Seddon Group, Bolton

Good morning to you all.

I am delighted to be here in Lancashire this morning. It is always a great pleasure to come up to Bolton to visit the Seddon Group. I have known your chairman Rod Sellers, for many years, and I always look forward to coming here so I can find out how Seddons are doing and what plans you have for future development.

But today, there is another reason that I am here with you. It is an extra special occasion for me, because in addition to finding out about Seddon Group and meeting with old friends, I am here to present you with a Recognition Scheme Award to mark this company’s outstanding contribution to our industry.

The Recognition Scheme was founded by the Consortia as part of the Construction and Built Environment Diploma and its purpose is to recognise construction companies who make a significant contribution to the industry.

With this in mind, the Bolton, Halton, Liverpool, Manchester and Stoke Consortia have nominated Seddon Group for this truly well deserved award.

I have been Chairman of ConstructionSkills now for 6½  years and during this time we have been able to rely on the Seddon Group to support all our initiatives.

Last night, I was thinking about the initiatives that ConstructionSkills offers, and I am sure that Seddons are involved in most of them. As an organisation, you are able to see the bigger picture and willing to get involved.  You are often one of the employers  leading the way.

I have regular contact with Roy Cavanagh and he is an example of how Seddon Group has embraced so many of ConstructionSkills initiatives. He is our Employer Champion for the Construction and the Built Environment Diploma and he currently Chairs the steering group that is responsible for giving National Construction Week a fresh new look.   I thank Roy very much for his strong and enthusiastic involvement.

In addition to the work that you are doing with us on the Construction and the Built Environment Diploma and the new ConstructionShowcase initiative,  you are also committed to Apprenticeships.  The Seddon Group is hoping to take on 30 new apprentices – with 14 going to G&J Seddon, who has already taken on 14 new apprentices.

This is good news for young people and good news for our industry. It gives us the opportunity to make a difference to young people’s lives and give them a career in which they can develop and carve out a future for themselves.

The legacy of these young people who have trained here will remain long after their qualification. But Apprenticeships have never been more important to the industry.

Even in this climate of economic slowdown, we still need to recruit 42,000 new people every year to meet the need of the many, many projects that are in the pipeline.

We are being called upon, as an industry, to deliver developments that are iconic and that will have historical importance. These projects include the redevelopment of Whiston Hospital, the lucrative office market in Manchester, the sewerage works being undertaken by United Utilities, the Building Schools for the Future Projects and of course, the redevelopment of Liverpool Football Club’s Anfield Stadium, which is expected to have the go ahead for the 2011/12 season.

There is also the development of the Olympic Village in London, which will pull many contractors and consultants from all over the UK.

Training has never been as important as it is now. And even in this difficult time, we need to continue to develop ourselves, our employees and our industry.
 
The Seddon Group know this already. You are one of the industry’s trailblazers and your positive attitude and dedication to making our industry better is commendable and an example to us all.

And so, it is with great pleasure that I am here today to present this Recognition Award to you.

Well done. It is much deserved and I look forward to continuing our great relationship with you.