"For ail this radical change, what will remain is the need to employ the best people and the need for the best skills"
Agoodfutureisdependentontrainingupgoodstaff
Like it or not, change is heading our way. Big change. It has to or, to be perfectIf blunt, we're all going to the wall.
A bit melodramatic perhaps, but we really do have to face the reality that success in the future will not just require us to be better, more efficient or more innovative than today.
And it will not be enough tosimply offer clients a cheaper priee.
No, real success tomorrowwill be firmly rooted in our ability to change the way we fundamentally approach and solve problems.
It's the one clear common denominator when thinking about how the UK industry rises to the challenge of delivering more for less, and emerges triumphant and stronger from the current economic downturn.
As this week's cover feature points out, all parts of the industry wiJI have substantial roles to play in delivering a successful future for UK infrastructure. Because while it must start with strong leadership and support
from clients to set the aspiration and drive change into their projects and programmes, they cannot operate alone.
The sheer scale of the challenge we now face to keep developing our vital national in- frastructure with less resources and the need for less carbon means everyone will have to tear up their traditional rules of engagement.
The distinction between consultants, contractors and suppliers is gradually and increasingly eroding. It will be a scary arena as players from around the world and from other markets bring new and adventurous ide as to the clients' table.
But for all this radical change, what will remain as a foundation of our infrastruc- ture delivery is the need to employ the best people and the need for the best skills and expertise across the construction process.
Without this we really are in trouble. Which is why this is a good week for infrastructure.
Good because after much behind the
scelles persuasion, the government has finally committed fSM to support the new Tunnelling and Underground Construction Academy in Newham, London. It has also pumped f3M each into new National Skills Academies for rail engineering, logistics and green building services plus another f2.9M into a National Skills Academy for Power.
Investment in these "economically valu- able skills", said business secretary Peter Mandelson, "means not just getting the economy growing again, but asking and an- swering the big questions about how we are going to par our way in the world tell years from now".
Absolutely. Whereveryou are in the infra- structure supply chain, delivering more for less starts with good ideas. And good ide as corne from good, weIl trained and well moti- vated staff. This latest investment therefore holds the key.
