CPA Bulletin

www.cpa.uk.net CPA Bulletin > November 2024 27 NEWS FROM CPA MEMBERS: 6 GAP Scoops Accolade at CN Specialist Awards JCB Celebrates 60 Years of Apprenticeships with Special Reunion Four former employees were treated to a VIP visit to JCB to mark the 60th anniversary of their recruitment as the company’s first ever apprentices. A total of nine 15-year-old boys started as Craft Apprentices at the Rocester plant in 1964 and four of them - Chris Carnwell, Nigel Heinich, Mick Higgs, and Keith Hepden - retraced their footsteps to the factory to mark the diamond anniversary of the JCB apprenticeship programme. They were welcomed by JCB Chairman Anthony Bamford, who also started work at JCB in 1964. The quartet were trailblazers for JCB’s apprenticeship scheme, which currently has around 300 apprentices on scheme and in the last 12 years alone has seen JCB recruit 1,500 apprentices. When they started work, they were earning £3 a week. During their visit they were given a tour of the Story of JCB exhibition, met some of JCB’s newest apprentices and were given a special VIP lunch. Lord Bamford, who served an engineering apprenticeship in France before joining JCB in 1964, said: “The recruitment of our first apprentices 60 years ago laid very firm foundations for the future. We have recruited hundreds of apprentices since those early days and many of them have gone on to senior positions in the company. It really is a fantastic way to start a career.” GAP Hire Solutions has won the Outstanding Contribution to Specialist Construction Award at the 2024 CN Specialist Awards. The award recognises GAP’s commitment to innovation and efficiency, driven by the seamless collaboration of its Pump Services, Environmental Services and Tanker Services divisions. One of the standout features of this project is the paradigm shift it brings to the long-term management of construction dewatering, offering significant benefits to both clients and the environment. By providing a fully managed service, including regular clarifier emptying, GAP not only saves clients valuable on-site time but also delivers a more efficient, sustainable solution that reduces environmental impact. The CN Specialist Awards judges praised GAP Hire Solutions for its strong focus on sustainability and innovative solutions. They highlighted the end-to-end integration of standalone services into a single, cohesive system, offering transparency and traceability for Scope 1 and 2 emissions, while easing pressure on national infrastructure. The panel was impressed by GAP’s passion for its unique approach and the clear demonstration of its quality and impact on the construction industry. Karen Greenshields, Managing Director - Technical and Environmental Services, commented: “We are delighted to win the prestigious award of Outstanding Contribution to Specialist Construction. Our turnkey dewatering solution brings together specialist expertise focused on sustainable ways to move and treat wastewater. We have fantastic teams across our business, which has enabled GAP to be the first hire solution company to be able to provide this service in-house.” To submit news for consideration for future issues of the CPA Bulletin, please email: lisa @ lisacollinscommunications.co.uk