Free Training for ConCom Clients and Contractor Members – Mental Health First Aid Awareness. Taking place at CATCH on the 24th November, AM or PM Sessions available – please contact Jane for further details – jane.winship@catchuk.org or download the event flyer Concom Mental Health First Aid Awareness Flyer
The Annual ConCom Apprentice of the Year Awards were presented yesterday afternoon at CATCH!!
Our three worthy winners were congratulated and presented with their trophies by Ian Laverick, Novartis, ConCom Committee Chair. After, Paul Bevan, EP SHB, ConCom Vice Chair presented them with their prize money.
3rd place and with a cheque for £200, Charlie Flemming of EP SHB
2nd place and with a cheque for £300, Will Lambert of Prax LOR
ConCom Apprentice of the Year – 1st place, with a cheque for £500, was Matthew Lister of TesTex NDT Ltd
On behalf of the ConCom Team and Steering Committee – many congratulations and we look forward to seeing you have safe and long careers!
CATCH hosted the Major Hazards Network on Thursday 21 July. The group was attended by over 20 in person and online delegates and forms one of the core networks for CATCH membership services.
David Hughes welcomed delegates to the Major Hazards Network and introduced our guest speaker Gus Carroll, CEO and Founder of Empirisys. Gus presented details of the Energy Institute decarbonisation good practice programme. The EI has established Hydrogen and Carbon Capture and Storage as a new area of focus. Gus outlined the 2021 Hydrogen work programme which received funding support from the Industrial Decarbonisation Research & Innovation Centre. Work commenced in 2021 including subjects like competence, skills and training for the transition to hydrogen, environmental impacts of the large-scale deployment of hydrogen, development of a safety case for hydrogen storage and distribution by pipeline and Infrastructure integration & Asset integrity in repurposing existing natural gas infrastructure for hydrogen.
Gus outlined the range of new challenges presented by increasing use of hydrogen and its derivatives LH2, NH3, LOHC & MCH. The safety impact for UK for these changes is extremely important during the energy transition and EI are leading this work through four further funded projects:
Gus outlined future topics that are under consideration for funding in 2023. The Energy Institute is keen to speak to companies at the fore front of the energy transition to help shape and direct their work. If you are interested, please contact Mark Scanlon mscanlon@energyinst.org
Following a break Gus was kindly able to present on a separate topic of the COMAH Strategic Forum which was established in 2013 and Gus has recently taken over as chair of the Forum. The CSF is comprised of the 3 competent authorities, COMAH sector representatives (including Trade Associations) and Unions. The forum sets the longer term strategic direction for UK onshore major accident regulation. The forum has been able to improve communication and knowledge exchange between the various stakeholders through guidance and good practice guides.
CSF current priorities include embedding principles of process safety leadership, greater transparency, driving proportionate regulatory scrutiny based on performance, clear standards and expectations and encouraging regulators to operate in a joined up way. The CSF has recognised a number of drivers of change for COMAH regulated industries such as net zero targets, growth of new technologies such as hydrogen production and storage, ageing assets and ageing workforce challenges and embedding digital technologies. Gus outlined the CSF’s response to these aspects shared some of the safety challenges that may arise from inexperienced operators and ambitious research institutions, not familiar with the regulatory framework whilst regulators are carefully managing budgetary constraints. CSF are set to publish their 5 year strategy and are keen to engage a wide range of stakeholders through the CSF open forum on 14 November.
Empirys is an organisation that uses data science to help high hazard businesses operate more safely and more reliably. The business is supported by a talented team of 12 data scientists, process engineers, asset operators and software engineers – more details are available here and via Gus Carroll gus@empirisys.io
The next Major Hazards Network will be held on 3rd November at CATCH.
CATCH core network groups are for member companies, for more information please contact katie.hedges@catchuk.org
Did you know that ten years ago, Maersk Training UK was the first training provider in the UK to be approved for delivery of GWO training?
To celebrate, we’re opening our doors across the UK for a series of summer barbeques, and we’d love to invite you along to take a look at our centres in Grimsby, Lowestoft & Newcastle.
