The Inspiring the Future scheme, launched by the government to get industry leaders to visit schools on a volunteer basis to talk to pupils about their career and future employment opportunities, has long been supported by C&D Consultancy and John Woodward. John actively visits schools to talk about the demolition industry and hopefully inspire a few kids to set their sights on entering it.
With the scheme having run for quite some time now, the organisers have shared some fascinating insights into the results of the initiative. You can read all about them in the latest Inspiring the Future mail out.
Some highlights include the compilation of some of the key findings from various research reports explaining how the impact of interactions with young people is positively affecting them. Recently, 150 volunteers from all over the country took part in Blackpool Aspirations Week, the Chartered Institute of Building have developed a handy resource to help students know more about the range of careers in the construction industry, and the scheme got a new high-profile volunteer in the form of Andrew Price, EMEA Finance Director at BSI.
Keep up-to-date with all Inspiring the Future news on their website, and please consider becoming a volunteer.
Showing posts with label Children. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Children. Show all posts
July 4, 2017
April 5, 2017
John F Hunt Demolition Ltd Carlton School Career Day
2017 sees the launch of the first Demolition-focused degree, but in order for that degree to garner interest from students, who form the future of our industry, we need kids to know about demolition. That's why we're pleased John F Hunt Demolition Ltd attended a career day at Carlton School last month.
The IDE website has a full write up of the visit which is well worth a read. The only part we'll share here is the questions that the children asked, which included:
- Why is demolition needed?
- What’s involved in demolition?
- What’s best about working in demolition?
- What types of buildings have been destroyed by the company?
- What do you have to do to be a manager?
March 28, 2017
John Woodward talks career choices in latest issue of Demolition
The latest edition of the world's biggest and most widely-read publication for the global demolition industry, Demolition, includes an article entitled "Save Lives Through Engineering" featuring our very own John Woodward.
The article discusses John's efforts to back an initiative and encourage children to consider a career in engineering, which of course includes the demolition sector.
Issue 18 of Demolition is free to read online. John's two-page article can be found on page 10.
Labels:
careers,
Children,
Demolition,
engineering,
John Woodward
February 8, 2017
Save lives through engineering
Misunderstanding has long plagued the engineering industry, something we in the demolition sector know only too well.
For years, there has been misconception among school children that science, technology engineering and maths (STEM) subjects are boring or geeky – and certainly not something you want to profess to enjoying around your mates.
Higher up the education ladder, the barriers are much the same. Courses are seen to be long and hard, requiring high grades to succeed.
Luckily, a new initiative has been launched by the Tomorrow’s Engineers career group.
The 'Save Lives As An Engineer' poster and accompanying teacher booklet are for use with Key Stages 3 and 4. Related to the theme of disaster relief, the resources demonstrate the different ways engineers can be employed in rebuilding and revitalising communities affected by natural disasters, such as earthquakes, floods and avalanches.
The humanitarian aspect to engineering is often overlooked, and the materials show both girls and boys that a career in the sector can be very rewarding, potentially saving thousands of lives.
The teacher booklet presents classroom discussion topics, links to other useful resources and curriculum-linked lesson plans with student worksheets (KS3 Physics and Design and Technology).
C&D Founder John Woodward has committed a lot of time to promoting demolition as a career choice to school children by taking part in the government-backed initiative Inspiring The Future and writing and publishing his own children’s book called My Dad Does Demolition.
“There is a huge skills gap in the demolition industry as a whole, particularly when it comes to young people. Last year’s announcement of the UK’s first demolition degree was a step in the right direction, but now initiatives such as SaveLives can supplement this by promoting engineering to children of a younger age,” explained John.
He continued: “Many children today are intent on becoming footballers or pop stars, which is fine, but there are also a large percentage of youngsters spending hours on end playing construction-based games like Minecraft. This is the audience we should be looking to attract.”
“If school initiatives can help children understand that there is a direct connection between games like Minecraft and the basic principles of engineering, we may be able to inspire the next generation.”
