The Membership survey has been completed for the membership year 2022/2023 and we are really happy with the outcome! We have received some fantastic ideas to implement, including events and how best to communicate with you. You can download a copy of the report here.

If you want to provide feedback, you don’t need to wait until next year’s survey – contact the team and we will be happy to help.

CATCH will be expanding our apprenticeship provision in 2023 with the introduction of premium welding and pipefitting pathways to complement our offer in process operations, mechanical, electrical & instrumentation standards. This has led to the Welding Pipefitting Hub being created, an employer-led project to ensure that our region has the right level of skills to meet the demand not only of existing projects in the process industry sector but to enable the UK to deliver the mega-scale engineering constructions projects that industrial decarbonisation of our industry requires.

The hub will have 4 main capabilities:

• Schools Engagement & STEM based activities
• Level 3 Apprenticeship training
• Upskilling existing employees in industry
• Training programmes to retrain new entrants to industry

Joel, who joins as Head of Welding & Pipefitting, will have the responsibility to drive the project forward and collaborate with industry partners whilst designing, developing, and delivering training and competency solutions to help bridge the skills gaps.

Lewis joins the team as Pipefitting trainer and will ensure that the learners who come to the centre have the suitable knowledge, skills and behaviours to make the transition into industry. Lewis was an apprentice at the CATCH facility in 2007 and is returning back after time in industry and education.

Joel and Lewis are joining CATCH from Grimsby Institute, where they have played a leading role in developing excellent training provision that is well regarded in the industry.

CATCH Chief Operating Officer James McIntosh said “I am pleased to formally announce that Joel and Lewis will be coming to CATCH in what I feel is a major coup for the organisation. They join us with an excellent reputation from employers and people in the training sector and I am excited to see how they can progress Welding & Pipefitting training in the region –  as it plays a critical role in ensuring our employers have a skilled and competent workforce. ”

Joel Broddle said “I am really pleased to be joining CATCH, they are at the forefront of our regional training needs. The Welding and Pipefitting Hub is an exciting addition to CATCH and I am really looking forward to getting started and working with the employers to deliver exceptional courses. The area is going to need skilled people to close the growing skills gap and we want CATCH to be the place people think of first for their training needs.”

Lewis Bugg added “I’m really excited to be joining the CATCH team, I am feeling very nostalgic having the opportunity to return to the place where it all began for me. I’m looking forward to stepping into the role and bringing my knowledge and skills after making this journey myself to the next generation of skilled trades people.

After working in the industry and with some of the companies we hope to have on board, I’ve seen how the skills gap that has grown within the sector and I am keen to start bridging this gap for the future of the industry.”

Joel & Lewis will be starting at CATCH on 8^th May and are continuing to recruit further trainers as part of the Welding & Pipefitting Hub project, further details will be announced shortly.

CATCH Skills ran their first Introduction to Industry skills course of the year last week.

Phillips 66 sponsored the first course this year and gave a 4-day insight to industry providing invaluable work experience. The students spent two days with our CATCH Skills trainers covering simulator training, process plant familiarisation within the National Centre for Process Manufacturing and activities within the mechanical workshop. This was followed by 2-days at Phillips 66 completing an induction within the ‘Cave’, team building activities and completed a tour around site.

Thank you Phillips for sponsoring such a valuable work experience for the future of our industry.

From Theory to Practice: Leeds University students complete the ‘CATCH Experience’

On 20^th March 2023 CATCH Skills hosted over 100 University of Leeds Chemical Engineering students over 3 days to take part in the ‘CATCH Experience’ programme.

The students are in their 2^nd year of their degree programme, benefited from invaluable practical hands-on experience. Which demonstrated how their skills would be used in the workplace in a few years’ time. The training included, familiarisation with the process plant, simulator, control room and mechanical workshop.

Practical “real world” experience in a degree programme is very difficult to achieve yet is valued as extremely important by employers. The CATCH Experience Programme allows students to apply and transfer their Chemical Engineering theoretical studies into practical scenarios, within a safe and controlled environment.

Students who attended the programme said, “it was great to get some hands-on experience with process control and plant operations, seeing everything in person gives new context.” They continued to say “gave us a real world experience”. More specifically we asked how they felt the activities fit with their degree course, they responded “Process control, P&IDs and TSC simulator.”

