FenceX 2025 – One Day, Endless Opportunities
With less than a month to go until FenceX 2025 on 15th October at NAEC Stoneleigh, the countdown is well and truly on – and the show promises to be our biggest and most dynamic yet.
Visitors can look forward to a packed day including:
💥 The largest-ever destruction testing schedule at a UK fencing exhibition
⚙️ Live demos in the dedicated Gate Automation Zone
🌿 The Best Practice Day, back by popular demand, with outdoor demonstrations of timber and metal fencing techniques, stock and horse netting, and real-world problem-solving from some of the UK’s leading contractors
🎤 A full seminar programme covering apprenticeships, safety, standards, business essentials, and more
🤝 Networking with over 80 exhibitors from across the sector
And that’s not all!
🥓 All pre-registered visitors will receive a complimentary breakfast roll and coffee on arrival, helping you fuel up for a busy day of learning, networking, and discovery.
✈️ Delegates will also be able to enter a free prize draw to win a weekend for two in Ghent, including travel, hotel, and a private tour of Locinox’s new super-modern gate hardware factory. To enter, simply drop your name badge into the prize bucket as you leave the show.
🎟️ Tickets are completely free – but pre-registration is essential to secure your place (and your bacon roll!).
👉 Register now at www.fencex.com
Recruiting the Next Generation
Build UK is contributing to the Construction Skills Mission Board which has been established by Government with £625 million of funding to train up to 60,000 more skilled construction workers by 2029. With research demonstrating that when employers and apprentices receive support there is a much greater chance of apprentices completing their apprenticeship, we are keen to see a more consistent approach to recruiting, training and retaining apprentices through a national apprenticeship hub, which would bring together the wide range of programmes and initiatives available locally and share best practice.
The new Go Construct Careers platform is designed to connect employers with apprentices by providing a one-stop shop for new entrant opportunities in construction across England, Scotland and Wales. It is ideally located alongside all the new entrant resources on the Go Construct website, and anyone interested in joining the industry can create a profile, upload their CV, and start applying for jobs. All construction employers can advertise their new entrant opportunities free of charge, including apprenticeships, T Level placements and work experience opportunities, by creating a company profile. CITB’s New Entrant Support Team (NEST) offers additional support to employers in-scope to CITB through a matching service, which will connect them with potential candidates for their roles.
Build UK has also proposed that the Misson Board endorses the rollout of the digital skills passport to ensure that both new and existing workers undertaking a construction occupation are able to demonstrate the skills and knowledge elements of competence as required by the building safety regime.
Get Set for Open Doors 2026
To help members prepare, we will be holding a meeting for Open Doors Coordinators next Thursday 11 September from 2:00pm – 3:00pm where we will be sharing our plans for #OpenDoors26 and answering your questions. With the support of our network of Open Doors Partners, we will cover the benefits of getting involved following a record Open Doors 2025 and what you can do now to make sure you are ready to register your sites, offices, manufacturing facilities and training centres on the Open Doors website from Monday 6 October.
Your nominated Open Doors Coordinators should have received an invitation to the meeting, and please email us to confirm your attendance and make sure your organisation is represented.
Are you accidentally underpaying your workers?
Many employers think they know the National Minimum Wage (NMW) – but here’s the surprising truth – it’s not just a pay rate, it’s a calculation. That’s exactly why so many businesses unintentionally fall short, even when they think they’re doing everything right.
HMRC’s National Minimum Wage team and the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) are teaming up for an essential live webinar that could save you from costly mistakes.
There are 2 dates:
- scenarios and common pitfalls that could be affecting your payroll right now
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what to do if an underpayment occurs
- the role of ACAS and how HMRC and ACAS work together to support workers and employers
Plus, get your burning questions answered live. Our expert panel from both organisations will be on hand to answer questions on the topic.
Whether you’re an employer wanting to stay compliant or an accountant advising clients, this session will give you the confidence and knowledge to navigate NMW requirements with certainty.
Secure your spot now – because getting it right the first time is always better than fixing it later.
Driving for Better Business – new fleet safety focus update
Mental Health and Driver Wellbeing
Driving is for most people the most dangerous activity they can do.
We know that in the great majority of cases the initial outcome of a crash is around driver behaviour, with distraction, fatigue and medical issues being the root cause.
It’s fundamental that as an organisation and as a manager or owner you are aware of your drivers’ mental health and wellbeing, as well as their physical health, because mental health problems can affect driving performance. Stress, anxiety, depression and other mental health issues can affect a driver’s driving style, judgement and reaction times.
Check in with your drivers, make time to talk, and educate managers so they know how to respond if they suspect someone is suffering, or if they are approached by an affected employee. Ensure drivers eat well, stay hydrated, exercise and take adequate and healthy rests from driving.
So, how confident are you that your drivers are in good mental health and fit to work and drive?
Driving for Better Business in collaboration with the National Highways Commercial Vehicle Incident Prevention Team are providing free-to-access resources to help those who manage and employ drivers. Their Fleet Safety Focus Updates cover an important area every month. This month’s update focuses on Mental Health and Driver Wellbeing.
It includes a link to a file of useful resources for you to download and share with your drivers, including:
- an article to share with your drivers
- short safety messages to send to your drivers on their devices
- posters for your staff noticeboards
- information sheets from our Van Driver Toolkit and Car Driver Toolkit.
Access this month’s Fleet Safety Focus and watch the video here.
Electric Vehicle Grant
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