More information on the SaveLives resources can be found on the Tomorrow’s Engineers website: http://www.tomorrowsengineers.org.uk/savelives/
For years, there has been misconception among school children that science, technology engineering and maths (STEM) subjects are boring or geeky – and certainly not something you want to profess to enjoying around your mates.
Higher up the education ladder, the barriers are much the same. Courses are seen to be long and hard, requiring high grades to succeed.
Luckily, a new initiative has been launched by the Tomorrow’s Engineers career group.
The 'Save Lives As An Engineer' poster and accompanying teacher booklet are for use with Key Stages 3 and 4. Related to the theme of disaster relief, the resources demonstrate the different ways engineers can be employed in rebuilding and revitalising communities affected by natural disasters, such as earthquakes, floods and avalanches.
The humanitarian aspect to engineering is often overlooked, and the materials show both girls and boys that a career in the sector can be very rewarding, potentially saving thousands of lives.
The teacher booklet presents classroom discussion topics, links to other useful resources and curriculum-linked lesson plans with student worksheets (KS3 Physics and Design and Technology).
C&D Founder John Woodward has committed a lot of time to promoting demolition as a career choice to school children by taking part in the government-backed initiative Inspiring The Future and writing and publishing his own children’s book called My Dad Does Demolition.
“There is a huge skills gap in the demolition industry as a whole, particularly when it comes to young people. Last year’s announcement of the UK’s first demolition degree was a step in the right direction, but now initiatives such as SaveLives can supplement this by promoting engineering to children of a younger age,” explained John.
He continued: “Many children today are intent on becoming footballers or pop stars, which is fine, but there are also a large percentage of youngsters spending hours on end playing construction-based games like Minecraft. This is the audience we should be looking to attract.”
“If school initiatives can help children understand that there is a direct connection between games like Minecraft and the basic principles of engineering, we may be able to inspire the next generation.”
More information on the SaveLives resources can be found on the Tomorrow’s Engineers website: http://www.tomorrowsengineers.org.uk/savelives/
October 30, 2015
It's time to let children back outdoors
HSE chair Judith Hackitt keeps a regular blog on the Health and Safety Executive website. Her posts are always worth reading, and one in particular drew our attention from her archives entitled Outdoor play - let our children take a risk.
It may be a few years old now, but the sentiment holds true. Here's an excerpt:
"Playing outside was something my generation did, and we were better for it. Certainly there were times when we came home with cuts and bruises - or even broken bones - but when we did we brought something else back with us: a lesson about the world.
If you fell out of a tree, it hurt. But it taught you either what not to do next time or that tree climbing was not for you...Subsequent generations have it seems gradually been deprived of that connection with the outdoors and the education that it afforded them.
When I speak to employers they often tell me that it is becoming increasingly difficult to find young people to take up apprenticeships who have the physical or mechanical aptitude of people they would have interviewed 10 or 15 years earlier. They haven't built a go-kart to race down a local hill, or repaired a puncture on their bike."
I'm sure many people feel this is the way things are today. Apprenticeships are growing in importance, but they need young people with the right (and basic) life experience and skills growing up should bring. So, we echo Judith's call to let children take a few risks outside.
Source: Judith Hackitt's HSE blog
It may be a few years old now, but the sentiment holds true. Here's an excerpt:
"Playing outside was something my generation did, and we were better for it. Certainly there were times when we came home with cuts and bruises - or even broken bones - but when we did we brought something else back with us: a lesson about the world.
If you fell out of a tree, it hurt. But it taught you either what not to do next time or that tree climbing was not for you...Subsequent generations have it seems gradually been deprived of that connection with the outdoors and the education that it afforded them.
When I speak to employers they often tell me that it is becoming increasingly difficult to find young people to take up apprenticeships who have the physical or mechanical aptitude of people they would have interviewed 10 or 15 years earlier. They haven't built a go-kart to race down a local hill, or repaired a puncture on their bike."