We’ll be running demonstrations across the day, showcasing our courses and helping you understand how our training fits into the wind energy sector. We’ll also be hosting live Q&A sessions so you can ask about technical roles in wind energy, and there’ll be plenty of information for you to take away.
Food & drinks will be provided, and we’re welcoming both public and corporate guests, so come along – you never know who you’ll meet:
• CATCH – Grimsby, Redwood Park Estate, Stallingborough, DN41 8TH –
August 11th 10am-2pm
• Lowestoft, Energy Skills Centre, Lowestoft Campus, Rotterdam Road,
Lowestoft, NR32 2PJ
August 25th 10am – 2pm
• Newcastle, Orion Business Park, 2 Mercury Court, North Shields, NE29 7SN
September 8th 10am – 2pm
For more information or to register for a ticket reach out to the team at uk-bookings@maersktraining.com
CATCH is delighted to announce that as of September 2022, the West Yorkshire apprenticeship programme will be based at Appris in Bradford. The Process Operations apprenticeship (Science Manufacturing Technician) provision was launched last year with a cohort of 10 learners starting in September 2021, with a new cohort due to start September 2022.
In addition to providing a location for the delivery of the apprenticeship, the agreement sees the start of a partnership to promote STEM career options to young people in the West Yorkshire region through schools engagement. It also gives employers a facility to be able to train maintenance apprentices through Appris and Operations apprentices through CATCH at the same venue.
James McIntosh, Chief Operating Officer at CATCH, said “I am pleased for us to have secured space at Appris to deliver our provision from. We have heard extremely positive reviews from our employers about Appris so were keen to work in collaboration with a like-minded, employer led, not-for-profit organisation like ourselves. Working in partnership with Appris also allows us to plant a flag in West Yorkshire with a long-term home for our apprenticeship provision, in addition to us working together on being able to offer short upskilling course in West Yorkshire replicating the CATCH Humber delivery model.”
Dean Coleman-Walker, Business Development Director at Appris, commented – “We are absolutely delighted to welcome CATCH to our Bradford site. Our well-matched approach to skills development, sustainability and growth for the region will ensure West Yorkshire continues to thrive and be a benchmark throughout the UK. Our developing relationship will undoubtedly grow even further with an aim to provide the best employer led programmes in apprenticeships and development for the engineering, manufacturing and science industry sectors in our region.”
MCL is a specialist rope access and difficult access training provider and fellow Kee Safety Group company, which has recently joined us at our state of the art facility at CATCH (Centre for the Assessment of Technical Competence Humber).
This new facility based in the industrially-rich region of the Humber, provides a safe and authentic site environment with full-scale equipment for experiential learning and development. From these world-class training facilities MCL and Safety & Access deliver practical, onsite-based training to members of the oil, gas and renewable industries, construction, stage and theatre rigging, theme parks and many more.
Classrooms and simulated industrial environments make for the perfect setting in which to undertake our accredited qualifications. Rope access can be applied to so many difficult or unusual scenarios.
Upcoming training provided by MCL includes:
“With all of the diverse industry sectors which are situated in and around Lincolnshire, the decision was taken to open our new training facility at CATCH, in Grimsby.
Not only do we offer the internationally accredited IRATA rope access courses, our highly skilled and knowledgable team also deliver a range of Height Safety oriented courses such as, Rescue, Harness & Lanyard Use, Fixed Ladder Inspection, Anchor Bolt Installation & Testing courses are also offered as well PFPE (Personal Fall Protection Equipment) Inspection courses which will be a great service for those in this area”
Martin Castle, General Manager MCL
“It’s great for Safety & Access and for the overall offerings at CATCH to have such well-regulated training available as IRATA via MCL. There are great opportunities within many sectors for this training. We look forward to a long association with MCL here and in other locations to be disclosed in the near future”
Rick Statham GM Safety & Access
Training can be found on the MCL website www.mcl-uk.com or contact info@mcl-uk.com
Not-for-profit Membership and Training organisation CATCH has seen a increase in headcount, since launching its new Apprenticeship provision late 2021.
