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TEENAGERS
TO FILL THE CONSTRUCTION GAP
MORE than 400 young people look to construction jobs in Liverpool Building companies and national architecture agencies supporting Culture.
YES... HUNDREDS... of teenagers will don hard hats this week to check out if they've got what it takes for a challenging career in construction.
The building boom in the city has led to a shortage of construction workers and a visit to some of Europe's biggest developments will encourage young people to consider a career in one of the fastest-growing and most demanding industries in the UK.
More than £3billion is being spent on the regeneration of Liverpool over the next 5 years with 3,300 construction workers needed on the Paradise Street development alone.
Now young people are being invited behind the scenes of some of the city's construction sites to see the transformation that is taking place as Liverpool gears up for European Capital of Culture in 2008.
Youngsters will take a tour of the site of the massive £850m Grosvenor Development at Paradise Street - the largest retail construction project in Europe. They will also visit the Ropewalks area in the north of the city, which has already undergone a huge transformation, and the commercial district around Castle Street Conservation area which has just been awarded World Heritage Status.
Workshops will take place in schools before the site visit to prepare the teenagers, and introduce them to the world of construction and afterwards, each student will get comprehensive careers advice about the wide range of jobs available in the industry.
Councillor Mike Storey praised the scheme. He said:- "This is a prime example of giving Liverpool's young people a head start in the world of work, and shows how the city's European Capital of Culture accolade will give something back to the people. With the construction industry growing nationally, but particularly in Liverpool, it will mean that the next generation, when leaving school, have a much greater opportunity to contribute to their city, and their own lives, with full-time employment."
The city council's executive member for regeneration, Councillor Peter Millea, added that more input should be requested from Liverpool's young people in planning new buildings. He said:- "Maybe the reason there has been little awareness of how important construction is to the city is because we haven't asked young people if they are interested. We have already seen some success by construction companies, such as Lovell, in attracting young people in the Speke-Garston area, boys and girls to take part in construction training and award certificates for their efforts. I would like to see more of this type of training for young people all around the city. "
Liverpool Culture Company's creative manager, Sarah Vasey, set up the project. She said:- "Liverpool is known the world over for its architecture. With so many beautiful buildings, we wanted to show young people how, in the case of Ropewalks, they can be refurbished on the inside or how an area is being completely redeveloped like in the Paradise Street project."
Project director of the Paradise Street development, Rod Holmes, said:- "We're delighted to be able to help young people in Liverpool see at first hand what is happening to their city. It may even inspire them to take construction, planning or architecture up as a career, which we would greatly encourage."
Ben Spencer, head of education at the Commission for Architecture for the Built Environment (CABE) said:-
"With all the exciting changes that are happening to the fabric of Liverpool, we are working with the Liverpool Culture Company to give young people the opportunity to get out there and see how things are done. We hope their experiences will encourage them to demand the very best from their buildings and spaces, and inspire them to a career in one of the many design and construction trades."
He added:- "CABE is passionate about giving young people the opportunity to experience great design in the built environment around them. This gives them the skills and confidence to help shape their towns and cities."
UK TO VOTE AGAINST UN HUMAN CLONING DECISION
THE UK will vote against the declaration on human cloning at the United Nations' General Assembly this week. The UN declaration is non-binding and has no legal status, but it calls on countries to prohibit all forms of human cloning. This is totally unacceptable to the UK government which strongly supports stem cell research, including embryonic stem cell research which involves the use of cloning technology. Stem cell research could lead to new treatments for serious and fatal diseases that affect millions of people.
Reproductive cloning is already illegal in the UK under the Human Reproductive Cloning Act passed in November 2001. The UN non-binding declaration on human cloning will neither affect UK Government policy on cloning, nor UK stem cell research.
Health Secretary, John Reid, said:- "We will vote against the United Nations declaration on human cloning because it calls on states to ban all forms of cloning. This would deny many patients with illnesses like Parkinson's disease, chronic heart disease and juvenile diabetes, the potential of effective treatments. It is a same that the UN could not agree to a legally-binding worldwide ban on reproductive cloning, simply because a small group of countries intransigently refused to allow individual countries to make up their own minds on therapeutic cloning.
Reproductive cloning is already illegal in the UK. Anyone attempting it in this country faces a 10-year prison sentence and unlimited fine. However, the UK Government supports all types of stem cell research, including those involving therapeutic cloning. Stem cell research is still in its infancy but it has the potential to revolutionise medicine in this century in a way that antibiotics did in the last. The Government is determined to use every opportunity to let science find ways to cure diseases.
