About the DCS team

Ten years ago, she set up a construction training business, Setting Out for Construction (SOFC), specialising in practical training for site engineers and providing training and consultancy to colleges, universities, construction companies, local authorities, sector skills councils and social enterprises.

Saffron is a Master Practitioner in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) and is an accomplished consultant, coach and trainer in a wide range of disciplines including practical construction training, communication, employability skills and team performance. Her holistic approach to coaching, facilitating and training means that she is flexible and able to accommodate audiences of any kind. She has an exceptional ability to explain complex concepts in a simple way and to put things into a context that is relevant to the learner.

She is continually seeking new applications for her successful professional services and training models and opportunities to make a positive and lasting difference to the industry. She has recently brought together a team of partners to deliver the CITB-funded Digital Transformation through Leaders Project under the new branding of Digital Construction Skills (DCS).

Saffron is a member of the following industry groups:

• The Construction Industry Leadership Group for Skills and Training
• The Future Skills sub-group of the ILG (Chair)
• The Scottish Construction Industry Recovery Plan, diversity and future skills consultation group
• The Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan focus group
• The Skills Development Scotland (SDS) Digital Technology Skills Group (DTSG).

She is also the author of the highly-acclaimed, Amazon No1 Best Seller Setting out for construction – a practical guide to site surveying.

Connect with Saffron:

• saffron@digtitalconstructionskills.com
• On LinkedIn

Gail has an affinity for digital construction tools and loves to absorb and assimilate new digital software and equipment and put them to practical use.

Gail has used numerous digital construction tools over the course of her career and is passionate about teaching others to use them for activities such as:

• Managing site teams
• Finding solutions to engineering problems
• Planning and programming
• Ensuring health, safety and environmental requirements are met
• Sharing data across organisations
• Surveying and setting out, and
• Producing as-built information.

Gail has a natural training and coaching style which she puts to great use in the classroom as well as when she is working with clients. Her top skills include:

• Delivering CITB-Assured courses
• Designing eLearning modules about digital construction tools
• Developing supporting resources for colleges and universities
• Working with small construction businesses to help them make cost and time savings and to help them to grow their business to the next level.

Gail is committed to ongoing personal and professional development and, in addition to numerous technical, safety and supervisory courses, she holds the Level 3 Award in Education and Training (the INLPTA-accredited Diploma in NLP) is working towards NLP Practitioner level.

Connect with Gail:

• gail@digitalconstructionskills.com
• On LinkedIn

More recently, he has specialised in the construction management and delivery of multi-disciplinary civil engineering and water projects. Chris has worked with and learned from hundreds of construction SME businesses of many disciplines and trades during this time.

On a recent new build £27M water treatment plant, Chris promoted and helped to pioneer the first use of BIM and DBFMA on a major Scottish Water project. The successful delivery and the adoption of new methods of construction was down to innovative SME businesses who were early adopters of digital solutions.

Chris is an APM-qualified Project Manager. In 2017, he was nominated for Galliford Try Employee of the Year for his work in promoting and significantly increasing awareness of mental health issues within the business. He holds an INLPTA-accredited Diploma in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP).

Connect with Chris:

• chris@digitalconstructionskills.com
• On LinkedIn