And it is set to increase further, with a significant investment of 11 new roles created in the new department to ensure quality delivery. The Stallingborough based provider has had huge demand in their apprenticeship provision with over 100 new apprentices starting in September.
James McIntosh, Chief Operating Officer said the people at CATCH were the companies “greatest asset” and “essential to the growth of CATCH”.
“The growing demand for highly skilled people in industry is only going to increase, we have a highly talented team, with the majority of our people being specialists in their area”
“CATCH plays a key part in our regional economy and industry, and we need to attract new team members to support the ever growing skills needs of our members”
“Our region is seeing billions of pounds of investment, and with that comes the challenge of retaining and upskilling existing staff, but also attracting new people and young people into industry”
CATCH is uniquely positioned to provide companies with specialist training and apprenticeships just for the process, energy, engineering and renewable industries.
Jasmine Greenhalgh, Business Support Officer, added “CATCH is a people centric business, and we work hard to make sure our people are happy, from our above average salaries to flexible working, to investing in our team through Professional CPD, we commit to providing a positive and equal organisational culture where all voices are heard”.
“To support our ambitious plans, we are currently hiring for a mixture of new roles, including Teaching, Learning & Safeguarding Lead and an Apprenticeship Centre Manager”.
Click here to view our latest vacancies
The lens of Government is on Grimsby, as the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, RT Hon Michael Gove, visited the North East Lincolnshire region today. Part of the visit focused on the challenging skills gap and the skills required for the region’s NetZero Future.
The Secretary of State took time to visit CATCH where he was hosted by CEO David Talbot and Head of Operations Paul Snowden. Mr Gove was shown around the world class facilities on site and discovered how CATCH supports the region’s industry. David highlighted that “CATCH is at full capacity” during the tour, which included the National Centre for Process and Manufacturing, the state art facility at CATCH offering ‘real world’ experience.
David commented, “It was a pleasure to welcome the Secretary of State, so we could present the fantastic facilities we have here at CATCH. I was great to showcase our unique training environment, from our introduction to industry experience programme leading to our apprenticeship provision and upskilling and reskilling adults in a fully emulated Process Operations Environment. The Secretary of State heard about the challenges faced by industry and was shown firsthand how we are helping to plug the gap right here in Stallingborough”.
Discussions during the tour focused on engaging young people into high skilled jobs and the importance of vocational training in the high hazard industries. The CATCH vision for a regional Industrial Decarbonisation Center was raised, which will incorporate a low carbon skills hub to support the huge investment opportunities in the region around carbon capture and energy transition.
Later, stakeholders including our CEO, joined RT Hon Michael Gove for a round table skills discussion at Grimsby Town Hall. Conversation focused on the importance of industry reach back into schools, and support to the key industries in the region from seafood to chemical and petrochemical processing and the burgeoning offshore wind sector.
David Talbot, CEO and Alistair Ware, Director of Strategic Projects had the opportunity to attend the Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Conference (IDRIC) held on the Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh campus week beginning 6 June. David was an invitee speaking on the Skills & Training Panel on Day 1 of the Industrial Decarbonisation Showcase sessions. He was accompanied on the panel by speakers from Atkins, ECITB, the New Economics Foundation and the University of Chester. At points, the debate centered around the volume issue relating to the need for skilled tradespeople, with David highlighting the lead time needs. There was some concurrence on a seeming lack of a central strategy or coordination, though Jenny Young of the ECITB did mention the Green Jobs Delivery Group, the Infrastructure & Projects Authority and the Future Skills work of the Dept. for Education in London. In concluding, there was reference to the apprenticeships pipeline and levy funding limitations, linked to an immediate need for skills.
Alistair, Edinburgh based usually, continued with the further conference days encountering panels on:- Low Carbon Technologies; Social & Public Engagement; Systems & Scale-Up; Environmental Considerations; and Policy & Regulation. The third day introduced elements of feedback on the IDRIC Wave 1 research projects’ gaps, potentially pointing towards the forthcoming Wave 2 research/projects call anticipated in the near months. The IDRIC event brought contact for CATCH with potential Wave 2 interested organisations and their researchers. Our relationship is on the one hand an informative one in multi-directions, as a key industrial member-based entity on the Humber. On the other hand, there might be participative merit in CATCH being included in a relevant, likely partnered, project submission when the call is made. There would be fit too with the Humber Industrial Decarbonisation Centre (HIDC) concept.
