CATCH launched their first Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Network on Tuesday 24 May.  The meeting was attended by 20 delegates drawn from CATCH member companies and was held in person at CATCH and via Teams.

The topic of equality, diversity and inclusion in industry has been considered and discussed at a number of the CATCH Network groups including the HR Managers in Humber and West Yorkshire and the Humber Industrial Decarbonisation Network.  The inaugural meeting was chaired by David Talbot, CATCH CEO.

The first speaker for the session was Dr Sarah Connelly, Innovation Lead for Transforming Foundation Industries at UK Research & Innovation who gave a presentation on how to drive change through the TFI challenge fund.  Sarah gave an insight into how different approaches are being taken to build the talent pipeline from primary through to post 18 education.  Sarah highlighted a key message for 16-18 age group is building their understanding of the workplace opportunities through green transition jobs.  If you are interested in positive action in recruitment to support upskilling the workforce please drop Sarah an email to get on the distribution list for this work strand.

Sarah took questions and the group discussed the need for more industry science and engineering role models from a diversity of backgrounds and carefully considered the cultural differences between school, college and university approaches to EDI and how younger people coming into the workplace already bring fresh views and have higher expectations that can support a cultural transition in the more established industries.

Kerry Doherty, HR Business Partner with BASF gave a presentation on the companies’ new DEI initiatives and their progress to date.  The company has embraced different approaches to remote working and more flexible work patterns that are more considerate to employees with particular childcare needs.  The management team has responded positively to employees from ethnic and LGBT+ communities which has led to the creation of new action groups for Gender, Race and LGBT+ across their sites.  Kerry explained it is important to promote what we are doing and how this brings a positive impact for employees and future recruits.

Kerry and Karen Harper (Head of HR at BASF) took questions and the group discussed what a tremendous impact the company has had over 5 years and how different members of staff have engaged, from senior leadership to operators working on shifts.  The group agreed there was much to learn on the topics and that the network would provide an excellent place to start sharing best practice to improve equality, diversity and inclusion in the region.

For more information about the network or to join us please contact lisa.buck@catchuk.org

• Concom Apprentice of the Year Awards 2022

The interviews for the awards were held at Catch. The 5 candidates had been asked to prepare and give a 15 minute presentation followed by a chat about themselves.  This year, we gave awards and £1000 in cash to 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd places.

The results letters have been emailed out now to all 5 attendees of the awards. The 3 committee members and Dave Evans listened to & discussed with them their presentations and chatted about their futures, why they wanted to be in engineering, what they got from their work, etc.   We were all blown away with the quality of their presentations and answers.  We have no doubt that there continues to be a very high standard of engineering skills and competency for those apprentices coming through, and it is a reflection of the quality of training and experience our Concom client and contractor members both expect and give their trainees. The standards were high once again this year and all of our candidates can be proud of what they are achieving. It was a pleasure to meet them all and see the future is in good hands!

Therefore we are delighted to announce this year’s winners. It was once again a close year for all the finalists, but after interviewing the 5 apprentices, 3 were chosen for the awards: –

In 3rd place………Charlie Flemming of EP SHB Ltd – Electrical
In 2nd place……..Will Lambert, Prax Lindsey Oil Refinery – C&P

And this year’s Concom Apprentice of the Year is……..

Matthew Lister…….Testex NDT Ltd – Level 3 NDT Technician

Many congratulations to Matt, Will and Charlie and will shall be seeing them at our Awards ceremony next month where they will receive their trophies and prize money!

• Concom Forum

We welcomed Dean Miles of EP SHB Ltd to give us a presentation and share the journey the power station went on regarding their mental health awareness – particularly appropriate as this week was mental health awareness week

Concom issued a survey in March.  This was to all of our contractor members with regards to any skills shortages they may be experiencing and a direct result from discussions held at the  Humber Engineering Managers Forum.  The results were analysed and it is clear that there are already shortages in certain skill sets which are expected to become worse as a result of the hydrogen and carbon capture projects starting in the area.  An overview will be given next month’s forum following the feedback presentation at May’s HEMF.

Key organisations involved in decarbonisation projects across the Humber region will come together for the first time to promote opportunities for students and businesses.

Phillips 66, SSE, Drax, Centrica, Equinor, National Grid Ventures and VPI-Immingham will be among those exhibiting at the first Humber Industrial Decarbonisation Conference, being held as part of Humber Business Week.