Mark Booth, Head of Training said: “The program we put together with the University of Leeds is a unique opportunity for their students to gain invaluable experience through a packed program of events, ranging from the operation of our National Centre for Process Manufacturing to computer-based simulation and mechanical pumps and flanges.  The aim is to allow the students to recall the theory they have covered in class and transfer that into practical hands-on experience. The students relished the opportunity, and their enthusiasm was clear for all to see, with many commenting that they wanted to come back the next day, and how the practical had shown them how the theory is transferred into industry. The trainers all commented that though exhausting just how much they enjoyed passing on their knowledge to the students and seeing them make the connections.

Dr Eric Danso- Boateng from University of Leeds, said: “The CATCH visit programme is essential to the Year 2 Chemical Engineering programme.  The visit activities help them to achieve one of the learning objectives, which is to articulate the knowledge acquired on the operation of process from an industrial site visit. It helps the students to recall a lot of the content learnt in lectures.

Student feedback regarding the CATCH visit programme is very positive as they really enjoy the activities. The students found the programme to be very interesting and informative, allowing for insight on possible industry operations and practices”.

Based in Stallingborough, CATCH is an industry led partnership supporting the process, energy, engineering and renewable industries in Yorkshire and Humber. Catering for adult and student learning. If you would like to find out more details, please call 01469 552828 or email info@catchuk.org.

 Hull & Humber Top 30 Under 30s announce the 2023 winners 

Celebrating their 6^th Year, Hull & Humber Top 30 Under 30s highlights and recognise rising stars within businesses in the Humber.

This year’s selection sees talent from a variety of employers in the Hull & Humber region, with young people recognised from some of the regions most established employers alongside the very best talent within the areas best small and medium sized organisations.

Simon Jones, creator of the scheme, said “I am delighted to announce this year’s winners and our class of 2023. Today’s announcement is a celebration of the work, energy and contribution of our region’s talent, who have made a significant difference to our businesses and organisations. These young people have excelled in their respective fields, plus they have shown the qualities and behaviours that have stood them out amongst a very competitive field, to be award a place on our prestigious list.

Top 30s LEAP Programme enhanced further.

In addition to the recognition, each of the winners get enrolled onto the scheme’s LEAP Programme. The much-coveted programme provides the winners the unique opportunity to further enhance their leadership skills, led by industry experts in Leadership, Self-Development, and Communication. The programme has undertaken its first review since 2020.

Mr Jones says “It has been difficult to review the programme over the last few years, given the restrictions and challenges Covid provided. However, having had the opportunity to run the scheme in 2022 without the complications of covid, I decided to review the content and gain feedback to understand how we can make our LEAP programme even better”.

“Based on the feedback and advice of alumni and coaches, this year’s programme will see the inclusion of PRINT® for the very first time, to further enhance our winners understanding of themselves as leaders, plus more support than ever before to ensure the skills being learned are being embedded in behaviours in the workplace. These adjustments will see the programme go to another level, ensuring we continue to deliver the best possible experience for our winners”.

Record number of nominations makes statement.

The scheme received a record number of nominations this year, a signal to Mr Jones that the local economy is in a positive position.

“Every year, I am amazed by the support I receive for this scheme. But having seen the scheme break records once again, it gives me a real sense of optimism about the region’s future. Reading through the nominations is not only testament to the work from our winners, but the trust the organisations they are part of have in their talent. Seeing how the regions young people deliver increased sales, leading projects, creating new products, managing supply chains, negotiating with suppliers, help imbed new ways of working, lead new technologies, head up environmental strategy, employ and develop others…I could go on. This is a real statement. A statement from the regions talent to say that you can trust them to take the lead and make a difference, and a statement from the organisations involved to say that they are prepared to back young people to make a difference, and that they are seeing the benefits that strategy brings.”

Holly has achieved an incredible amount in the 7 years she has been at Catch UK. Starting as an apprentice when she was 18, Holly progressed to an Account Manager position in November 2020 at the age of 22 and since then has been making amazing strides!  Her talent, drive, direction and leadership has led to the CATCH Skills team she leads being the most successful sales team in the business’ history, in addition to the team hitting and overachieving their sales targets every month in the past 2 years, an unbelievable statistic. Holly now manages accounts for over 50 blue chip multi-national customers in the Oil & Gas, petrochemicals, power and process industries as she continues to drive the business forward.