CATCH member company Evides Industriewater was also present, with Colin Robinson, UK Business Development Manager speaking on the Environmental Considerations panel along with SEPA and Project Energy representatives – Project Energy being linked to the Northwest Cluster/Hynet. Jonathan Oxley of the Humber Industrial Cluster Plan (HICP) spoke on the Social & Public Engagement panel. From the CATCH member universities, Peter Taylor, Professor of Sustainable Energy Systems of Leeds University spoke on the Policy & Regulation panel, whilst Dr Carolina Font-Palmer, Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering of the University of Hull Dept. of Engineering and Dr Aliyu Aliyu, Senior Lecturer in Sustainable Energy of the University of Lincoln School of Engineering were also present at the event.
As part of their Humber Business Week programme CATCH and the Humber Nature Partnership hosted their joint Humber Environmental Managers Conference on Wednesday 8th June. The event was chaired by Martin Jones, HESQ Manager at Yara. The event was a hybrid session held in person at CATCH and via TEAMs with over 40 delegates.
Martin introduced the first speaker, Ola Ladapo, Senior Policy Advisor at Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who gave a presentation on the Environment Act who covered key policies in the Act including Green Governance, air quality, resource efficiency, water resource management and restoring nature through measures such as establishing Local Nature Recovery Strategies across England. You can sign up for email alerts from DEFRA here https://preferences.mailshot.defra.gov.uk/
The next presentation was from Tammy Smalley, Head of Conservation at Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust and covered an important aspect of the Environment Act on Biodiversity Net Gain. Tammy detailed the exceptional opportunities for nature recovery and enhancement in the Greater Lincolnshire area and confirmed that there will be a local nature recovery strategy for Greater Lincolnshire with some work already completed on biodiversity opportunity mapping. Tammy commented on how important Biodiversity Net Gain is to the enhancement of nature and is at the heart of the Environment Act. Tammy outlined that developers are seen as the ‘buyers’ from landowners as the ‘sellers’ in a system facilitated by planning authorities, Natural England and Wildlife Trusts. A project called Green Investment in Greater Lincolnshire (GIGL) has secured a grant to create a fair, equitable and transparent market in natural environment asset trading across Greater Lincolnshire to ensure a vibrant and prosperous green investment economy that delivers for people and wildlife. Delegates were urged to contact the team for more details, especially you are a buyer gigl@lincstrust.co.uk
After a short break Dr Pauline Deutz from the University of Hull gave a presentation on the Circular Economy highlight how companies are engaging with the circular economy and to what extent places benefit from a CE transition. Pauline highlighted recent research at regional scale through collaboration of places & companies, employment implications, repair sector attitudes and the involvement of social enterprises.
The final presentation was a very timely update on Environmental Constraints in Industrial Clusters which has started looking at water constraints in the Humber as a Pathfinder Project given by Tom Glyn-Jones from the Environment Agency. Tom outlined the project and presented some early evidence showing the water intensity of proposed technologies being used to reduce industrial carbon emissions. Tom explained that estimated climate impacts will further challenge availability of water for industrial uses. The final report is due to be shared with stakeholders shortly and funding has been secured for a phase 2 over next 2 years to include the whole East Coast Cluster
If members of the Environmental Managers Network wish to contact the Agency to find out more about phase 1 of our project, ask us questions, or would like to participate as a stakeholder in phase 2, please use this e-mail address climatechangesupport@environment-agency.gov.uk
The next Humber Environmental Managers Network will be held on Weds 5 October, for more information about this and other CATCH Networks please contact katie.hedges@catchuk.org
Privacy Policy
CATCH Compliments and Complaints policy
Policy and Procedure Safeguarding & Protection of Children & Vulnerable Adults
CATCH Apprenticeships Safeguarding Disclosure Form (blank)