I'm sure many people feel this is the way things are today. Apprenticeships are growing in importance, but they need young people with the right (and basic) life experience and skills growing up should bring. So, we echo Judith's call to let children take a few risks outside.
Source: Judith Hackitt's HSE blog
Labels:
Children,
experience,
HSE,
Judith Hackitt,
outdoors,
outside,
play
June 19, 2015
Asbestos All Around Us
It seems that, at long last, the dangers arising from asbestos in the world outside of demolition and construction is being more appreciated.
A recent story on the BBC website followed by coverage on BBC News sites, highlight the cases of two teachers who say they have become victims of mesothelioma, having worked in schools for many years. According to the NUT teaching union that commissioned the report that led to the story, 86% of schools in the UK had buildings that contained asbestos. This could be in ceiling tiles, wall boards, or many of the pieces of equipment used in science laboratories. It’s good then that the problem is being recognised, but what’s been done about it?
Well, in an interesting end to the piece on the BBC, they quote a professor from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine who said "Because the levels of asbestos are [often] so low in schools, actually ripping it out could be more dangerous. It's a very nasty problem to get sorted. And for young people, the risk of dying of mesothelioma is more like 1 in 10,000, as there's a disconnect between those being diagnosed now and the exposure to the children of today."
He added that, were it possible, removing all asbestos from the environment would prevent "at most 25 deaths a year so trying to remove it from all schools could actually increase the number of deaths."
So the moral of the story is that we know asbestos is dangerous and in lots of places, but we are best leaving it there for someone else to clear up. And who do you suppose that will be!
A recent story on the BBC website followed by coverage on BBC News sites, highlight the cases of two teachers who say they have become victims of mesothelioma, having worked in schools for many years. According to the NUT teaching union that commissioned the report that led to the story, 86% of schools in the UK had buildings that contained asbestos. This could be in ceiling tiles, wall boards, or many of the pieces of equipment used in science laboratories. It’s good then that the problem is being recognised, but what’s been done about it?
Well, in an interesting end to the piece on the BBC, they quote a professor from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine who said "Because the levels of asbestos are [often] so low in schools, actually ripping it out could be more dangerous. It's a very nasty problem to get sorted. And for young people, the risk of dying of mesothelioma is more like 1 in 10,000, as there's a disconnect between those being diagnosed now and the exposure to the children of today."
He added that, were it possible, removing all asbestos from the environment would prevent "at most 25 deaths a year so trying to remove it from all schools could actually increase the number of deaths."
So the moral of the story is that we know asbestos is dangerous and in lots of places, but we are best leaving it there for someone else to clear up. And who do you suppose that will be!
May 2, 2014
Primary Futures Project launches today at the Birmingham Library
I am delighted to be one of the launch speakers for the Primary Futures Project launching at Birmingham University today and following on from my recent talks in Wolverhampton and Tipton.
This is a project, available to all primary schools, working under the banner of the highly successful 'Inspiring the Future' programme to develop effective, innovative approaches which will allow schools to easily engage volunteers to work in schools supporting children.
The aim is to support the raising of standards for all, widen the horizons and aspirations of primary age children with regards to their own futures and foster the love of reading and numeracy.
The Primary Futures project is led by the National Association of Headteachers in partnership with the Inspiring the Future charity on behalf of The Education and Employers Taskforce which enables everyone from firefighters to zoologists, engineers to doctors, to go into state schools to talk with pupils.
To learn more visit the Primary Futures website.
September 10, 2013
Guest Post: Children exposed to asbestos at increased risk of asbestos disease
Below is a guest post from David Trenbath, the Digital Marketing Manager at Birchall Blackburn Solicitors. The company runs the National Asbestos Helpline at www.nationalasbestos.co.uk providing expert advice to those suffering from asbestos related diseases. They are also aiming to get over 1,000 signatures on their online petition to to campaign for a global ban on asbestos.
The piece below covers the amount of asbestos materials within school buildings, and the risks they pose to children:
In June 2013 The Committee on Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment released a statement on The Relative Vulnerability of Children to Asbestos Compared to Adults.
