What we do

Clients & Workload

Creating work opportunities

CECA NW Ltd will:

  • Update the North West pipeline research and provide advance market intelligence.
  • Organise key client liaison meetings and promote procurement events in the region.
  • Understand member issues by attending face-to-face meetings with feedback to the Board and CECA National.
  • Undertake local government engagement and lobbying.

Careers & Recruitment

Creating a talent pipeline

CECA NW Ltd will:

  • Provide liaison opportunities with local stakeholders (i.e. Armed Forces, ex-offenders).
  • Maintain a careers portal on this website for members looking to recruit and for employees seeking positions within the industry.
  • Maintain and promote the Career CECA initiative.
  • Update the Education Toolkit.
  • Maintain and expand upon our links with the region’s universities to promote civil engineering as an aspirational career option.
  • Support initiatives to increase diversity in the workforce.
  • Support the Foundations Group to achieve agreed objectives, holding seminars and networking events throughout the year, both independently and in collaboration with complementary organisations.

Skills & Training

Creating a skilled workforce

CECA NW Ltd will:

  • Deliver a training programme of legal and commercial webinars and seminars based on members requests.
  • Liaise with local stakeholders (i.e. CITB, colleges and universities).
  • Work collaboratively with other CECA regions and complementary associations to deliver training.

Health, Safety & Wellbeing

Creating a safer workplace

CECA NW Ltd will:

  • Maintain member awareness through quarterly reports from Carney Consultancy.
  • Promote Health, Safety & Wellbeing Sector Group sessions and activities including supporting Stop. Make a Change
  • Promote best practice and highlight industry initiatives to members.
  • Engage with H&S bodies including WWT (Working Well Together), HSE and CONIAC.

Environment & Sustainability

Creating a better environment

CECA NW Ltd will:

  • Promote best practice and innovative activities to members.
  • Disseminate information from the Environment Sector Group including the Demystifying Carbon for SMEs update.
  • Share Social Value initiatives and opportunities in the region.

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What we do

What we do

Provide the opportunity for members to contribute to and influence regional and national priorities within our industry through active participation in CECA Southern activities.

Regular liaison meetings with principal clients, regulatory bodies and local and regional government officers providing extensive networking and business development opportunities through inter member and member/client contact.

Relations have been established with key regional LEPs and will be developed where appropriate to raise LEP awareness of the need for ongoing investment in Infrastructure whilst understanding some of the key industry issues that may impact on this.

We support Innovation in the south representing our members at events such as the Innovation South Showcase.

Through active engagement, we will support and promote the aims of the Transport for the South East Partnership to improve the transport network for all and grow the economy of the South East area.

Quarterly Members’ Meetings with presentations on topical issues and providing members with the opportunity to network.

Access to a wide range of technical and legal/contractual presentations and training on topical industry and member issues.

Attracting The Workforce

Attracting and Encouraging a Diverse and Talented Workforce

One of the biggest challenges facing the industry is attracting enough talented people into the workforce from diverse backgrounds to support the sector as the anticipated increase in workload materialises. We are working with members, industry partners and stakeholders to help us attract recruits and persuade parents and teachers of the value of a career in civil engineering.

We will seek, where possible, to embrace and support arrangements that both member and regional bodies already have in place to engage with the next generation of civil engineering contractors in colleges, schools and academies within the region.

CECA (Southern) is proud to have supported The Solent Civil Engineering Employers’ Group, who, in conjunction with Fareham College, is offering an exciting new Apprenticeship programme designed to prepare young people and adults for a career in civil engineering occupations. The Civil Engineering and Groundworks Apprenticeship (CEGA) will enable participants to develop the skills needed to work in a diverse range of construction sites and get paid a wage while gaining a recognised qualification. CEGA will be delivered at The Civil Engineering Training Centre (CETC), and the course has been specially designed to ensure all apprentices are job ready after a twenty-week site preparation programme.

We are also proud to have been involved with The Aspirations Academies Trust which has a very successful record in not only greatly improving failing and under-performing schools, but also in developing new, innovative schools. The Trust’s vision is to deliver an authentic education for the 21st century for children from the age of 4 to 19.

CECA (Southern) is also looking to strengthen its university engagement, with initial target universities being Portsmouth, Southampton and Solent, building on existing contacts and developing new ones. We already have a good relationship with Brunel University – see details here.

We are also increasing our engagement with younger members through social media and events. Our Annual Awards recognises our greatest resource, which is our people. That’s why each year we celebrate the achievements of those working in our industry.

Our award categories are:

  • Most Promising Industrial Placement
  • Most Promising Apprentice Level 2-3
  • Most Promising Apprentice Level 4-7
  • Most Promising Trainee Quantity Surveyor
  • Most Promising Trainee Civil Engineer
  • Outstanding Contribution / Lifetime Achievement
  • Workplace Wellbeing

More details can be found here.

