Member News

Paris, Amstelveen, 29 June 2016 -Peter van der Horst has been appointed Managing Director of KLMUKEngineering Limited as of 1st July. KLMUKEngineering is a wholly-owned AFI KLM E&M subsidiary specialising in maintenance solutions for regional and narrow-body aircraft fleets. Peter van der Horst started his career in 1985 with Martinair were he held several operational management positions followed by: Director Cargo Operations, Director Aircraft Maintenance, Director Technical Operations and VP Maintenance and Engineering. In 2013 he moved to KLM E&M and was appointed as VP Line Maintenance.

On learning of his appointment, Peter van der Horst said: “I am very proud to be appointed Managing Director of KLM UK Engineering Limited. I hope that the knowledge acquired in my previous functions will bring a valuable contribution to KLM UK and its clients. Quality and predictability of an MRO services provider are extremely important factors for guaranteeing the operational performance of an airline. Therefore my aim is to continuously improve and adapt our services to the expectations of our clients.”

Regional recruitment consultancy firm Pure is looking for an ambitious and driven professional to join its Graduate Training Programme at one of the firm’s four offices in Norwich, Ipswich, Cambridge or Chelmsford.

Pure launched its Graduate Training Programme in 2015 to provide career development opportunities for local graduates and to build the firm’s talent pipeline. Having already supported four graduates to begin their career in the recruitment industry, Pure is now offering another university leaver the opportunity to benefit from the comprehensive training programme.

Gill Buchanan, co-founder and director at Pure, said: “Pure is a fantastic place to start a career in recruitment. We’re committed to supporting our trainees to achieve their goals and to build a long term career with us. The role itself is challenging but offers exciting opportunities and an extensive amount of variety, with no two days being the same. People are at the core of our business and we strive to be a rewarding and positive place to work where our people are happy, supported, rewarded and motivated to go the extra mile for our customers.”

Pure is looking for top calibre graduates who are confident both working in a team and independently. The successful candidate will be degree educated and will already have some employment experience on their CV. They also need to possess excellent interpersonal skills and a natural drive to deliver first class customer service. In return they will receive 12 months of comprehensive training with the Investors in People Gold standard company, a competitive salary and benefits package and the opportunity to progress to the position of recruitment consultant.

Previous graduate trainee Ellie Steinfeldt, now a recruitment consultant specialising in HR roles, said: “Pure is a wonderful company to work for and a wonderful team to be a part of. It’s a very busy, fast paced and exiting job. I get to meet and talk to a huge range of people every day and its really rewarding to help people find jobs and to match employers with suitable candidates. You have to be prepared to work hard and put in the effort, but I promise it is worth it.”

Applications for Pure’s Graduate Training Programme close on 30 July. For more information, visithttps://www.prs.uk.com/about-us/working-with-us/graduate-training-programme-2016or contact Gill Buchanan on 01223 209888 orgill@prs.uk.com.

Thinking of joining a Graduate Training Programme? Not made your mind up yet? Before you do, let Ellie Steinfeldt take you through her experience of the Pure Graduate Training Programme.

1. What did you do before coming to Pure? I studied for my BSc in Psychology at Oxford Brookes University for the three years before I started at Pure. I also did some temporary Administration work through Pure in my summer holidays.

2. How did you find out about the Pure Graduate Training Programme? I received an email from Pure asking if I, or anyone I knew, would be interested in applying for the Graduate Training Programme.

3. Why did you choose a recruitment company to do your Graduate training? And what was your decision based on? I didn’t actually know what I wanted to do after University and then when I heard about the Graduate Training opportunity at Pure I thought it sounded great. I was more drawn to Pure as a company as opposed to the fact the Graduate Programme was in Recruitment, then as I looked into it a bit more I realised a lot of my qualities and what I look for in a job matched a role in Recruitment. It is really important to me to work in a company that has strong values, a great working environment and a lovely team, so I was attracted to Pure after temping through them previously and having met some of the Norwich team.

4. What was the interview and selection process like? What types of activities did you complete? I found the interview process surprising enjoyable. First I had a phone call with Gill Buchanan, Director, to go through a bit about myself and my experience. The next stage was a psychometric test to complete and then there was an Assessment Day where I completed a number of group tasks with five other candidates and had a face-to-face interview with Abby Dillion, Learning and Development Manager, which included going through the results of my Psychometric test.