The free event will take place at the Baths Hall in Scunthorpe on Tuesday, 7^th June.

In the morning, hundreds of students from schools and colleges across the region will have a chance to discuss careers in decarbonisation.

The afternoon will give the opportunity for SME and supply chain businesses to understand the impact of these huge, multi-billion-pound infrastructure projects, which will capture carbon dioxide before it goes into the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas.

The Humber emits 40% of the nation’s total carbon emissions and holds a key to the Government hitting its 2050 net zero ambition.

The conference is being organised by the Humber Industrial Cluster Plan (HICP), supported by Phillips 66 and VPI combined heat and power plant.

Katie Hedges, Director of Low Carbon Strategy at CATCH in Stallingborough and engaged by the HICP, was delighted by the interest generated by the conference.

“This event will bring together key stakeholders who are actively involved with decarbonisation activities and projects in the Humber region,” she said.

“The Humber: A 2030 Vision for Industrial Decarbonisation Map, created in collaboration with Marketing Humber, is being brought to life, with companies featured on the map taking exhibition space and hosting breakout sessions.

“The Humber Industrial Cluster plan, led by the HEY LEP and CATCH, alongside industrial partners, will showcase what is happening in the region, the opportunities available and provide visitors with access to key people from prominent companies across the decarbonisation space.”

The map brings together the breath of infrastructure, carbon sequestration capacity, hydrogen storage and production plus highlights the vast potential for skills, job creation and huge investment bolstering the local and UK economy.

Nina Stobart, External Communications and Public Affairs Lead at Phillips 66, had the idea of bringing the decarbonisation map to life.

“We are particularly keen to engage with the region’s schools, sixth forms and FE colleges, their careers advisers and STEM teachers, to explain the opportunities coming the Humber’s way,” she said.

“Decarbonisation is going to create thousands of jobs and we want to support young people in their career choices.

“The opportunities go beyond just STEM subjects, as there will be a range of disciplines employed in decarbonisation in the future.

“The Humber’s in a unique place to capitalise on this new sector because of the amount of high energy industry and its proximity to safe storage under the North Sea.”

Schools, academies, sixth forms and FE colleges across the Humber have been invited to the event, with the offer of free travel.

Those who would like to book their students a place for the morning session, which will run between 9.30am and 11.30am, should email lisa.buck@catchuk.org

Businesses who wish to attend the afternoon session, between 12.30 and 4pm, should book via https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/humber-industrial-decarbonisation-conference-exhibition-registration-320688216087

8th June, 10am – 12 noon
In person and online places available

Celebrating our 10th year supporting Humber Business Week we are hosting the Humber Environmental Managers Conference that will provide an update on the Environment Bill, exploring how businesses can meet the biodiversity net gain aspects in the Bill and how projects in our region are developing nature-based solutions and responding to wider drivers for a more circular economy.

When enacted in 2023, the Environment Bill requires all development to deliver a minimum uplift of 10% in the amount of biodiversity as a result of the developer’s activity – called Biodiversity Net Gain.  This event will provide an opportunity to understand how,  through partnership, the region is working to ensure a vibrant and prosperous green investment economy that delivers for people and wildlife.  Delegates will hear about work being carried out in Greater Lincolnshire to create a fair, equitable and transparent market in natural environment asset trading.  If successful, this work will provide a template for a much wider approach.

A further objective of the conference is to assess how decarbonising of the Humber region can be effectively progressed through nature-based solutions and resource efficiency, and the benefits which can be obtained for the local community, economy and nature.

Our conference is an annual event of the Humber Environmental Managers’ Network, which is organised by CATCH and the Humber Nature Partnership (HNP).  CATCH is an industry-led partnership supporting the process, energy, engineering and renewable industries in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.  HNP is one of the 48 Local Nature Partnerships covering England, which were established following the 2011 Environment White Paper.

To register your place, please email katie.hedges@catchuk.org stating if you would like to attend in person or via teams.

CATCH Ex services personnel, Alan Boyington, Rois Lorenz, John Morris, Mark Booth, David Talbot, Andy Naden

CATCH has pledged its support for the armed forces and veterans by signing the Armed Forces Covenant.  The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise from the nation to those who serve or who have served, and their families, which says we will do all we can to ensure they are treated fairly and are not disadvantaged in their day-to-day lives.  The Armed Forces Covenant relies on the people, communities, and businesses of the UK to actively support it in order to make a difference.

