Construction Equipment Association annual conference
Nick Boles, Minister of State for Skills & Construction, to give keynote speech at CEA annual conference
THE Construction Equipment Association (CEA) will be holding its annual conference on Wednesday 18 November 2015 at One Great George Street, London, home of the Institution of Civil Engineers.
This year’s conference will concentrate on the factors that will make the UK construction equipment sector even more successful – investment in infrastructure, commitment to skills and the adoption of innovative technology – with insights into market prospects and opportunities for top-level networking.
Renowned broadcaster and journalist Nick Higham will return once again as MC, having successfully piloted several conferences for both the CEA and CECE (Committee for European Construction Equipment).
The keynote speaker at this year’s conference will be Nick Boles, Minister of State for Skills & Construction. Mr Boles (pictured) was appointed as Minister of State jointly for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Department for Education (DfE) in July last year.
His joint BIS and DfE responsibilities include employer ownership of skills, pre-employment and basic skills, and vocational qualifications. Apprenticeships and traineeships are also part of his remit, which ties in with one of the key themes of the conference.
Mr Boles also is responsible for the Skills Funding Agency, which funds skills training for further education in England. The Agency supports more than 1,000 colleges, private training organizations, and employers with £3.7 billion of funding each year.
Heading up the ‘Markets’ section of the conference will be David Phillips, managing director of Off-Highway Research, who will be talking about worldwide construction equipment markets.
Prof. Sir Mike Gregory from the University of Cambridge’s Engineering Department and the Institute for Manufacturing will be addressing delegates a part of the ‘Skills’ agenda, as will Nigel Baseley, president of the CEA and sales director for the EAME Industrial Power Systems Division of Perkins Engines.
In addition, Bill Quigley, head of excavated and bulk materials with the HS2 Infrastructure Directorate, will update delegates on the HS2 project, while other key subjects being covered at the conference will include: fuels of the future; driverless machines; and an update on the Thames Tunnel.
The conference is free to attend for CEA members and guests, and £175.00 + VAT for non-members. To register, visit: www.thecea.org.uk/conference/