5. When did you join the Programme and how long did it last? I joined the Programme on Monday 15thJune 2015. It is difficult to say exactly how long it lasted as there hasn’t really been a point where the support and guidance from my Manager and the company in general has stopped; it has been a lot of on-the-job training. From starting, I had 12 weeks of intensive training where I learnt all about the company, how we work and the system we use; at the end of this I presented what I’d learnt so far to Gill and Abby and where I wanted to go with my recruitment desk. I then had another four weeks of less structured training which took me to my 16 Week Review Business Plan where I had to present to Gill and Caroline what I planned to do to develop my desk and myself as a Recruitment Consultant. When I reached 6 months at Pure that was when I officially became a fee earner so I had the full responsibility of a desk. However, as I mentioned above, the training and support has been on-going, for example, last week I had negotiation training with a few other team members here.

6. What role are you undertaking now at Pure? I am now a Recruitment Consultant specialising in HR roles (both temporary and permanent) including In-House Recruitment and Learning and Development/Training positions.

7. When you joined, what did your training consist of? For example, induction, workshop training, workbooks and materials you were given etc. I received an induction into the business and our values, system training, training on all aspects of the role including interviewing, CV screening, client meetings, negotiation and the initiatives we run. I also received a Graduate Training Programme workbook/folder which had summary pages for all of the things I covered and questions for me to answer on various things we covered in the training to check I understood everything (I went through my answers weekly with Abby). I was also given template sheets and step-by-step guides to support me when I was ‘on the job’.

8. What support have you been provided during your first year? I have been provided all of the support and guidance I have needed/wanted. I haven’t once felt I don’t have someone to ask any questions I might have or someone to bounce ideas off. When I first started I had weekly meetings with Abby or Gill and then also Caroline (my Manager) just to make sure I was comfortable and happy with everything and to go through anything I needed more guidance on. As time went on I had meetings slightly less frequently (every couple of weeks or so), just because they weren’t necessary as frequently. Even now I have catch ups with Caroline whenever I need to. We also have team meetings most days to go through where we are all at with everything and to check if any of us need any help on anything and a whole office meeting once a week.

9. What do you like most about working at Pure? I love the whole company ethos and the values that we all work by; I love being part of a company that adds value to the industry we are in and shows forward-thinking and initiative in how we work.I really enjoy my job; it’s busy, fast-paced and exciting, and I get to meet and talk to a huge range of people every day which is great. I also find it hugely rewarding helping candidates in their job search and clients in their search for the right candidate.Another main thing for me is that I love the people I work with; I’ve never once come across someone unhelpful or unfriendly at Pure and I am proud to be part of a company that employs people like that.

10. If you could go back in time and talk to yourself on the day you started at Pure, what two pieces of advice would you give yourself? That I will eventually get the hang of everything so not to worry and I will also remember all of the names of candidates and clients I work with, it just takes time to train your memory!

11. What was the most surprising thing you’ve experienced at Pure? Everyone is genuinely as nice as they first seem, and the company really does work by its values in everything it does.

12. If you weren’t working in recruitment what would you like to do? I think I would like to do Counselling/Therapy for soldiers suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder); I love Psychology and find it so interesting. I would love doing something where I can help and give something back to the people who give so much to our country.

13. What advice would you give to anyone thinking about joining the Pure Graduate Training Programme? I would tell them to absolutely go for it; Pure is a wonderful company to work for and a wonderful team to be part of. It’s a very busy and sometimes stressful job, so you have to be prepared to work-hard and put in the effort, but I promise it’s worth it!

For more information about joining thePure Graduate Training Programme, please contact Gill Buchanan ongill.buchanan@prs.uk.com.

Mark Greenwood of East Anglian marketing agency Greenwood&Bell is one of the people behinda new charity cycle ride,the Double Nelson. Itstarts at Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square and finishes at Nelson’s Monument in Great Yarmouth. Along with a team of ten, Mark will pedal off after dawnon Saturday 2nd July 2016 aiming to cycle the entire 140 miles in one day. The ride is in aid of the Jubilee Sailing Trust’s STS ‘Lord Nelson’.

The Jubilee Sailing Trust own and operate the Lord Nelson and Tenacious, the only two tall ships in the world designed and built to enable people of all physical abilities to sail side-by-side as equals, resulting in experiences that really do change people’s lives.

