Tens of thousands of new roles look set to be created in the renewables industry in the future, according a leading organisation.

In news that could interest people looking for project and change management jobs in the energy sector, trade body for the UK's wind and marine renewables industries, RenewableUK, said that the types it looks after are no longer alternative energies.

Instead, chief executive Maria McCaffery said that wind and marine renewables are now mainstream after a "momentous year" in 2011.

For 2012 and the next few years, she believes the UK is on the verge of a huge change in the energy sector.

"We are on the cusp of a low carbon revolution – a revolution that is going to pump billions of pounds of investment into our economy," Ms Mcaffery explained.

"It is going to create tens of thousands of new 'green collar' jobs and it will establish the United Kingdom as the undisputed world leader in the development of both offshore wind, and wave and tidal technology."

However, she did add that there is going to be no let-up in the challenges facing the sector as deployment increases to try and help meet targets that have previously been set.

It comes after Sero was awarded a new contract on January 13th to help counter the effects of wind farms on the UK's air defence radar.

According to the company, the installation of three new radar systems allows the development of up to four gigawatts of renewable energy, enough to power two million homes in the UK.

Ms Mcaffery added that things are improving: "It is fair to say that we have cemented our position in the energy arena and we are no longer an alternative energy; we are mainstream and it looks set to continue as we move into 2012."

Educating people could be the key to making sure a company's data is secure, according to one expert.

Kevin Wharram, an independent IT security consultant, said that people "just click links because there's no understanding", meaning people need to be taught.

He added that it is important to understand what data is where, who has access to it and what the data actually it is.

Furthermore, he added that people need to classify the data and put controls in place.

"So say you're an SME and you hold personal data, you can either put data controls in your environment now or you can outsource it to the cloud. But if you outsource to the cloud, make sure you do due diligence – you've got data encrypted and other controls like that," he added.

Meanwhile, Peter Job, founder and chief executive at Intergence Systems, said earlier this week that cloud computing is about to go "mainstream".

Supply chain jobs could follow in the oil and gas sector after BP announced a new multi-million pound contract with an offshore engineering firm.

The company will work with Subsea 7 to produce new pipelines for the Clair Ridge drilling project, off the Shetland Islands, as it looks to increase its drilling programme.

Furthermore, the four projects BP has spent money on for the next five years are expected to create around 3,000 oil and gas supply jobs, as well as sustaining many more in other areas.

Scottish secretary Michael Moore said that the major contract underlines confidence in Scotland's oil and gas sector.

"The contract award to Subsea 7 is just the latest piece of good news for the UK's oil and gas sector and its supply chain in Scotland. I welcome the investment by BP and the jobs and expertise which will be secured in the Wick facility as a result," he added.

It comes after Centrica announced earlier this week that it has increased its stake in a North Sea oil field.

More women could be attracted to accountancy jobs in the future after PwC launched an opportunity for ladies to apply for its female partner shadowing scheme.

The organisation revealed that around 400 applications have been made for the position, which will see students gain an insight into the firm.

This will include attending meetings, working with clients and other PwC teams, while also gaining exposure to what it is like to work within a leadership role.

Gaenor Bagley, PwC head of people, said that PwC is "really proud" to have a high number of women in leadership positions, something she believes should be encouraged elsewhere as well.

"We're keen to show the variety of opportunities available to everyone at PwC and give a true insight into what it takes to make it to the very top in a firm like ours," she explained.

Meanwhile, accountancy jobs could also follow as auto-enrolment for pensions moved a step closer earlier this week following the publishing of regulations by the government.

More human resources jobs could be created in the construction industry over the next year after confidence in the sector grew to an eight-month high.

A monthly report by Markit and the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply (CIPS) found that confidence grew to the second highest level in the survey's history, topped only by the standard met in May last year.

Furthermore, new business received by UK construction firms continued to grow at the beginning of this year, though the tough economic climate meant that the growth in the number of new projects slowed.

David Noble, chief executive officer at CIPS, said that confidence is on the rise.

"Buoyed by an increase in commercial activity, the continued growth in the construction sector in January was tempered by declines in housing and civil engineering.  This resulted in a slower rate of expansion overall," he noted.

"It's clear that many businesses have replenished their levels of optimism and have high expectations for improving economic conditions and new contracts."

Meanwhile, a similar survey for the manufacturing sector – published earlier this month – revealed growth to begin in 2012.

Around 80 per cent of people in legal jobs and other roles are working sick, according to alarming research published today (February 3rd).

With the help of Professor Cary Cooper, Ellipse found that while technology has changed the way people work in the UK, absence management procedures have not kept up the pace.

Both found that the impact of always-on technology means that people are not taking the time genuinely needed to recover, instead continuing to work.

Professor Cooper, distinguished professor of organisational psychology and health at Lancaster University, said that illness is just a "fact of working life", but it's not always an inevitability.

"Firstly, by looking at ways of flexible working to help those who are able to work but perhaps not able to come into the office or work set hours," she added.

"Secondly, we need to encourage employees to not feel obliged to come in to work when they are ill as we know a culture of presenteeism is damaging."

It comes after a report by Right Management found that counselling is becoming a regular aid for people in jobs as stress comes from both in and outside of the workplace.