In this time she has also completed a Level 3 Chartered Management Institute qualification and is now a year into her Chartered Management Degree Apprenticeship with the University of Lincoln, alongside her role, something she should be incredibly proud of! 

Winners List (In Alphabetical Order)

Charlotte Beecroft – Marketing Coordinator at MKM

Katie Blyth – Team Manager at Wescot Credit Services

Chris Boon – Account Director at Summit

Callan Cartledge – Internal Communications Specialist at Siemens

Rob Cunningham – IT Infrastructure Technician at Rradar

Ashleigh Davidson – R&D Senior Chemist at Ansell

Joe Donkin – Quantity Surveyor at Sewell Construction

Jon Donoghue – Service Desk Team Leader at Giacom

Fiona Downie – Campaign Manager at Forward & Thinking

Thomas Elliott – Group Accountant at Trenton Motors Ltd

Matthew Gilbert – Project Manager – Group Transformation at KCOM

Holly Goodwin – Account Manager at Catch UK

Chloe Greaves – Senior Designer at Giacom

Robbie Hunt – Manufacturing Production Planner at Advanced Plastics

Mia Jones – Communications Officer and ICV Scheme Manager at the Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner for Humberside

Will Jones – Apprentice Broker at Towergate Insurance

Joel Joseph – Transport Administrator at Rocal

Libby Kerman – Sustainability Manager at Lincolnshire Housing Partnership

Sophie Lee – Consultant at Shared Agenda

Jessie Milburn – Senior Designer at Swift

Sam Moor – Performance Marketing Manager at Green Ginger Digital

Amber Needler – Digital Innovation Project Officer at Humberside Police

Natalia Rudd – Marketing Executive at Wykeland

Charley Seward – Commercial Operations Executive at Arco

Katherine Sharpe – Customer Experience Team Leader at University of Hull Library

Ben Smith – Principal Energy and Carbon Officer at East Riding of Yorkshire Council

Vicky Smith – Digital Account Manager at Bluestorm

Jarrod Teanby – Engineering Manager at OSI Foodsolutions

Lizzie Thirkettle – Senior Category Manager at Ideal Heating

Louise Watkinson – Operations Manager at Sauce Consultants Ltd             

Grimsby brewery Docks Beers has created a low carbon beer in collaboration with Catch UK, to bring wider attention to the Humber’s efforts to lead the way in Carbon Capture & Storage, and help deliver net zero to the UK by 2040.

The beer entitled Carbon Crush – a 5% Low Carbon IPA – released today, Docks Beers has meticulously handcrafted this beer using only the finest low carbon ingredients, resulting in a flavourful IPA that is sure to please even the most discerning beer connoisseurs.

Catch UK, the industry led partnership supporting the process, energy, engineering and renewable industries in Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, and Humber, is spearheading the region’s ambition to decarbonise the Humber region alongside its members and wider stakeholders. The Humber-bank industries support thousands of jobs and supply chain/contractor businesses, but they are also some of the biggest emitters of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the country.

Katie Hedges, Director of Membership & Low Carbon Strategy, Catch UK commented: “Catch and its partners have been collaborating on something a bit special – getting a plan in place for net zero industrial emissions by 2040. We wanted to launch a new beer with Docks Beers to raise awareness of the opportunities that our region has. They have come up with a beer that focuses the mind on all things lower carbon in industry and one which we hope will help cement in the minds of local people their active role in making this net zero ambition happen. Technology available to us now can remove carbon dioxide permanently from industrial sources and store it safely underground, it is called Carbon Capture and Storage.  By building CCS projects here in the Humber region, our industries can capture co2 onsite, transport it via pipelines and store it under the north sea in depleted gas reservoirs and other geological structures such as saline aquifers.  With our local skills, expertise and hard graft we can build these co2 capture pipelines, start making some hydrogen and bring down our emissions! It’s important we talk to communities that live in our region to understand what this means for them.  By working with Docks Beers we’re reaching out to the wider community with information and we want to hear from local people to understand what this means to them, their jobs and the career prospects for our young people.”

