Apprentice Diaries – Cameron Osguthorpe

Studying a course in Construction and Built Environment T Level at York College, Cameron Osguthorpe is a Trainee Engineer that has already been with Moortown Group for nearly a full year. He has 1 more year left to complete his apprenticeship before he graduates from this course. Read on to hear Cameron’s thoughts on his journey so far and why he chose a career in the construction industry.

Why did you choose this vocation?

“I chose this line of work because I liked the fact it would be very hands on, and it meant predominantly working outside and less time in an office environment. I also wanted to be able to mix with a variety of people so that I could learn as much as possible on site “.

“Construction appears to be an industry that will always be in demand, and that brings some level of stability and security that my skillset will always be needed”.

What skills have you learnt? 

• Learned how to use Topcon Total Station
• Learned to use rotating laser levels
• Learned how to set out

What are your future aspirations?

• To get a degree in Civil Engineering
• To learn and develop my management skills
• To improve my setting out skills and learn more instruments

What has it been like working at Moortown Group?

“I joined Moortown Group in August 2021, and have had the pleasure of working on the University of York’s project which is a huge student accommodation project with contractor Grahams. 

“I enjoy the responsibility of my role very much, and the work you carry out is unlike any College work that’s given to you. It is a good mixture of technical and practical work. Everybody is friendly and helpful. It feels great to be learning skills whilst getting paid.”

We’re looking forward to supporting Cameron in his next chapter at Moortown Group.

Project Win – Harrogate Hydro

We are delighted to share another recent project win for ISG and Harrogate Borough Council. The Hydro Leisure Centre is located in the Jennyfields area of  Harrogate and will be undergoing a large refurbishment totalling £11.8m of works.

Our works will include the new pad foundations, lift pit and the extension of the ground floor slab. Further alterations will be made to the existing drainage, and there will new drainage installed to accommodate the new layout.

The project will develop the existing building into a modern and energy-efficient two-storey extension, with a new entrance, cafe and reception area. Other features inside the Hydro include a new 400 sqm fitness suite with sauna and steam rooms and much improved changing area facilities. There will be demolition to the existing entrance creating space for a larger cafe and reception area on the ground floor. There will also be an area for new bicycle storage and six electric vehicle charging points.

This win comes shortly after the success of starting works at the Knaresborough Leisure Centre last month, as part of a huge overhaul of upgrading these public facilities and making them fit for purpose, as well as significantly more energy efficient. Through careful energy monitoring and control systems, these measures invested by Harrogate Borough Council have so far included the installation of solar panels and various insulation improvements in order to halve the carbon footprint generated.  These actions come as a result of the bid won by the Government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) public sector decarbonisation scheme.

The works for this multi-million pound refurbishment project will be completed by April 2023.

Upgrading Leisure Facilities

At the start of the month, we commenced works on a new site in Knaresborough for Harrogate Borough Council and Alliance Leisure working alongside ISG. The existing Leisure Centre in Knaresborough town is receiving a substantial upgrade as part of a £28m duo project win for ISG.

The project consists of a new-build leisure and wellness centre that will provide a six-lane 25m pool, sauna and steam room. There will also be new fitness suite and café, along with a much improved outdoor play area, with electric car charging points and a bicycle storage area.

Our works package includes:

• Bulk excavation
• Foundations
• Fabrication of reinforcement cages
• Drainage

Restoration Project Complete

Moortown Group started works on the restoration project for York Guildhall back in September 2019 and last month the job achieved completion.

The £21.7m construction will see the building stabilised through major underpinning and protected from water damage with the aim of giving it a new burst of life, located in the heart of the City.

     

The project is a mixture of Grade I, II* and II listed buildings built around the 15th century hall and riverside meeting room. Previously, the Guildhall had only received minimum repair works since the WW2 bombings in 1942 that caused severe damage to all these buildings.

This project has required a delicate and thorough approach to fulfil and deliver extensive works to this historic building. The redevelopment of the Guildhall will allow for new spaces for community use, high quality office space, a café and a new riverside restaurant.

     

Existing issues on the site included things such as significant structural problems with the riverside tower which were subsiding and cracking. Moortown took the lead with the groundworks, RC frame and the external works.

With the location of this site being logistically very challenging alongside the River Ouse, it meant careful planning and operations to use the river in order to erect an on-site Tower Crane and provide access for deliveries. This would otherwise have proven impossible via road and allowed for the reduction of many road deliveries into a heavily pedestrianised area.

     

Project Manager, Rob Henderson from VINCI Construction UK, commented they were thrilled with the professional service delivered across all aspects of the project.

Membership with Mates in Mind

    

We are delighted to share we’ve recently enlisted as a new member of Mates in Mind. Mates in Mind is a leading UK charity raising awareness and addressing the stigma of poor mental health. They promote and lead on the development of positive mental wellbeing within the workplace with a particular focus on construction, as well as related sectors including transport, logistics, manufacturing, and others. Mates in Mind aims to provide clear information to employers about the available support and guidance on mental health and wellbeing, and how they can address this within their organisations.

After a very tough couple of years in the pandemic, support services like these are in great demand. We all have mental health, just as we all have physical health. Mental ill health can strike at any time and can affect people from all walks of life. Construction work has a variety of pressures from tight contracts to long hours, time away from loved-ones and managing budgets, not to mention the added stresses of the pandemic and now the rising costs of supplies.

Although things are improving, stigma still exists around mental ill health. As a society, we don’t tend to know how to take care of our mental health like we do our physical health. This means that people may not know how to support a friend, family member or colleague experiencing a mental health issue, or where to go for support with their own mental health.