Mark Greenwood said “A few months ago, doing the Double Nelson in one day seemed like a good idea. Now the day is getting close, the challenge looks a lot tougher! But Greenwood&Bell clients andfriendshave been really generous towards the JTS, so we will just get out there and do it!”

If anyone is able to make a donation to this amazing charity, the team would be incredibly grateful, and any support will undoubtably give themthe extra boost needed on the day when Great Yarmouth seems impossibly far away.

Chamber members can help the Jubilee Sailing Trust and STS Lord Nelson by sponsoring the DoubleNelson here

We had the chance to speak with Charlie this week and to ask him some questions about his background, aspirations and advice for youngsters starting out in shooting.

Charlie attendsOrmiston Venture Academyand he told us that they are very supportive of his extracurricular activities, allowing him odd-days here and there if his shooting competitions overlap with the school week and are always interested in how he’s done. Although Charlie doesn’t shoot every evening, usually around 2 – 3 times a month he will have a training session withPhilip Thorrold Shooting Academy,he does find the balance of school work and shooting can be quite difficult to manage as he has to ensure his studies are complete during the week so his weekends are free. Whilst heenjoys hanging out with his mates and playing football with them, he doesn’t feel that he’s missing out by spending his weekends at shoots; he just says he simply prefers to be shooting.

He doesn’t have much history in the sport as such, his dad used to go pheasant shooting and took Charlie along with him when he was a young lad. His dad suggested trying clay shooting and this took Charlie on the first steps of his career. Hedoesn’t have a particular hero in the sport but does admire a few of his peers and likes to watch them shoot butwhen it comes to rivalries, Charlie and his fellow participants have a very mature attitude – they know they are in direct competition with each other but remain courteous and speak with each other throughout.

Every week Charlie is beating his personal best and is currently shooting 89/100. He says a top class shotshouldbe able to get all his targets but around the mid-90’s is more the usual and this is what he is aiming towards. As we’ve mentioned before, Charlie was approached by theEngland Shooting Teammanager and has decided to try out at the squad selection shoots this year. Charlie wants to gain experience at these so he can confidently try out for the shoots properly next year – although we think he might surprise himself this year to be honest!

In many sports, diet and exercise can be a key factor and whilst being fit and healthy will be an advantage, this is not so important when it comes to shooting. Charlie does make sure he keepssugarto a minimum before shoots and will only take water around with him during the event to keep himself properly hydrated. When asked what two things he does during training which help with his success his answer was practice, practice and practice – just shoot the target over and over again! He also said that learning to stay focused was important as there are a lot of clays released over a short period of time so you need to keep that concentration and this comes with practice.

A typical shoot day will start early; with the closest ground about 45 minutes away, he needs to be on the road to travel to his eventsveryearly. Once he’s arrived, he books in and gets hisshoot card for the event. He then sorts his equipment and just gets ready to go for it. He mentioned that he tends to talk a lot, obviously not loud enough to affect other shooters, but he finds it distracts him from his nervousness and he won’t spend the time worrying about his own shots.

Charlie can put a lot of pressure on himself, especially on what could be considered an easier target, because he feels that he should be able to and is expected to get the shot than perhaps a more difficult one. If he does mess up a round, he finds it difficult to let go and it will therefore affecting his shooting in later rounds. He has said this is something he needs to work on, to learn to let go of that frustration and move forward.

If you’re looking to take up shooting, Charlie has these words of advice for you:always try your hardest, you’re bound to improve with the more effort you put in – just never give up!

As part of National Volunteering Week, a team from Delta-Simons attended a volunteering session with park rangers from Hartsholme Country Park, a local park and nature reserve run by City of Lincoln Council.

Volunteers’ Week took place from 1-12 June this year, and is an annual celebration of the contribution millions of volunteers make across the UK.

Delta-Simons employees helped clear Ragwort, a potentially poisonous plant to cattle and horses, to prevent further spread before it flowered and the seeds distributed. Under the 1959 Weeds Act, the park has an obligation to clear ragwort, which is poisonous to many animals.

In addition, vegetation clearance was carried out near a picnic area, removing fast-growing saplings to encourage larger trees to grow.

