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21st March 2014, 08:10 AM
Land-Escapist Wrote:Are we as a profession ready to tackle such a huge infrastructure project? Because we will probably need to be at some point...
succintly put.
"
The March 2014 relaunch of HS2 by the new chair is the sixth relaunch since the start of the project. Each time, the claims for HS2 get more nebulous and the promised results more dependent on other factors which are not included in the HS2 proposals and will not be paid for out of the £50 billion budget.
As demonstrated by the recently announced plans for a ‘garden city’ at Ebbsfleet, following the failure of the HS1 station there to generate new jobs in the area,
simply putting in a station on a high speed link does not automatically lead to economic growth in the area. What’s worse, with HS2, reports produced for
HS2 Ltd show that any extra jobs in an area near an HS2 station will have come other areas in the UK. Growth from HS2 will come at the expense of Cornwall, East Anglia, the South Coast and Aberdeen, as well as numerous other places..............."
http://stophs2.org/news/10512-hs2-wrong
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21st March 2014, 02:13 PM
as a profession we are as ready as we will ever be. i cant think of anything better to galvanise us, engender hope as well as skills and with the added bonus that wages will surely rise
If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don't have to worry about answers
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21st March 2014, 06:24 PM
P Prentice Wrote:as a profession we are as ready as we will ever be. i cant think of anything better to galvanise us, engender hope as well as skills and with the added bonus that wages will surely rise
I am not so sure that HS2 will create many new jobs in archaeology. What it is more likely is that it will concentrate work for a while and generate a lot of short term contracts. Also not sure how wages will rise. That didn't happen with HS1 and it didn't happen with Crossrail...why would it happen with HS2? Tenderer's will undercut each other, much as they do on other projects.
With peace and consolation hath dismist, And calm of mind all passion spent...
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21st March 2014, 06:32 PM
kevin wooldridge Wrote:I am not so sure that HS2 will create many new jobs in archaeology. What it is more likely is that it will concentrate work for a while and generate a lot of short term contracts. Also not sure how wages will rise. That didn't happen with HS1 and it didn't happen with Crossrail...why would it happen with HS2? Tenderer's will undercut each other, much as they do on other projects.
i did not say it would create many new jobs in fact i hope it wont. i do hope that more people will get upskilled and i do think this will have a knock on effect with wages. hs2 is far bigger than anything before and wont be out to conventional tender as much as 'allocated'. there will be a shortage of qualified staff to undertake the day job and that will effect wages
If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don't have to worry about answers
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21st March 2014, 07:42 PM
Quote:there will be a shortage of qualified staff to undertake the day job
as there is now... as there is now
:face-approve:
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22nd March 2014, 08:52 AM
P Prentice Wrote:... hs2 is far bigger than anything before and wont be out to conventional tender as much as 'allocated'
Have I missed something here? Are you saying that HS2 will not be tendered? Where did that information come from? I thought all projects in the EU over a certain value had to be tendered...
With peace and consolation hath dismist, And calm of mind all passion spent...
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23rd March 2014, 03:41 PM
Putting aside the moral arguments about HS2, my concerns are that there seems to be a shortage of the most experienced archaeologists - there is a raft of younger, good, keen supervisor-type grades, then a big gap to a remaining few 20+year vets working as POs etc. So, are there enough experienced people to supervise such a glut of work? And yes, complex jobs can be completed using well supervised but not very experienced labour. It's how I got into the game, after all!
I reserve the right to change my mind. It's called learning.
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23rd March 2014, 04:56 PM
This is the issue Tool, this is going to be the issue.
Which is why... praise be... the new BAJR / IfA Rates are now in place. and so finally. we ( and that is a collective everyone we) can now start loking at training, skills, progression and retention of staff. about time, to move forward. to ensure that very issue does not catch us wanting, when teh work really does come rolling in ( touch wood)
oh... that, and nobody accepting sub BAJR/IfA rate jobs.
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23rd March 2014, 05:14 PM
I'm getting the impression that even without HS2 work is going to go a bit mad over the next couple of months. So yes, there will be pressure on units to offer that little bit more, or risk not being able to staff the jobs they get. That'll be the units that care about the quality of their work, of course... It doesn't though answer the immediate (possible) problem of a lack of experienced people to supervise all the diggers. There seems to be a big hole left by those disillusioned but experienced bods who have left the industry to do other things.
I reserve the right to change my mind. It's called learning.
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23rd March 2014, 05:22 PM
My impression is that there are plenty of experienced people who would return to the fold if offered the right wage and a reasonable length of contract. So it seems to me that solving the skills shortage is entirely within the grasp of the profession.....
If anyone would like figures to play with I would suggest £30,000 minimum for supervisory staff and at least 12 months contract minimum....
With peace and consolation hath dismist, And calm of mind all passion spent...