Many organisations have already taken steps to support their workforce and provided varying levels of mental health guidance. Things such as Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is a training course which teaches people how to identify, understand and help someone who may be experiencing a mental health issue. It won’t teach you to be a therapist, but it will teach you to listen, reassure and respond, even in a crisis – and even potentially stop a crisis from happening. Recognising warning signs of mental ill health, and develop the skills and confidence to approach and support someone whilst learning how to empower them and access the support they might need for recovery.

There is such high value in being able to understand how to support positive wellbeing and tackle the stigma, as Mental Health statistics show that construction is shockingly higher than the national average. As a Mates in Mind Supporter, we’ll be able to have access to a range of resources, training and support, designed to help our organisation.

Record breaking construction in Leeds

Last year’s statistics of 2021 regarding the construction activity in Leeds alone, are phenomenally higher that predicted. Record breaking figures have not gone unnoticed. A report published by Deloitte, captures the developments taking place across Leeds City Centre and its impact. This includes residential, office, hotel, retail and leisure, student accommodation, education and research facilities, healthcare and transport.

The contributions of LeedsBID and the Year of Culture 2023, will promote a range of experiences across the city that aim to add to its vibrancy of redeveloped city spaces for Leeds residents and visitors to enjoy.

Training Young Persons in Plant Construction

     

Earlier this year, Moortown Group teamed up with Big Yellow Plant Training who provide in-house Plant Training for Novices and Experienced candidates in the Hull and East Yorkshire area. They also provide CPCS Testing and NVQ Assessment services.

We’re pleased to share with you that our partnership with Big Yellow Plant Training has brought about the L1 Introduction to Construction Groundworks course designed by Big Yellow. This is to help address the skills shortage of available groundworkers, and as Moortown heavily relies on this skillset it is absolutely essential we look for ways to maintain a healthy workforce and offer future prospects to anybody wanting to get into the industry. Designed by Big Yellow, the three week training course will give candidates a basic skill set so they could start on site and be productive straightaway. 

The course was advertised through DWP and candidates were put forward after showing interest through their work coaches at the Job Centre, and then later interviewed by our Operations Director, Richard Mitchell and Centre Manager, Tracey Milnes. 

L1 Introduction to Construction – Groundworking 

This three week course will teach a basic level of skills in both Groundworks and Plant Operation for individuals who are looking to work in the Construction and Civil Engineering Industry and have little or no experience. It would also be suitable for individuals who left the Industry and are looking to return. 

The course covers: 

• Construction Health and Safety 
• Safe use and Operation of Petrol Driven Cut Off Saw 
• Cat and Genny 
• Introduction to Levelling in Construction 
• Basic concreting skills 
• Basic drainage skills 
• Basic kerb laying skills 
• CPCS Ride on roller 
• CPCS Forward tipping dumper 

We’ve had really good feedback from the guys undertaking the training. They are very motivated and enthusiastic to be learning new skills. They have all put in a huge amount of effort so far and they are all extremely grateful for the opportunity. Once the guys have passed their course, they will then be able to begin work on two of Moortown’s current sites in Leeds. 

Principal Contractor for Aire Park, the former Tetley’s site

We are delighted to share that Moortown Group have recently been appointed Principal Contractor for the Aire Park Project in Leeds City Centre, on the former Tetley Brewery site. 

Close cooperation with the client and the principal designer, will continue to play an important role in influencing how the risks to health and safety are managed during the construction work. This is something that Moortown Group prioritises with the highest importance, by ensuring standards are understood and followed. 

About the project

Working in close consultation with Leeds City Council’s Planning Department and other stakeholders, Vastint plans to redevelop the site to create a vibrant, well connected and sustainable mixed use neighbourhood. 

The design proposes a vibrant development in the centre of the South Bank with a generously-sized urban park at its heart. The aim of the scheme is to support the expansion of the city core, providing a vital link connecting the city centre with the Tetley and its creative neighbours, through to the education district and the communities to the south. 

Planning permission for the first phase of Aire Park was granted in December 2018. The first phase is 6.6 hectares and sits between Crown Point Road to the south, Waterloo Street to the north, Meadow Lane to the east with the Tetley building at its centre. 

Apprentice Diaries – Finlay Keane

Finlay Keane, recently joined the Moortown team as a Groundworker Apprentice working on a live project at Halifax Bus Station. He’s currently attending a course on Groundworks at Leeds College of Building.

Read on to hear Finlay’s thoughts!

What is the work culture like? ?

“I joined Moortown in November last year and I’m enjoying it very much. The team here are friendly and are happy to help and guide me. My Manager Tommy encourages me to take photo’s of my tasks and to keep a daily diary for my progression.”

“I have learnt so much already. This includes things such as how important safety is and using my PPE correctly. Other things include learning how to take steps to protect the environment by using plant nappies for storing fuel on.”

“An apprenticeship suits me very well, as I like being guided to learn new things in a practical environment and it gives me the opportunity to learn as I earn on the job.”

          

What skills have you learnt? 

• Aspects of drainage, ducting, kerbing, prepping ground for tarmac
• Using tools such as a wacker plate, stihl saw and discovering different tools
• How to use equipment correctly
• Preparation required to do my tasks

What are your future aspirations?

• To be a competent Groundworker
• Learn how to drive plant vehicles
• To be a manger

We look forward to following up on Finlay’s progress on his apprenticeship journey.