Health Safety & Wellbeing

The health, safety and wellbeing of our workforce is the essential component of our industry. Every family has a right to expect any member working in the industry to return home safely from work at the end of every working day.

CECA have produced our own CDM guidance identifying and promoting good industry practices. This has been well received across the industry and is being used by many to drive improvements.

Across the UK, CECA also leads an annual Stop. Make a Change campaign which involves businesses across the sector ‘standing down’ their employees to specifically draw attention to and focus on workforce welfare issues.

We also promote the sharing of best practice amongst members, and Osborne’s ‘STOP Think! Cascade’ is one example which we share with members.

Training and Development

For those who are attracted to the sector and for those already part of the workforce, it is essential that we provide high quality training and development opportunities to maintain and grow their competency.

At CECA Southern we have developed a training and development programme for our members which encompasses the NEC form of contract, personal skills development, health and safety and temporary works training as well as practical skills for new entrants to our industry.

The training is provided by: –

Bob Bilbrough of Robert Bilbrough Associates Limited.

Bob is an experienced consultant, qualified teacher and QCF/NVQ assessor. He is a Chartered Builder, Construction Manager, Environmentalist and Member of the Chartered Manager Institute.  Bob provides regular training for CECA members in risk management, effective communication, commercial awareness and planning and programming. One of our most important training courses is the Management Development Programme for which candidates gain an NVQ Level 6/7.

Glenn Hide runs GMH Planning, which is a specialist consultancy, solely focusing on the use of NEC contracts in the construction industry.

Since 2019 GMH Planning has developed several different training sessions to allow members to fine tune their contractual knowledge around different aspects of the contract, from a more general overview to the detailed specifics of managing programmes and compensation events. Since January 2021, GMH Planning has also been producing monthly CECA NEC4 focused bulletins, each one addressing a specific issue or aspect of the contract.

Gateway Project Solutions Ltd

We provide training for CECA members covering CITB Temporary Works Coordinator, CITB Site Supervisor Safety Training (SSSTS), CITB Site Manager Safety Training (SMSTS) and Safe Digging Practice (Utility Service Co-ordinator) through Gateway Project Solutions.

 CECA SOUTHERN – TRAINING PROGRAMME 2026

Details of the CECA Southern Training Programme can be found here.

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What we do

We represent civil engineering contractors building and maintaining the UK's critical infrastructure networks in transport, energy, water, waste and communications. We stand up for the interests of over three hundred firms employing close to 250,000 people and delivering work worth around £15 billion every year.

Overview

We stand up for the interests of over three hundred firms employing close to 250,000 people and delivering work worth around £15 billion every year.

We maintain close relationships with clients, government and the media to ensure the our members’ expertise is shared as widely as possible.

CECA has access to first rate legal advice for members from experienced practitioners around the UK. Where members have issues with contractual matters, or wider challenges relating to construction law, our experts will be able to provide free initial consultations to help resolve any problems.

Our legal support also offers a range of seminars across the country to allow free training for your staff in commercial and contractual issues.

Health & Safety

Leading the industry in terms of its efforts to improve the health and safety record for the civil engineering sector, CECA has active involvement in the shaping of the debate principally through its access to the HSE’s Construction Industry Advisory Committee (ConIAC) where CECA sits on the overarching ConIAC Acting Together Steering Group.

CECA also provides the role of Chair of the Tackling Ill-Health Working Group. It is also represented on a number of other HSE groups, namely, the Keeping Pace with Change Working Group and also the Sharing our Success Working Group where it has the role of Vice-Chair.

In addition to the above, CECA sits on the Health in Construction Leadership Group (HCLG), the Infrastructure Client Group (ICG) H&S Working Group and the ICE H&S Expert Panel.

In the area of Occupational Health, CECA published the Health Management Toolkit to help contractors to begin implementation of a management system which would better deal with work related ill health issues. This publication is currently undergoing a review.

Technical & Environmental

CECA advises members on a range of technical matters. It can also provide guidance on environmental matters to members (such as pollution of ground water on site and waste management) and assists and encourages them to develop environmental policies which are realistic and deliverable.

CECA members are provided with CECA’s Corporate Responsibility toolkit free of charge on request, to help firms meet demand from clients that they address the CR agenda.

CECA is also actively involved in a series of national technical and environmental committees, providing members with an opportunity to become involved with influencing future standards and product specifications. CECA actively contributed to the development of Government’s Sustainable Construction Strategy, ensuring that it reflected the needs of the industry.

CECA has also responded to industry requirements for construction related guidance on waste management and in 2018 published a refreshed Waste Classification and Permitting in Construction guide.

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