Green Transit connected to waste crime across southern England

Anticipation is growing ahead of this year’s national ceremony, with over 7,000 votes cast for the winner of the new Lloyds Banking Group sponsored ‘rising star’ category in the National Apprenticeship Awards 2018.

Voting closed on 17 October and for now, the 9 regional ‘rising star’ winners will have to wait until November to find out who will be crowned the national winner at the national ceremony in London. The award will be presented alongside 8 other National Apprenticeship Awards 2018 category winners and highly commended employers, apprentices and individuals.

The National Apprenticeship Awards, now in their 15th year, showcase the diverse and growing range of sectors engaged with apprenticeships, whilst celebrating outstanding apprentices, employers and individuals who go above and beyond to champion apprenticeships across England. In addition to the new for 2018 ‘rising star’ category, another new category, the PeoplePlus Award for Recruitment Excellence, will also be presented.

And with national judging now having taken place, a full list of national finalists in each category can be announced:

Lloyds Banking Group Award for Rising Star of the year national finalists:

• Shivam Radia, East Midlands
• Aleksandra Burzec, East of England
• Thomas Mynott, London
• Jenny Jones, North East
• Joseph Buck, North West
• Aimee Wilkinson, South East
• Henry Crosby, South West
• Sam Brown, West Midlands
• Hannah Turner, Yorkshire and the Humber

The British Army Award for Intermediate apprentice of the year national finalists:

• Amelia Wayne, East Midlands
• Chloe Ludkin, East of England
• Danielle Lebby, London
• Niall Bennison, North East
• Leigh Carter, North West
• Natalie Annalls, South East
• Vikas Khan, South West
• Bethany Geddes, West Midlands
• Muhammad Uddin, Yorkshire and the Humber

The Rolls Royce Award for Advanced apprentice of the year national finalists:

• Elliott Walker, East Midlands
• Jade Smith, East of England
• Jessica Eley, London
• Alexandra Turner-Davis, North East
• Lucas Benson, North West
• Muhammad Khan, South East
• Michael Baller, South West
• Daniel Millington, West Midlands
• Matthew Shillings, Yorkshire and the Humber

The Nuclear Decommissioning Site Licence Companies Award for higher or degree apprentice of the year national finalists:

• Kathryn Monkcom, East Midlands
• Georgia Cresswell, East of England
• Kate Self, London
• Joe Powell, North East
• Jordan Coulton, North West
• Alisha Fordham, South East
• Luke Hiller, South West
• Michelle Blackwell, West Midlands
• Oliver Marsh, Yorkshire and the Humber

The Royal Air Force Award for Apprenticeship Champion of the year national finalists:

• Mark Lawson, East Midlands
• Jordan Nicholas, London
• David Thompson, North East
• Natalie White, North West
• Darren Ellis, South East
• Gary Shaw, South West
• Susan Gough, West Midlands

The BAE Systems Award for SME Employer of the year (for organisations with 1 to 249 employees) national finalists:

• Edward Cooper Young Chartered Surveyors (ECY)
• Stainless Metalcraft (Chatteris) Ltd
• Troup Bywaters + Anders
• Lotte Chemical UK Ltd
• Aptus Utilities Ltd
• Invotra
• GoSkydive
• Furrows Group
• North York Moors National Park Authority

The Royal Navy Award for Large Employer of the year (for organisations with 250 to 4,999 employees) national finalists:

• Uniper
• Bespak Europe Ltd
• Channel 4 Television
• Hays Travel
• WEC Group Limited
• MBDA
• United Kingdom Hydrographic Office
• KMF Precision Sheet Metal Limited
• Syngenta

The Centrica Award for Macro Employer of the year (5,000+ employees) national finalists:

• Santander UK
• Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Engie
• Lookers plc
• Rochdale Council
• Caring Homes Group
• BAE Systems plc
• Marston’s PLC
• Lloyds Banking Group

The PeoplePlus Award for Recruitment Excellence national finalists:

• Santander UK
• Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Rochdale Council
• WSP
• Northumberland County Council
• Caring Homes Group
• BAE Systems plc
• KMF Precision Sheet Metal Limited
• Lloyds Banking Group

Anne Milton, Minister of State for Apprenticeships and Skills said:

Well done and huge congratulations to all the national finalists! And what a range of sectors you represent – and at all levels.

