Are you the next Engineer of Tomorrow?

THE prestigious Engineers of Tomorrow annual competition is now open for the fire and security industry's brightest young engineers to register their interest. Successful entrants will then be invited to pit their skills against each other in a live installation challenge at Europe's largest security exhibition, IFSEC International this June.

Each year more than 50 apprentice engineers participate in pairs to complete a 90 minute live challenge on the busy exhibition floor at IFSEC International, where they are then assessed by a leading panel of judges from the security inspectorates, NSI and SSAIB, and points are allocated based on performance in the various disciplines.

Heat winners and their employers will be invited to the prestigious Security and Fire Excellence Awards where the winner will be announced and awarded a £1000 cash prize.

Simon Banks, Group Managing Director at CSL DualCom Group, said:- "The purpose of Engineers Of Tomorrow is to showcase the very best talent the security industry has to offer. It recognises the value of skills in our sector and for any Installers who have invested in an apprentice, the competition is a great opportunity to promote their competency on a World stage."

Engineers of Tomorrow is part of Apprenticeships for Fire & Security, an initiative that places apprentices into careers in the security industry and supports their development. Sponsored by IFSEC, CSL DualCom, NSI, SSAIB and Skills for Security, the scheme has already helped launch the careers of more than 3,000 young apprentices.

At the heart of the installation apprentice and young engineer industry, the competition will provide participants with a global stage to compete against their peers and represent their company. Prizes will be awarded to the top three pairs of engineers, with a first prize of £1000 provided by CSL DualCom, the second prize donated by NSI of a £500 Red Letter Day and finally a third prize of £300 supported by SSAIB.

This year IFSEC International will run from 21-23 June in 2016 at London's ExCeL and will once again be presented as part of UBM EMEA's Protection and Management Series, the UK's largest event dedicated to protecting and managing property, people and information. The series incorporates major events including IFSEC International along with FIREX International, Facilities Show, Safety and Health Expo and Service Management Expo.

To nominate yourself or a colleague and to get more information about the competition please visit:- IFSEC.Co.UK/EOT.

Search for operator to run St Luke's Church

A search has started for an operator to run St Luke's 'bombed-out' Church in Liverpool when it reopens at the end of the year following essential repairs.  It follows a consultation in 2015 which found that the majority of the 6,300 people who responded were supportive of limited development and events taking place at the site, which was bomb damaged during the blitz in 1941.

In return for a 21 year lease on a peppercorn rent, the successful applicant will have to demonstrate that they can run a financially viable programme of events with profits reinvested into the operation, maintenance and improvement of the site. They will also be required to allow public access to St Luke's at no charge when events are not being held.

The new operator is expected to take over in December 2016 following completion of £500,000 of structural work, funded jointly by Historic England and Liverpool City Council. Crumbling high level stonework is being replaced and, over the coming months, there will also be repairs to the tower, lower level stonework and perimeter railings.

Councillor Mark Norris, Mayoral lead for heritage at Liverpool City Council, said:- "We are absolutely committed to preserving and protecting St Luke's Church. It is one of Liverpool's crown jewels and is of huge cultural and historical value to the city. The huge response to the public consultation demonstrated how much affection there is for the Church and people gave us a very clear message about the type of development and events that they wish to see.  We now want to find the right operator that is sensitive to the very special nature of the site and can come up with an events programme that respects the surroundings and is consistent with the results of the public consultation."

Interested parties have until 7 March 2016 to confirm their intent to submit an application, and the deadline for final submissions is 27 May 2016. They can apply at:- Liverpool.Gov.UK/BombedOutChurch.