Hartsholme Country Park lies about three miles south west of Lincoln city centre and covers more than 200 acres. The Green Flag Award winning park contains Victorian landscaped gardens, woodlands, grasslands and a large reservoir, where visitors can enjoy walks and cycle rides through the lakes and ornamental grounds.

Related articles: Warm weather causes outbreak of Japanese knotweed

This year, forecasts are predicting a very warm summer, and with it reports are out of Japanese knotweed taking hold earlier than usual. Japanese knotweed cost’s the British economy an estimated £166 million per year, with almost £11 million being spent on battling the plant along our road networks and waterways alone (source: www.cabi.org). Originally native to eastern Asia and China, Japanese knotweed was first introduced to Europe in the 19th century as an ornamental plant. This fast-growing, invasive plant is adaptable to a wide range of climatic conditions and can cause devastation for developers and home owners alike, growing through asphalt and concrete – damaging buildings, bridges and roads.

Once Japanese knotweed is established, underneath or around a built environment, it can be very difficult to control. Early identification allows developers to assess and cost options for destroying, disposing and managing it. The Environment Agency has created the knotweed code of practice which offers different methods of managing Japanese knotweed, and advises on alternative ways to treat it on site in order to avoid creating a waste disposal problem. This is intended to reduce landfill and haulage needs (and their associated cost), and the increased risk of spreading the knotweed.

Tips for developers

Always check the site you are buying for Japanese knotweed. Whilst this shouldn’t necessarily stop the purchase of the site, it will affect how profitable a development could be, and the timeframe in which it can be built. If there isn’t Japanese knotweed on the site, consider getting legal guarantees that confirm this before purchasing the site.

Create a timetable for Japanese knotweed treatment and development. If knotweed is present, then ensure enough time is allocated within the development timescales and apply a Japanese knotweed management plan.

Managing previously treated Japanese knotweed areas. Knotweed may have been buried on-Site or taken to landfill, or alternatively chemically sprayed or injected by appropriately qualified contractors, who should be members of INNSA. However, just because the development site has been treated doesn’t mean that Japanese knotweed may not grow again.

Speak to one of our advisers now if you want more advice on Japanese knotweed.

Contacts: Charlotte Sanderson (Associate and Ecology Team Leader), Paul Bennett (Unit Director)

Related articles: Giant hogweed hitting the headlines

We are pleased to introduce Shane McConnell to the Environment, Health & Safety team as the new Unit Director for EHS services in Ireland. Shane brings seven years of EHS experience to the role, with specialisms in ergonomics, risk assessments and DSE auditing.

Shane’s previous roles have included providing EHS consultancy for a number of clients in the high tech, pharmaceutical and construction sectors; he has also taught Health & Safety law to undergraduates and post graduates.

Comfortable and safe work places can increase productivity by 16%, and improve job satisfaction by 24%. Delta-Simons work within RiskRightTM EHS, a solution designed by Antea Group, aims to reduce and proactively manage Environment, Health & Safety risk factors in lower-risk environments, such as offices, data centres, and retail stores. As RiskRight EHS practitioners, we work to understand a business’s culture to ensure the successful implementation of EHS or enhancement of the EHS services in place. This could be from air quality through to employee wellness – providing rapid response to a specific local issue such as air quality, or delivering a strategic plan to address a global risk.

Shane will be responsible for supporting and advising clients on how best to meet their EHS obligations, as well as building a team to deliver EHS services for the growing marketing in Ireland.

Related articles: Associate joins Delta-Simons to head up Durham office

The majority of contaminated land investigation is funded by developers and landowners through the planning system. However, this only deals with sites that happen to be in the process of redevelopment and not those occupied by long-standing land uses.

Part 2A of the 1990 Environmental Protection Act was therefore established with the aim that local authorities would proactively target potential contaminated land within their districts in areas not covered by the planning process. Government funding for this work peaked in 2009 / 2010 at £17.5m, but was reduced to £2m by 2013/2014 and is now merely a £0.5m contingency sum.

The Commons Environmental Audit Committe has now been told that, due to the cuts, some councils are reluctant to inspect their areas, as there are no funds available to deal with problems they might find. This view has been confirmed in discussions I have had with several local authority Contaminated Land Officers recently, with inspection strategies effectively shelved.

The lack of funding for Part 2A may also skew the prioritisation of what limited inspections are still undertaken by local authorities. Councils may choose to inspect only those sites where they believe there is a ‘Class A Appropriate Person’ (the original causer of the contamination) in existence with deep pockets, possibly ignoring higher priority sites such as housing estates on former industrial land where the original polluter cannot be identified (or on publicly owned land for that matter).

