IJS Consultants would like to thank all the clients who took part in the Customer Satisfaction Survey. The input and comments will enable us to improve our service to all our clients. IJSC has been awarded a Gold BenchmarQ Award for Customer Satisfaction achieved (based on the results of the Customer Satisfaction Survey conducted in April to June 2010).

IJSC’s overall Customer Satisfaction has increased since the previous survey in May 2006, when it achieved 72% and were awarded a Silver BenchmarQ award.

Tom Semple Business Development Director writes:

Comments from those who took part:

"Would you recommend IJSC to others?"

• "Yes and I have done." (British Energy)

• "Yes, certainly." (Sellafield)

"Do you have any additional comments regarding IJSC Staff?"

• "They are very reliable and efficient, they work quickly and deliver a good output." (Anonymous Customer 3)

• "The high scoring I've given them says it all." (Nuvia)

• "They are great people to work with." (Steels)

David Christian joins us from Nuclear Technologies Ltd.  David is a safety case production, project management and assessment specialist with experience of working for both nuclear site licensees and specialist nuclear/radiological safety consultancies.  He has worked for a range of clients across the UK civil nuclear industry providing expert support in the production, management and implementation of safety cases and safety assessments.  He has joined IJS Consultants to support Sellafield Limited clients on the Windscale Site in the role of Safety Case Manager.

David enjoys both karate and rugby and is currently working towards becoming a fully qualified RFU coach.

Mark Gardner has joined us from the Reactor Services business of AMEC.  Mark has over 14 years experience in the nuclear industry.  He has considerable experience in performing safety case reviews on the British Energy fleet of AGRs and has been involved with the production of safety documentation.  Mark has also been responsible for the development of several maintenance schedules, including environmental maintenance schedules in support of SEPA and EA requirements.  He has undertaken senior expert roles on European Commission funded TACIS On-Site Assistance project both in Ukraine and Russia.  He has joined IJS Consultants at the Manchester office as a Principal Consultant to support the production and verification of safety justification documentation.

Jim Grace (Operations Director) has recently been made a Chartered Engineer and awarded a Fellowship from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE). Both awards have come following an assessment process that was initiated in 2006 when Jim initially became an Incorporated Engineer and Member of the Institution.

The assessment process has been a unique one as Jim has become the first member of the institute to have completed a Professional Review Report, Career Development Learning and undergone a combined Chartership and Fellow assessment interview. This has all been made possible with support from the Institution and fellow Member Auditor David Eaton. Jim also wished to extend his thanks to Bob Nash who supported his application for Fellow and to Jane Noakes within PPMRG.

Jim said "It has always been a personal goal to achieve the awards ever since I started my career nearly 20 years ago. I'm delighted with the decision of the Professional Review Committee and hope that I can spur on others within the organisation to further their development".

The personal commitment shown is a real sign of the culture within the organisation to develop individuals both personally and professionally and that this is driven right from the top of the organisation down to the new graduates within the team. If anyone would like further information regarding membership to the IMechE please do not hesitate to contact Jim Grace on 0161 237 6830 or info@ijsc.co.uk.

One of our Consultants represented IJS at the 27th Annual running of the IMechE Essential Management Skills for Engineers held at Keel University.  This long running course covers a wide range of management related lectures and workshops including subjects such as motivation, negotiation and neuro-linguistic programming. Other highlights included a particularly heated "Question Time" style debate, which addressed everything from politics to volcanoes, and a business simulation, where teams compete in a virtual market place by developing, marketing and selling a product.  The course also included a visit to Mercedes HPE which provided an insight into the way management requirements are tailored to the specific challenges faced in different markets.

Reviews from previous years of the event have been nothing short of glowing and this continued for 2010. Our Consultant thoroughly enjoyed the whole course and would recommend the event to anyone in need of management training.

IJS Consultants would like to thank the IMechE for putting on a highly informative and well organised event.

Carrie Hanna joins us from the consulting division of Nuvia Limited, a nuclear specialist in engineering design, radiation safety & consultancy services.  Carrie is a University of Liverpool chemistry postgraduate and has worked on both large and small-scale Safety & Risk Management projects for clients across the UK civil nuclear industry.  She has joined IJS Consultants at the Manchester office to support the production of safety case & safety assessment documentation.

