Business Briefs – November 1st

Aberdeen man recognised as national apprentice of the year

A young Barratt Homes apprentice is celebrating having been named Apprentice of the Year at Barratt Homes’ National Annual Customer First Awards.

Darias Shade (21), from Aberdeen, has fought off fierce competition to win the national award which was contested by regional finalists from all Barratt divisions.

Kevin Urquhart, construction director at Barratt North Scotland said: “It comes as no surprise to me that Darias has been awarded at a national level for his passion and impressive skill set.

“Darias is a key member of our Riverside Quarter team in Aberdeen; he is always making sure that he contributes to the fullest, carries out all of his tasks to the best of his ability and with the highest degree of professionalism.

“Darias is increasingly becoming a role model for other apprentices and is already inspiring his colleagues, this is creating a motivated and ambitious pool of apprentices within Barratt Homes.

The aspiring bricklayer from Aberdeen was named as Apprentice of the Year at the ceremony as a selection of other awards were issued, including Sales Advisor of the Year, Site Manager of the Year, Individual Excellence and Team Excellence Award.

This is not the first time Darias has been awarded for his achievements having previously won the title of Scottish Apprentice of the Year 2017 at the regional Federation of Master Builders’ Awards in May 2017.

He has also been recognised by North East College as ‘Best College Bricklayer, Year One’ and internally at a regional level as Barratt North Scotland ‘Apprentice of the Year’, all while training to become a CITB construction ambassador.

The Barratt Homes award ceremony, held in Newport on 19 October, was attended by the group’s regional finalists as well as the management and senior management from each division. The ceremony aims to celebrate the dedication and skills of the Barratt workforce across its 28 divisions.

New look for £15m Inverurie sports centre revealed

Fresh new designs for a £15 million expansion of an Aberdeenshire sports centre have been unveiled to the public.

A public hearing on the proposals, which would transform the Garioch Sports Community Centre in Inverurie, was held yesterday.

Scores of people attended the event, which was held throughout the afternoon and into the evening at the centre.

The proposals include a new home stadium for Highland League side Inverurie Locos FC.

The ground would be open for other teams to use and would be a similar surface to that used by Kilmarnock FC so could accommodate football and rugby.

It will also now include three new indoor tennis pitches, after Judy Murray was asked to get involved in the design process.

Following an earlier consultation, the Inverurie Sports Development Project and Lippe Architects and Planners decided to build the extension alongside the building rather than construct another floor which had been the initial design.

This means the children’s play park would be preserved and the car park would have to be realigned.

Planning progress for Inverness prison plan

Planning permission in principle (PPP) has been agreed for the first new prison in the north of Scotland for more than a century.

HMP Highland will replace HMP Inverness, also known as Porterfield prison, which is near to the city centre and is the smallest prison in Scotland.

Following positive pre-application discussions with Highland Council and a public consultation, the ambitious modern design for the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) received the planning committee’s unanimous support.

Plans submitted for new Aberdeen city centre hotel

Plans have been lodged to transform an Aberdeen city centre office building into a hotel and apartment complex.

The Point A Hotel firm has applied to change Denburn House, on Union Terrace, from office space to an accommodation complex.

The company wants to redevelop the 54,000sq ft listed building into two separate venues, one which would operate as a regular hotel and another which would offer self-catering apartments.

Papers lodged with Aberdeen City Council say that the “aparthotel” section would feature a fitness suite and guest laundry to support the longer stays.

A design statement adds: “The building affords long views to the north, with uninterrupted views over Union Terrace Gardens.

“Planning permission and listed building consent should be duly granted.”

Vice-chairman of the Aberdeen City and Shire Hotels Association, Andrew Martin, said the proposal has come at a time when hopes are growing for the centre of the Granite City.

He said: “We have only last week had a new Marriott open at Marischal Square, and this only further contributes to the regeneration of the city centre. It is important to have vibrancy in the heart of Aberdeen.”

Balfour Beatty helps students achieve foundation level civil engineering apprenticeships

Last month, Balfour Beatty teams across Scotland partnered with Fife College to host two foundation apprentices on industry placements.

Vasilli Hill and Oliver Teppett, who joined Balfour Beatty on the company’s Dundee and Almondbank Flood Protection projects, are currently enrolled in the second year of a civil engineering foundation apprenticeship at Fife College.

As well as experiencing operations on a live construction site, Vasilli and Oliver participated in a week-long placement at Balfour Beatty’s offices, meeting with a range of teams across administration, procurement, design and business development.

In addition to their experience, the industry placements are accredited through the Engineering Trust’s Industrial Cadets scheme, which saw the pupils presented with a Silver award upon completion.

As a member of The 5% Club, a UK employer-led initiative focused on creating momentum behind the recruitment of apprentices and graduates into the workforce, Balfour Beatty is committed to regularly undertaking this type of activity and continues to seek new opportunities wherever possible.