The facts
There are 24,372 schools in England. It is estimated that more than 75% of these schools have some buildings which contain asbestos-containing products. Where there are asbestos-containing products there is risk of exposure. When asbestos is present and is disturbed or damaged, risk of exposure can increase.
The Committee noted that all forms of asbestos are carcinogenic to humans and there is good evidence that childhood exposure to asbestos can cause mesothelioma in later life.
The Committee and the case studies
The Committee reviewed case reports in relation to children exposed to asbestos who then went on to develop mesothelioma. They were provided with a review of studies which included where the exposure to asbestos occurred through parents having occupational exposure, exposure in the home or environmental exposure.
The Committee looked into national mesothelioma mortality rates and rather alarmingly noted that although mortality rates in men are declining (the rate for those born in 1945 is much higher than for those born in 1955) this is not the case for women. The Committee speculates that this is because the majority of mesothelioma in women is the result of environmental or para-occupational exposure to asbestos which may have occurred before the age of 20 and possibly before the age of 10.
The Statement asserts that the younger a person is when they are exposed, the greater the risk of developing mesothelioma, which reflects the latency of the disease as younger people are more likely to live long enough for the disease to manifest itself.
The Conclusion
The Committee acknowledges that the data is limited and therefore it is not possible to say whether children are intrinsically more susceptible to asbestos-related injury. However the Committee recognises that due to the increased life expectancy of children when compared to adults and the long latency period of mesothelioma, children are therefore at an increased lifetime risk of developing mesothelioma. The Committee estimates that a five year old child exposed to the same level of asbestos as a 25 year old adult is predicted to have a 3.5 times greater chance of lifetime risk of developing mesothelioma and this estimate jumps to 5 times more likely when compared to a 30 year old adult.
When these assertions are taken in consideration with the number of schools in our communities containing asbestos the results are alarming.
The National Asbestos Helpline is committed to providing help for asbestos disease sufferers and their families across the UK. Help us join the fight for a global ban on asbestos. Sign our online petition at lobbyingforlife.co.uk.
The piece below covers the amount of asbestos materials within school buildings, and the risks they pose to children:
In June 2013 The Committee on Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment released a statement on The Relative Vulnerability of Children to Asbestos Compared to Adults.
The facts
There are 24,372 schools in England. It is estimated that more than 75% of these schools have some buildings which contain asbestos-containing products. Where there are asbestos-containing products there is risk of exposure. When asbestos is present and is disturbed or damaged, risk of exposure can increase.
The Committee noted that all forms of asbestos are carcinogenic to humans and there is good evidence that childhood exposure to asbestos can cause mesothelioma in later life.
The Committee and the case studies
The Committee reviewed case reports in relation to children exposed to asbestos who then went on to develop mesothelioma. They were provided with a review of studies which included where the exposure to asbestos occurred through parents having occupational exposure, exposure in the home or environmental exposure.
The Committee looked into national mesothelioma mortality rates and rather alarmingly noted that although mortality rates in men are declining (the rate for those born in 1945 is much higher than for those born in 1955) this is not the case for women. The Committee speculates that this is because the majority of mesothelioma in women is the result of environmental or para-occupational exposure to asbestos which may have occurred before the age of 20 and possibly before the age of 10.
The Statement asserts that the younger a person is when they are exposed, the greater the risk of developing mesothelioma, which reflects the latency of the disease as younger people are more likely to live long enough for the disease to manifest itself.
The Conclusion
The Committee acknowledges that the data is limited and therefore it is not possible to say whether children are intrinsically more susceptible to asbestos-related injury. However the Committee recognises that due to the increased life expectancy of children when compared to adults and the long latency period of mesothelioma, children are therefore at an increased lifetime risk of developing mesothelioma. The Committee estimates that a five year old child exposed to the same level of asbestos as a 25 year old adult is predicted to have a 3.5 times greater chance of lifetime risk of developing mesothelioma and this estimate jumps to 5 times more likely when compared to a 30 year old adult.