I’ve met apprentices and employers up and down the country, and one thing they all share is passion for apprenticeships and the opportunities they create to change lives. To make sure as many people as possible are aware of apprenticeships and the change they can bring, we need people like you. You should be very proud of your achievement!

I wish them all the best of luck for the award ceremony on 28 November.

Keith Smith, Director, Apprenticeships, Education and Skills Funding Agency concluded:

It is fascinating to see so many apprentices, individuals and employers from such an array of sectors make it through to the final stage of the National Apprenticeship Awards 2018.

The new categories have refreshed the awards and it’s been exciting to go out with a public vote to help select the Rising Star category winner; and also great to see new employers entering the awards and being recognised for their diverse approaches in the recruitment of apprentices.

I want to personally congratulate all finalists for making it through to the national stage and by getting this far it really does show the depth and strength of apprenticeships in England at this time.

You can keep up to date with apprenticeships news, including information on the National Apprenticeship Awards by following @Apprenticeships on Twitter and the National Apprenticeship Service on LinkedIn.

The amazing spaces, smart places challenge is looking for ways to make public parks and spaces safer, more enjoyable and more accessible for people.

This competition has up to £120,000 for organisations with innovative technologies that can support better management of urban parks and open spaces. The focus is on Belfast, but there may be opportunities to develop proofs of concept in Dublin too.

Funding is via Belfast City Council and the Department of Justice, with Dublin City Council also contributing.

It is being run under the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI).

Raising perceptions and respecting privacy

Between them, Belfast and Dublin councils manage more than 3,800 hectares of parks and open spaces. Both cities have a diverse range of public facilities that are popular for many uses and events, including sports and recreation, education and festivals.

The competition is looking for data-driven innovations that can increase visitor numbers and raise positive perceptions of public spaces, with particular emphasis on reducing antisocial behaviour. They should also protect the privacy of people using them.

As maintaining these spaces requires ongoing investment in their management and development, this competition is also looking for better ways to coordinate between different agencies to reduce management time and cost.

A 2-phase competition

Potentially, there will be 2 phases to this competition. For phase 1, businesses must be able to demonstrate a working prototype that the city councils can test, with a potential route to market.

If phase 2 goes ahead, it would build on successful phase 1 projects and look at how those projects could be further developed beyond Belfast and Dublin.

Areas of interest could include:

• gathering and using real-time data to better understand the use of public spaces
• using connected devices to measure the impact of investment decisions
• exploring how user-oriented design could encourage positive behaviour
• creating interactive ‘playable city’ experiences that engage and inform users
• putting new technologies into existing and planned infrastructure, such as buildings, signs, lamp posts and other street furniture

Projects must consider how they might affect and engage local communities, avoiding making improvements in one park or public area at the cost of others.

Competition information

• the competition is open and the deadline for registration is midday on 14 November 2018
• organisations of all sizes can apply
• successful applicants will be notified on 30 November 2018
• projects can last up to 4 months and must be completed by 31 March 2019
• contracts of up to £20,000 will be awarded
• applicants will need to register with e-sourcingni to apply

Anniversary of the accident involving an AW169 helicopter at King Power Stadium, Leicester, 27 October 2018

Chief Inspector of Air Accidents, Crispin Orr, said:

“Today marks the first anniversary of the helicopter accident in Leicester, in which five people lost their lives. Our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragedy.