Mike Richards, Head Brewer Docks Beers explained “We were delighted to collaborate with Catch on this brewing project.  It was important to make this beer as low carbon as possible so we also teamed up with Brookhouse hops, who lead the way in reducing the amount of co2 used in producing hops with a unique process which allows brewers to obtain an aromatic beer while using ten times less carbon dioxide. Malt grown in Lincolnshire also helps to keep the carbon footprint down. We have ended up with a finely tuned English style IPA with a full bodied malt canvas allowing the low carbon Chinook hops to shine. Juicy fruit flavours are tempered by a fine restrained bitterness with a clean finish.”

The beer can label and keg badge, designed by Docks Beers’ creative agency of choice, Source 4, features an illustrated comic book story starring a superhero, Carbon Catcher, who is responsible for protecting the environment from carbon creatures.

Rob Pritchard, Source 4’s Managing Director, commented, “We have loved teaming up with Catch and Docks Beers to introduce “Carbon Catcher”. The superhero character was very deliberately conceived by our designer Kirk Arnold in a fun comic book style to make the process of carbon capture and storage accessible and engaging to a wider audience. We’ve helped achieve this by utilising the character across various media channels, such as beer cans, beer mats, cardboard cut-outs, and a dedicated landing page, all of which provide more information on carbon capture in the Humber region.”

Will Douglas, Docks Beers Director said “You can’t miss the 6ft cardboard cut out of the superhero Carbon Catcher in our taproom. Along with the new beer, Carbon Crush, we hope this helps start more conversation about Carbon Capture and Storage. Catch wants to know what our customers think about CSS? Will it tackle climate change and build pride in our region as we transition to a lower carbon economy? And it is apt that our customers are a sounding board.  Docks Beers have established a reputation for celebrating hard graft and embracing the spirit and heritage of our industrial workforce. Our products feature the real-life experience of a 24 hour/7 day a week working culture and our customers have helped build our area’s industries, fix their equipment, maintain their facilities and make sure operations run smoothly 365 days a year.  This is exactly the community which Catch wants to hear from.”

Carbon Crush can be purchased from Docks Beers website www.docksbeers.com, or from the brewery shop and taproom on King Edward Street.

The Apprentice Awards are open to all apprentices in years 2, 3 or 4 working for Concom Client or Contractor member companies. The apprenticeship can be in any discipline, any NVQ awarding body and with any training provider. The Awards will be presented at the CATCH Annual Dinner

Award Criteria
Applicants should write an article of no more 750 words and should include: –

An outline of their apprenticeship to date
A demonstration of their academic success, skills and on the job successes
Their understanding of the industry
Any other achievements that are relevant to their performance.

This must be supported by an employer testimonial as to why they think the apprentice is outstanding.

Closing date
All entries are to be submitted by 12.00 on Friday 24th March 2023

Good luck!

Please click here to complete the online nomination form

There was a full house for the Environmental Managers Network Water Conference, held at CATCH on the 8^th February.

Abley directed by CATCH Board Members and industry chair, Martin Jones of Yara, the meeting started with a presentation from Humber Industrial Cluster Plan supplier Element Energy, who have conducted a piece of research into the 2050 water supply deficit in the Humber and the impact this may have on Carbon Capture and Hydrogen Projects. Conor O’Sullivan, Senior Consultant with Element Energy explained that water stress, climate change, water abstraction and population growth, all present barriers to deployment of hydrogen and CCS technologies if the current situation were not to change. Industries are likely to need to adopt a circular approach, optimise processes and find synergies within the Humber cluster to promote the efficient transfer of water around the region. Conor then explained how CCS and Hydrogen production and use, particularly cooling, will have a great impact on demand for water.  The full Water Study has now been published by HICP and can be found on their website at www.humberindustrialclusterplan.org

After questions, Martin welcomed Matthew Woollin a Technical Specialist with the Environment Agency, to present Humber cluster environmental constraints. Matthew talked about the EA’s two phase project – The Humber Pathfinder project, which concluded in April 2022, and the Environmental Constraints in industrial clusters phase 2, both funded by BEIS. Phase 2 looks at Air quality, flood risk management and water quality, particularly around hydrogen production and use and carbon capture.  Matthew went on to describe the research required to inform the report, such as atmospheric chemistry and deposition and how this will effect surface waters or land and water pollution including potential waste products from amine scrubbers. Matthew covered how the EA are undertaking work to understand how water demand will effect protected habitats.  The EA have conducted a literature review and led wide ranging stakeholder engagement with industry, local authorities and research groups.