Counselling is becoming a regular aid for people in finance jobs and other workplace roles because of difficulties caused in and out of employment.

That is according to new research published by Right Management, which found 30,000 employees accessed its Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP) in 2011 – an increase from 4.36 per cent of staff in 2007 to 5.37 per cent last year.

Kevin Friery, clinical director of Right Management, said that these difficulties are not helped by the tough economic changes that have taken place in the last two to three years, creating "instability, uncertainty and insecurity".

He added that around 85 per cent of callers' difficulties are from outside the workplace, while 15 per cent were caused by work itself.

Furthermore, he believes that more help from within the workplace could help people who are otherwise facing difficult stress problems and other issues.

"Gone are the days that work-life balance is talked about as two competing forces at opposite ends of the spectrum," he explained.

"Given that the average duration of sickness absence for stress-related problems currently stands at 30.6 days, workplace counselling that prevents longer employee absence, or even better provides an intervention before absence, will make a material difference that benefits the employer."

Many others believe that the onus is on employers to take a step forward and help some of their workers. However, Ann McCracken, chair of the International Stress Management Association (ISMA), believes there are some changes workers themselves can make to improve the situation.

She says that people can regain control of what they are doing if they believe that they can influence most situations with their own personal approach.

"Learning how to develop a problem solving approach to life, seeing situations as an opportunity to do things differently, and taking a metaphoric step back to take some time to assess options can be a route to reducing the pressure the individual is experiencing," she explained.

"If pressure continues to be allowed to develop over a period of time, the result is stress which shows itself as ill health – some of which can be extremely serious (migraine, high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, cancer, asthma, exzema/psoriasis et cetera)."

She also advises people to eat comfort foods to increase the presence of serotonin, a chemical that gives a sense of calm, comfort and mood enhancement.

Additionally, she said that there are several alternative health methods that can be introduced, but must be introduced as part of a healthy life plan "as they are usually holistic in approach, working with the health and wellbeing of the whole body".

The biggest cause of stress growth, it would appear, has been the worsening economy. A poll commissioned by GP-authored health website Patient.co.uk – published this week – revealed that 36 per cent of people surveyed said that they were feeling stressed because of the economic crisis.

Alarmingly, this rose for people in the 18 to 24-year-old age group to 43 per cent, showing that this anxiety does not thrive in any particular age limit.

There could be good news for people seeking project and change management jobs in the manufacturing sector after new figures revealed a positive start to the season.

Despite continued worries over the eurozone crisis and the general economic situation, Markit and the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply (CIPS) found that their monthly manufacturing index rose to 52.1 in January.

This was because of the quickest output growth in ten months, while new orders rose following a period of contraction giving hope for production in the next 11 months.

Furthermore, input costs fell and output price inflation slowed to create bigger margins for companies in the sector.

David Noble, chief executive officer of CIPS, said that the sector has "sprung into life" in the first month of the year, though it is difficult to judge whether this will be the norm.
 
"The marked decline in input prices is good news for the sector's overall profitability. The boost in output is also welcome, but in reality is bolstered by manufacturers working through existing backlogs, which can only be a short-term fix," he explained.

"In the long-term, it's looking like businesses will need to refocus on emerging growth markets outside the weaker eurozone to achieve sustainable growth even though spending was at a higher level in the UK compared to last month."

It comes only a day after more positive news was published from the sector. The British Chambers of Commerce found yesterday (February 1st) that around 20 per cent of exporters are planning to increase their headcount over the next three months.

Additionally, the balance between micro SMEs increasing their staff numbers and those who are not has also risen to plus ten per cent, suggesting more jobs will be created in the sector over the coming months as businesses look to expand their services abroad.

In what could also be good news for businesses up and down the UK, Ofcom has announced that consumers are achieving 22 per cent quicker broadband speeds than they were a year ago.

The communications regulator said that while average speeds were 6.2Mbit/s between November and December 2010, this had increased to 7.6Mbits/s last November.

Despite this, there is still plenty of room for improvement, with four in ten broadband customers still on packages that achieve 10Mbit/s or less even though they could get quicker if they switched provider or package.

Ofcom chief executive Ed Richards said that the findings are "encouraging" after the recent struggle.

"There is a real opportunity for consumers to look at the packages and deals in their area in order to receive the best value, speeds and performance available to them," he explained.

It comes ahead of the 4G network spectrum auction, set to take place later this year, which will improve the speed of mobile internet.

The general public believe that businesses are a force for good in the country, according to new[ research that could be of interest to those looking for procurement jobs.

According to the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), around 82 per cent of people say that companies are "good" for Britain as long as they fall within the law, pay their taxes and make a profit.

Furthermore, 73 per cent said that businesses can play an important role in local communities, while 46 per cent said that they believe new or international companies will generate economic growth in the UK.

John Longworth, director general of the BCC, explained that companies are doing all they can to grow despite the tough economy.

"The British public is savvy and recognises that business is a force for good. They are the ones that live and work in business every day," he explained.

"But it is those in government, the policymakers and the commentators that we need to convince."

It comes after research published by Verdantiz yesterday (February 1st) revealed that spending on environmental and sustainability issues is to grow by 12 per cent this year.