CATCH has agreed to ensure that no member of the Armed Forces Community should face disadvantage compared to any other citizen. We will promote that we are armed forces friendly, support our veterans through employment whilst supporting service spouses and partners. We will encourage our staff members to become involved with local cadet organisations, and recognize national armed forces events, including supporting associated charities.

Mark, Training Delivery Manager at CATCH said, “CATCH in recent years has greatly benefited from the skills, training, and expertise of ex-forces personnel gained in service, employing six members of staff with a military background across the business – including our CEO!  We are looking forward to strengthening our pledge further –  The Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) encourages employers to support defense and inspire other organisations to do the same. Therefore we have submitted an application to receive a  bronze award. This award recognises commitments to support the Armed Forces, including existing or prospective employees,  promote being Armed Forces-friendly, and that we are open to employing Reservists, Armed Forces  Veterans (including the wounded, injured and  sick), Cadet Instructors, and military spouses/partners”

CATCH is also delighted to announce that as part of our pledge, we will provide a 10% discount to ex forces personnel on our CATCH Skills courses (excluding accredited courses).

For more about the Covenant and what it means for you, visit  www.gov.uk/government/policies/armed-forces-covenant

CATCH hosted the Major Hazards Group on Thursday 17 March.  David Hughes chaired the session introducing the delegates in the room and welcoming those joining virtually.  The group meet three times per year and focus on sharing learning and experience in managing safety, in particular process safety, in the COMAH industries in and around the Humber estuary.  It is a CATCH member only network.

David introduced the first speaker, Bill Gibson from Yokogawa who gave a presentation on Yokogawa RAP.  Electronic permit to work systems have become a popular choice for high hazard facilities as they can demonstrate ease of control of work through linking systems electronically.  RAP is a modular software package for control of work, it provides an intuitive digital gateway to a safer working culture.  The system can provide permits in many languages and can be deployed in a cloud environment.  Bill demonstrated the advantages of ePWT versus a paper-based system.  The system can use maps to identify existing exclusion zones and can identify tasks that may conflict with each other to trigger a decision.  Bill took questions and ran through a short demo of the system.

After a short break, David introduced Nick Granger, HFR Solutions, Terry Sellers from HFRS and Barry Pearman currently with P66, who led a presentation on how to improve mutual aid support across the Humber COMAH industries.  Terry gave the background to the project and the challenges around developing mutual aid arrangements across industrial sites.  Barry described the voluntary audit process which is currently being offered at no cost to COMAH industries through HFR Solutions.  The operators were invited to ask questions.  Any upper or lower tier COMAH sites interested in receiving an audit should contact katie.hedges@catchuk.org

The next meeting will be held on Thursday 21 July at CATCH.

For more information about CATCH networks please visit www.catchuk.org/networks

We are delighted that Lincolnshire County Council and The Greater Lincolnshire LEP have joined CATCH Membership – you can find out more, in our interview below:

Please introduce your organisation

Lincolnshire County Council is an ambitious, progressive organisation which stives to provide modern and responsive public services to the residents and businesses of Lincolnshire.  One of Lincolnshire County Council’s key priorities is supporting our county’s economy and creating the best conditions for economic growth.  We’re keen to make sure that we support our local businesses directly such as helping them access the funding, premises, advice and training they need. But we also have a more strategic role – ensuring our infrastructure and connectivity are of the quality needed to encourage more investment, and that the workforce have the skills needed to meet business demands.  Across the board we’re investing in flagship sites in key sectors, including agri-food, advanced engineering & manufacturing, tourism and low carbon, whilst securing high value investment in our county’s roads and broadband.  Sustainability, reducing our impact on the environment and introducing green technology is at the heart of county’s growth plans.

Follow us Twitter: @LincolnshireCC, @TeamLincs LinkedIn: Lincolnshire County Council Team Lincolnshire

The Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) is a public-private partnership created to improve the lives and opportunities of communities and businesses in Greater Lincolnshire and Rutland.   The Greater Lincolnshire LEP is committed to supporting the local economy to include all businesses, people, investors and stakeholders, and to bringing job security, stabilising economic impacts, and increasing opportunities.