After a short break Martin welcomed Simon Crane from Wave Utilities and Geoff Darch & Kevin Ensell from Anglian Water Services, who gave a joint presentation on water resources and future plans in the Anglian Water region.  There is a new demand and supply strategy in development, which includes two new reservoirs, one of which is to be located in South Lincolnshire. A new pipeline is also in planning to enable the transport of water to meet increased demands. Installation of smart metering for domestic and industrial customers will improve leakage detection and see demand in real time.  Water demand is increasing and the team is working on Anglian Water Service’s five year plan to Ofwat, which is due for submission on 29th March. Simon then made an impassioned plea for all decarbonisation deployment projects and industrial water users to come together and collaborate on water as one voice, to help inform the five year plan and ensure that region can continue to provide the water needed for all its customers.

The meeting was then closed by Martin and guests in the room were invited to stay for a networking lunch.  The Environmental Managers Network will hold its next meeting on Weds 7 June at CATCH.

CATCH hosted the first Human Factors Network of the year on 2^nd February.  Katie Hedges, Director of Membership, introduced the group’s new chair, Chris Marron,  Senior Human Factors Specialist at Yara Europe.  Chris welcomed Prof. Fiona Earle, Director, The Centre for Human Factors at the University of Hull.

Fiona introduced the topic of Fatigue and the range of work she has undertaken in this field.  Human Factors is an incredibly broad discipline covering many aspects related to human behaviour, our decision making processes and how to ensure we operate in the workplace safely and understanding how our workload affects our fatigue levels.  The science around fatigue is still developing and remains complex.  It is important to understand how fatigue impacts on health and safety risks and safety outcomes.

Our in person only workshop was very interactive and delegates had the opportunity to learn and share opinions and help shape their understanding of fatigue management.  The definition of fatigue is more than just feeling tired, it includes impaired processing and as fatigue levels increase it can be characterised by an aversion to further effort.  These different layers or aspects of fatigue can all be tested and measured in a scientific way to identify risks and find ways to support teams and individuals’ performance.  The deterioration over time due to lack of sleep can build up fatigue to more critical levels.

After a break, small groups completed a task to explore different industry job roles and capture all the potential impacts that could affect the levels of fatigue experienced by employees in that role.  The group recognised the impact of responsibility experienced by employees on shift work as they arrive on shift and inherit whatever is happening during shift handover.  The impact of balancing business needs with the team working on that shift and understanding how the time of day can sometimes be an important factor.

In summary, Fiona explained that on the surface, fatigue can be incorrectly characterised as just ‘tiredness’ and organisations rightly focus on managing shift patterns to best support shift workers sleep habits and recovery periods.  During the workshop Fiona was able to explore a wider range of factors that impact fatigue, including emotional fatigue, and advised that regular debriefing sessions can reduce levels of emotional fatigue in teams performing intensely focused tasks for extended periods, often away from home life.  Where organisations explore all potential causes of fatigue and review the effectiveness of control measures, it is possible to limit and prevent fatigue from reaching unmanageable levels.

The next CATCH Human Factors network will be held on 14 June.

Do you have something to say about skills?

We know that for you, as a local employer, that sourcing, developing, and retaining people with the right skills is a serious, ongoing challenge. It’s time for that to change. Through the Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP), a Department for Education programme, you have the chance to help shape the future skills profile of our Greater Lincolnshire & Rutland. Will you do your bit?

We are partnering with the Local Skills Improvement Plan delivery body, the FSB, to gain your input on this most critical issue. Together, we are consulting with employers like you across the area to really get under the skin of your current experiences and what skills you really want and need for your firms and your people to really thrive. Please make sure that view experiences and views are collected in the research so that our industry is well represented in the research report.

Please take part in the online survey – and be sure to share the link with your network. We need many, many responses to come in before 28 February 2023. Do not miss this chance to have your say.

https://habit5research.questionpro.com/lsip2023fsb?custom2=CatchUK

Click here to find out more about the Greater Lincolnshire & Rutland LSIP, including upcoming employer focus groups in Scunthorpe, Spalding, Skegness, Stamford, Woodhall Spa and other ways to get involved.