“During the course of the investigation the AAIB has been working closely with the helicopter manufacturer, other specialist organisations and regulators to identify the cause of the accident and any contributory factors. We have published two special bulletins. The first highlighted the initial facts identified in the early stages of the investigation and the second identified that the accident was caused by the failure of the duplex bearing in the helicopter’s yaw control system.

“The helicopter manufacturer issued several Alert Service Bulletins designed to ensure the continued airworthiness of the AW169 and AW189 fleets, which were subsequently mandated by European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Airworthiness Directives.

“All parties involved in the investigation continue work to fully understand what initiated the failure of the duplex bearing and to develop any additional safety actions. We expect to publish our detailed final report next year.”

First special bulletin, published 14 November 2018.

Second special bulletin, published 6 December 2018.

AAIB Special Bulletin S2/2018 published: 6 December 2018

The AAIB has published a further Special Bulletin providing information on the findings to date of a detailed examination of the helicopter’s yaw control system. It reports on further safety action that has been taken by the helicopter manufacturer and the regulator (EASA).

AAIB Special Bulletin S1/2018 published: 14 November 2018

The AAIB has published a Special Bulletin providing some preliminary factual evidence, information on the progress of the investigation and reports on precautionary safety action taken by the helicopter manufacturer and the regulator (EASA).

Update 2: 02 November 2018

Following the tragic helicopter accident on Saturday 27 October, our inspectors and support staff travelled to Leicester to start an investigation.

Our inspectors have now gathered and documented the evidence that could be collected while the helicopter was in place where it came to rest.

Last night, our engineering support staff oversaw the careful lifting of the wreckage. The wreckage has now arrived at our specialist facility in Farnborough, where it will be laid out and more detailed examination can continue.

The digital flight recorder is in our laboratory. Although subject to intense heat in the post-accident fire, initial work on it has allowed us to successfully download the recordings. Our inspectors are verifying the extracted information and have started the detailed analysis of its contents.

We would like to thank everyone who responded to our witness appeal. Our investigators are examining the videos and photographs we have received.

Learn more about how the AAIB investigates aircraft accidents.

Update 1: 29 October 2018

On Saturday night, an accident involving an AW169 helicopter at King Power Stadium, Leicester, was reported to us.

A team of AAIB inspectors and support staff travelled to Leicester on Saturday night, with further inspectors travelling yesterday morning. Last night, the police said they believe that tragically all five people on board the aircraft died in the accident.

We have inspectors here from all four air accident investigation disciplines: engineering, operations, flight data and human factors.

We recovered the digital flight data recorder (voice and data) on Sunday afternoon and one of our inspectors travelled back to Farnborough with the recorder the same evening. Today, our inspectors in Farnborough will start working on the recorder, which was subject to intense heat as a result of the post-accident fire.

Our inspectors are continuing to work with the police on site. We expect to be here until the end of the week, at which point we will transport the wreckage to our specialist facilities in Farnborough for more detailed examination. In the meantime, we are still gathering evidence as part of our investigation.

Witnesses to the accident, particularly with videos or photographs, are urged to contact Leicestershire Police on 101, quoting incident number 546 of 27 October 2018.

Learn more about how the AAIB investigates aircraft accidents.

Starting with Halloween and Bonfire Night, the Office is working with partners including Netmums, RoSPA and CTSI to deliver key messages on product safety from now to Christmas and New Year.

For Halloween we emphasise the importance of the CE mark on the label, certifying fancy dress costumes have been tested for flammability; and buying from a trusted store or online source. Customers can check whether items have been recalled on the dedicated GOV.UK web page

Messages for Bonfire Night and other celebrations include how to host fireworks parties safely, and specific information about buying fireworks from licensed sellers, and underlining the age restriction to 18 and over. You can search ‘fireworks’ on GOV.UK for additional advice.

Our partners are using their media channels to help us share themed templates for printed and digital materials.

Please help us get these messages over to the public using whatever means you have available. Spread the word with these materials which are available on the CTSI website: Halloween and Bonfire Night

Published 29 October 2018