Follow us @GreaterLincsLEP, @businesslincs and through LinkedIn

Please tell me why you joined catch membership

CATCH is a key partner in the Greater Lincolnshire LEP’s and Lincolnshire County Council’s priority game-changing sectors; Renewables – and plays an important role in skills development and communication of the opportunities.  Working more closely together enables us together to amplify the opportunity and reach more people.

How can CATCH membership support you?

Together we can cross-promote our work, activity and opportunities in this sector and gain a better understanding of what is happening across decarbonisation and the renewables sector.

How can fellow members contact you, and what support can you provide?

CATCH members can contact Lincolnshire County Council via Karen Seal, Principal Officer for Place & Investment at karen.seal@lincolnshire.gov.uk or investment@lincolnshire.gov.uk – you can visit our website: Homepage – Lincolnshire County Council and also find further support to businesses through Team Lincolnshire: Team Lincolnshire Homepage – Team Lincolnshire.  Contact the LEP via through their website on their Teams page and you can register to receive monthly publications and updates on the LEP and the vital work with their partners here.

Concom News – April 2022

• Bailey International Steeplejacks have been nominated by EP SHB Ltd to join the Concom Scheme. We welcome them and look forward to carrying out the audit at their offices soon.
• 15 audits were carried out in March (4 of which scored 100%!) – many thanks to all involved for their time, preparations, and hospitality.
• Five applications were received for the 2022 Apprentice of the Year Awards. The Concom Team and Committee are reviewing these and arranging interviews in the next few weeks with the trophies to be awarded at a ceremony in May.
• We had our first free Concom awareness training sessions on 31^st March, which were very well received. Further training can be carried out – please let us know.
• The Concom Team are continuing to be involved with new Concom Portal development. We are at the data enter stage and we are promised a test version later this month before launching it over the summer.
• Concom issued a survey in March. This was to all of our contractor members with regards to any skills shortages they may be experiencing and was a direct result from discussions held at the latest Humber Engineering Managers Forum (HEMF).  Results are being analysed but it is clear that there are already shortages in certain skill sets.  It is expected they will become more exacerbated as a result of the hydrogen and carbon capture projects starting in the area.
• The pace of development of the social media aspect of Concom has stepped up. The first of our videos was on LinkedIn last week with more planned.  In order to see these at present, you need to follow the Catch &/or Dave Evans pages.  Please feel free to ‘like’ and share!
• For information, client and contractor Concom membership renewals have been issued and we look forward to hearing from you.
• The Concom forum is still a blend of in-person and Teams. We had hoped to all be back to Catch rather than remote, but we had to revert back due to the present situation with Covid.

CATCH is delighted to be making its first steps on the road to net zero after completing its first comprehensive carbon assessment through partner organisation Carbon Visibility.
The assessment covers emissions resulting from buildings, fleet vehicles, business travel, commuting, waste disposal and supply chain, in line with UK government reporting guidelines.
CATCH’s output for the 2020/21 financial year and carbon reduction plan sets a baseline from which to make improvements immediately and to start to look at longer term, more complex carbon reduction projects.

Head Of Operations Paul Snowden, who completed the assessment using Carbon Visibility’s digital platform, said calculating emissions was the first step on CATCH’s journey to net zero.
He said: “This was a very user-friendly but comprehensive process and the data we now have will be invaluable in helping us to identify areas of priority for our carbon reduction.
“We are working with Carbon Visibility to identify the most beneficial changes we can make and begin to take steps to implement them, and are already looking at a project to install solar panels on our roof space.
“We can even predict, for example, how much carbon we can save by increasing home working were practical and encouraging and incentivising staff to change their mode of commuting and choice of business travel, and make a cost-benefit assessment based on that data.”

Carbon Visibility was established in 2020 to provide a simple digital solution to the complexity of calculating carbon outputs for organisations of all sizes.
As well as offering this service through its digital assessment platform, it also provides consultancy services to enable businesses to identify impactful carbon reduction opportunities and marketing services which promote their good news stories.

CEO Neil Armstrong said: “We are very pleased that CATCH have really grasped the nettle with their carbon assessment and are serious about making a meaningful change that will have real benefits for the environment.
“Carbon Visibility are excited to be on this journey with CATCH and we look forward to seeing the effects of their carbon reduction measures take the organisation towards net zero over the coming years.”

To find out more about Carbon Visibility, visit www.carbonvisibility.com, email info@visibility-associates.com or call 0333 772 9098.