The UN declaration is non-binding and will make no difference whatsoever to the position of stem cell research in the UK:- therapeutic cloning will continue to be allowed. The UK remains 'open for business' in stem cell research."
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FREE CULTURE
FOR EVERY HOME
UK's biggest free cultural giveaway is in the post this weekend, with more than 30,000 2-for-1 tickets including art, comedy, opera and theatre. Culture Company arranges £250,000 bonanza, saying:- ''Don't wait for 2008''.
BRITAIN'S biggest ever free giveaway of culture will be landing on people's doormats next week. Liverpool residents can expect a pleasant surprise in this year's council tax letters with a unique 2-for-1 offer at 8 major cultural institutions - and a chance to win 1 of 500 pairs of free tickets for concerts by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Ravi Shankar and other musicians.
The offer, organised by the Liverpool Culture Company, will be enclosed in an '08 leaflet to all 208,000 homes in the city prompting residents with the message:- ''Don't wait for 2008''.
The letters will start arriving on Monday, March 14 containing more than a quarter of a million pounds worth of tickets to be snapped up. A code word is on the ''Don't Wait for 2008'' leaflet for people to quote when booking. At some places they have to bring the leaflet to book. The offer ends on May 31, unless otherwise stated.
The unprecedented offer to Liverpool residents, covers more than 400 days of entertainment:-
2 nights of opera
3 classical music concerts
3 world music concerts
32 nights of comedy
66 days of sight-seeing
70 nights of theatre
78 days of Beatles history
121 days of art
The offer also informs people that the city's two newest cultural additions are also free - the FACT centre on Wood Street and World Museum Liverpool which opens to the public on April 29, 2005.
Councillor Mike Storey, Leader of Liverpool City Council, said:- ''It's a testament to the city's cultural prowess that it can offer such a high quality cocktail of culture for free. No city in Britain has delivered a package on this scale before - and very few could match our offer. 'We want to open up new audiences to our cultural attractions for everyone in Liverpool to enjoy, not just in 2008 but right now. Cultural partnerships were a major strength in our successful '08 bid and we must continually develop them to excite, entice and energise the cultural lifeblood of the city. Artists constantly say how knowledgeable and lively our audiences are. That is a reputation we want to foster.''
Councillor Warren Bradley, Executive Member for Leisure and Culture, said:-
''This offer shows that the judges chose Liverpool to be European Capital of Culture in '08 for good reason. Yes, we have exciting plans but culturally Liverpool is already a centre of excellence. And crucially it was the people of Liverpool who clinched it for us. So this is our way of saying thank you - and enjoy!''
The participating attractions providing the 2-for-1 offer, ending May 31 unless otherwise stated are:-
The Beatles Story - (Excluding Bank Holidays).
To book telephone 0151 709 1963.
Empire Theatre - Welsh National Opera performs Cavalleria rusticana & Pagilacci on April 5 and La traviata on April 6.
To book telephone 0870 606 3536.
Everyman and Playhouse - The Morris, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Chimps (Excluding Mondays). To book telephone 0151 709 4776.
Rawhide Comedy Club - Every Thursday and Friday night (Until June 30).
To book telephone 0870 787 1866.
Tate Liverpool - Summer of Love:- Art of the Psychedelic Era (May 27 - September 25).
Tickets booked on presentation of '08 leaflet. For more information telephone 0151 702 7400.
Unity Theatre - Unexploded Bomb, The Alchemist, Tales From Hollywood and Noah's Ark.
To book telephone 0151 709 4988.
Yellow Duckmarine - (Excluding Easter School Holidays).
To book a ride telephone 0151 708 7799.
The RLPO concerts on April 28, May 28 and June 4 and Philharmonic Hall's Amal
Murkus, Ravi Shankar and Taj Mahal concerts on June 11, 18 and 19.
Visit www.liverpoolphil.com
and type in the leaflet password to win tickets.
Since Liverpool won the 2008 race in June 2003, its attractions have recorded huge rises in attendances.
Its collection of national museums and galleries bucked the trend last year with a 29% rise in visitor figures. The FACT centre recently welcomed its 500,000th visitor and the Everyman and Playhouse theatres are undergoing a welcome renaissance with rave reviews and record breaking ticket sales.
Jason Harborow, Chief Operating Officer of the Liverpool Culture Company, said:-
''Being named European Capital of Culture created a huge surge of interest in the city. Our job is to ensure we carry that momentum through up to '08 and beyond. This offer speaks volumes for the way in which the whole city is working together to make sure '08 is a success. People who visit the city are spoilt for choice when it comes to culture. But while the city strengthens its appeal to tourists we must never forget our most important audience - the people of Liverpool.''
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