Carrie has a love for languages and speaks Spanish as well as conversational French.

She is also a STEM Ambassador and has participated in several Manchester-based science education development projects.

YGN Rough Guide to Nuclear Power Generation 2010

Two of our graduates, Philip and James, represented IJS Consultants at the Rough Guide to Nuclear Power Generation at British Energy’s Barnwood Conference Centre this week.  A full day of lectures was followed by two site visits to Hinkley Point B and JET with some additional presentations over the three day course.

Talks on the first day ranged from historical overviews of nuclear capabilities in the UK and reactor physics to economics of nuclear power and challenges facing new build.  This event was a great opportunity for our graduates to be submerged in a wealth of knowledge from some big names in the industry.

IJS Consultants would like to thank British Energy and the YGN for putting on a highly informative and well organised event.

The IJS team in Glasgow would like to welcome their two new colleagues, Geeta Devgun and Tom Semple. Geeta joins us as a Graduate Consultant from Strathclyde University with a BA in Management Science and a Masters Degree in Business and Management: Risk & Reliability. She has a well developed knowledge in the discipline of Operational Research and has worked on a variety of projects originating from a range of industries including rail, NHS and safety. Geeta also possess a good understanding of Reliability Analysis and Risk Assessment practice which will provide a good basis by which she will apply her skills and abilities within her new role. Her attributes make Geeta a good fit with the ARM and BS EN 61508 compliance activities core to the capabilities of IJS Consultants.

Tom joins us from Sage Safety, a safety management consultancy in nuclear, defence and oil & gas. He will carry out business development and implement the marketing strategy in line with IJS Consultants business plan. He is pleased to have joined a company that he has respected since meeting Ian, Jim and Andy through working with Sage. Tom has been successfully developing and exercising sales and marketing strategies in the engineering and technology sectors throughout his career. He is focused on delivering value to his clients and their projects.

These new recruits take the Glasgow office up to 6 members strong and shows the commitment to continuing growth and development core to the values of IJS Consultants. Geeta and Tom join us at an exciting new stage in the development of IJS with many new opportunities on the horizon.

IJS Consultants are pleased to announce that we will be sponsoring the Young Generation Network North West Branch Speaking Competition.  The event will be held on the 20th April 2010 at The Centre, Birchwood Park, Warrington and is an opportunity for young members of the nuclear industry to hone their presentation skills. For further information, contact cwilkins@ijsc.co.uk.

IJS Consultants are very happy to announce that one of our Principal Consultants Andy Smith has become a Chartered Engineer through the Safety & Reliability Society. In the past it has proven problematic for some safety practitioners to obtain chartership due to the highly specialised nature of their work. As such the Safety & Reliability Society now provides a route to Engineering Council (ECUK) Registration via an agreement with the Society of Environmental Engineers (SEE), a licensed body of the ECUK.

Members are assessed within the Society on their ability to meet the competence and commitment criteria, set out in the ECUK document UK-SPEC, as safety and/or reliability engineers. The process of carrying out the ECUK procedures for registration are then conducted by the SEE, who provide this process by way of a joint membership agreement. 

Andy has been working in the safety and risk management industry for over 10 years and this is further evidence of both his drive for continual professional development and the ethos of IJS Consultants in terms of their commitment to supporting staff to further their qualifications, knowledge and experience.

IJS Sponsor YGN Defence Seminar

Our new graduates joined the YGN this month to represent IJS Consultants at the third annual “Rough Guide to Defence” Seminar hosted by BAE systems at Barrow-in-Furness.  The two day seminar introduced the delegates to the nuclear defence industry with some talks focussing on the various aspects of the new Astute class submarine.  One of IJS Consultants’s Principal Consultants, James Thorpe, gave a presentation on integrating environmental considerations into a safety case which was well received by the delegates.

Concluding the first day, a networking event sponsored by IJS Consultants gave our new graduates, Philip and James, an opportunity to meet others in the industry.

The following day a tour of BAE systems Submarine Solutions facilities was given.  Delegates had the opportunity to see the new manufacturing techniques being implemented in the Devonshire Dock Hall as well as the first completed Astute class submarine.

Our thanks go to the sponsors and the organisers, whose hard work culminated in a highly successful and interesting event.