The past few months have been a busy time for CECA North East, with our programme reflecting many of the issues that matter to our members – from health, safety & wellbeing, policy & workload to skills and the future workforce.
Our Safe Digging event brought contractors, clients, equipment suppliers and training providers together to focus on safe excavation practices.
We have also continued our work around skills, including visits to Seymour Skills Academy and local colleges as part of our College Bursary programme. This programme is being expanded across the 2026-2027 academic year to include a new ‘Groundworker Olympics’ initiative.
Our Roadshow gave members the opportunity to discuss regional challenges and priorities directly with CECA’s policy director, ensuring the experiences and concerns of North East contractors continue to inform the wider organisation’s work.
More recently, we brought the industry together for a wellbeing breakfast with the Lighthouse Charity. The charity is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, having been established in the North East in 1956. Between January and May alone, it supported 198 families in the North East, delivered 259 counselling sessions and provided almost £27,000 in financial grants.
The event was a valuable reminder that supporting our people must remain a priority. Making sure members have access to information and practical support around mental health and wellbeing that they can share within their organisations and networks is an important part of the work we do.
Skills and recruitment are another major focus. Kate Barclay has recently joined CECA North East as business support manager and is focusing heavily on the skills gap and helping to attract more young people into civil engineering. She will work closely with our Foundations Group, which brings together young professionals from across the sector and works to promote civil engineering and construction to current and future generations.
We have also welcomed Kevin Fenley as Vice Chair. Kevin is Commercial Director at Absolute Civil Engineering and brings considerable industry experience to the role. His involvement will further strengthen our regional leadership and the support we provide to members.
There is plenty more in the pipeline. Over the coming months, members can look forward to a choice of online and in-person sessions covering building the future workforce, a health and safety group meeting, a mock trial, NEC contract law, a careers and skills group meeting and NEC4 defined cost training.
We have also opened entries for the 2026 CECA North East Civil Engineering Awards, recognising the projects, organisations and individuals delivering excellence across our region. The closing date for entries is Friday 25th September.
The common thread through all of this is supporting our members in the areas that matter to their businesses and their people.
The civil engineering sector continues to evolve and our role is to make sure members have the connections, information, training and representation they need to navigate those changes and take advantage of the opportunities ahead.