In these times of government austerity, there are competing claims for every penny of public money. The Commons Committe was told by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) Principal Policy Officer Howard Price that an annual budget of £20m would be sufficient for our local authoritites to address historical contaminated land in accordance with their duties.

£20m represents just 0.1% of DEFRA’s annual budget, which is mainly allocated to flood defence work. Surely this is a small price to help, ‘put in place stronger protections for our natural landscape and deliver on our commitments for a cleaner, healthier environment which benefits people and the economy’ (Liz Truss November 2015). Further reading: Brownfield Briefing

Contact: Richard Lawless, Unit Director – North Regions

Related articles: Right Waste, Right Place campaign targets waste criminals

Illegal waste activities cost the UK economy as much as £800 million every year through illegal waste sites and the damage they cause along with tax evasion and fly tipping, with an estimated 56% of UK businesses not complying with the law. A new campaign led by the Environmental Services Association (ESA) has just been launched to raise the profile of Duty of Care, aimed towards waste producing businesses to ensure that they meet their legal obligations. The campaign will also be used to highlight the significance of taking waste management responsibility and tackling waste crime.

The campaign tackles the lack of compliance around the growing problem of waste crime, with 2014/15 seeing an increased number of incidents recorded to 900,000 in England – representing an 11% increase on the previous year1.

One such illegal waste case was recently reported in Norfolk, where a man was jailed for 15 months for running an illegal waste site without planning permission or environmental permit to deposit, store, dispose and treat waste. Waste operator, Mark Fuller, continued to breach the Enforcement Notice, even after pleading guilty. Read article.

What is Duty of Care?

Businesses who produce, carry, keep, dispose of, treat, import or have control of controlled waste must fulfil a legal obligation (Duty of Care) to take all reasonable steps to keep it safe, as set out in the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Controlled waste includes waste from households, businesses and industry.

The campaign is managed by the Environmental Services Association (ESA), sponsored by the Environment Agency (EA), the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) and the Environmental Services Association Education Trust (ESAET) and supported by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), Build UK, The National Farmers Union (NFU), Veolia, Travis Perkins, URoC, SUEZ and The Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (LARAC).

For more information visit: https://www.rightwasterightplace.com/#intro

For those companies involved in the acquisition, management or development of land, there is a responsibility to the environment to find out if the work is likely to affect protected species, such as bats. A recent landmark case saw a property development company fined after destroying a brown long-eared bat roost (read article).

The property underwent redevelopment despite the completion of an ecological report, which identified a roost in the loft of the commercial property in Matlock. Whilst the judge deemed that the offence was not intentional, the Bat Conservation Trust commented that the outcome sent a strong message to developers about the importance of bat surveys prior to development.

Bats are protected by law, with 18 different species living in both rural and urban areas of the UK. Bat roosts vary in size and occur in both buildings and trees. Our Ecology department is able to carry out assessments to establish the presence of bats, and, as well as being qualified to prepare European Protected Species Licence (EPSL) applications and undertake the associated mitigation works, the team are qualified to complete works under the Bat Low Impact Class Licence (BLICL), in situations where it is appropriate, which reduces the time and cost burden to clients.

View our bat survey services.

Related articles: Ecology Manager qualified as registered BLICI consultant

Recruitment that works for you: Our POP UP screen at the Norfolk Polo Festival saw Contract Personnel advertise with BBA Digital Media. After such an impressive event the leading recruiters continued their DOOH (digital-out-of-home) campaign on our permanent screens across Norfolk. Contract Personnel are a rare breed: a recruitment company that cares not only for the quality of applicants it finds for roles, but for the quality of the roles in which they place their recruits. It is this level of care, dedication and passion for what they do that sets them apart in the ‘dog eat dog’ world of recruitment. So if you are on the hunt for an exciting and fulfilling new role, or are a company looking to find that perfect candidate, look no further.

Contract Personnel are well known and respected for their work in the fields of driving, industrial and catering roles, but did you know that they also have exceptionally strong office and commercial, professional and technical & engineering departments too.

Check outthe biggest independent recruiters in Norfolk and Suffolk on our network ofdigital signage screens across Norfolk.