When these assertions are taken in consideration with the number of schools in our communities containing asbestos the results are alarming.
The National Asbestos Helpline is committed to providing help for asbestos disease sufferers and their families across the UK. Help us join the fight for a global ban on asbestos. Sign our online petition at lobbyingforlife.co.uk.
November 16, 2011
Presidents Charity for IDE Luncheon on 18th November 2011
I would just like a few minutes of your time to introduce you to Claire House, the Presidents Charity for today’s AGM.
Claire House is a hospice for children who have life limiting illnesses.
The 10 bedded unit is based in Merseyside and provides care for children and their families. All the children that go to Claire House are not expected to reach adulthood, although due to medical advances in the last 10 years many of their patients with conditions that meant they may only have lived until their teens, are enjoying a longer life.
Sadly though, many children will die and they go to Claire House for end of life care.
Claire House have to raise £2.5 million every year to keep their doors open to these children and provide the specialist care they require.
They get NO guaranteed funding from the Primary Care Trusts nor do they get any funding from government. Like all hospices they can apply for a grant of approximately £300,000 for the year.
This grant covers just 6 weeks of care out of the 52.
The rest of the money has to be raised through fundraising and donations and I have decided, therefore, that the IDE Presidents charity during my time in office will be Claire House. As such, the proceeds from Friday’s raffle and auction will be split, as they have in the past, between the IDE’s own charitable funds for further education within demolition, and Claire House.
Can I ask you to please dig deep in these difficult financial times to help us to raise as much money as possible for this deserving cause.
John Woodward. IDE President
Claire House is a hospice for children who have life limiting illnesses.
The 10 bedded unit is based in Merseyside and provides care for children and their families. All the children that go to Claire House are not expected to reach adulthood, although due to medical advances in the last 10 years many of their patients with conditions that meant they may only have lived until their teens, are enjoying a longer life.
Sadly though, many children will die and they go to Claire House for end of life care.
Claire House have to raise £2.5 million every year to keep their doors open to these children and provide the specialist care they require.
They get NO guaranteed funding from the Primary Care Trusts nor do they get any funding from government. Like all hospices they can apply for a grant of approximately £300,000 for the year.
This grant covers just 6 weeks of care out of the 52.
The rest of the money has to be raised through fundraising and donations and I have decided, therefore, that the IDE Presidents charity during my time in office will be Claire House. As such, the proceeds from Friday’s raffle and auction will be split, as they have in the past, between the IDE’s own charitable funds for further education within demolition, and Claire House.
Can I ask you to please dig deep in these difficult financial times to help us to raise as much money as possible for this deserving cause.
John Woodward. IDE President
Labels:
Children,
Claire House,
donation,
IDE Presidents Charity,
raffle
June 3, 2011
C&D launch new First Aid Course
Following many requests, C&D Consultancy training division have launched a new First Aid Course targeting professionals who look after young children as part of their working day.
The paediatric course focuses on emergency scenarios that could be faced by teachers, au pairs and playgroup leaders who look after young children.
The 2 day course, to be held in Wolverhampton, meets the requirements for the early years foundation stage statutory framework and Ofsted requirements for registered childminders and the requirements for nannies under the Approved Carers Scheme. The course also covers childhood conditions such as measles, meningitis and croup.
Cost of the course is £110.00 plus VAT.
Enquiries to jill@dmolishdismantle.co.uk
The paediatric course focuses on emergency scenarios that could be faced by teachers, au pairs and playgroup leaders who look after young children.
The 2 day course, to be held in Wolverhampton, meets the requirements for the early years foundation stage statutory framework and Ofsted requirements for registered childminders and the requirements for nannies under the Approved Carers Scheme. The course also covers childhood conditions such as measles, meningitis and croup.
Cost of the course is £110.00 plus VAT.
Enquiries to jill@dmolishdismantle.co.uk
Labels:
au pairs,
Children,
first aid course,
playgroup leaders,
teachers
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