Latest news with #JulianLambert
ITV News
13 hours ago
- ITV News
Pontins owner denies corporate manslaughter after ceiling collapse at Somerset holiday park
The owner of Pontins holiday parks has pleaded not guilty to corporate manslaughter after an air conditioning duct fell on guests at a resort in Somerset. Wendy Jones, 68, died in August 2019 after spending six months in hospital following the incident at the Brean Sands resort. She was among 18 people injured when approximately 40 metres of structural ducting and ceiling collapsed into the bar area inside the entertainment centre, called The Fun Factory, in February 2019. Britannia Jinky Jersey Ltd, the parent company of Pontins, appeared before Bristol Crown Court on Wednesday for a plea and trial preparation hearing. Judge Julian Lambert confirmed that the company had pleaded not guilty to the two charges it faces, corporate manslaughter and failing to discharge a duty under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act. It is alleged that, between 1 January 2015 and 5 August 2019, Britannia Jinky Jersey Ltd 'managed and organised its activities in such a way as to cause the death of Wendy Jones'. The company is said to have 'exposed Wendy Jones to the risk of death from the collapse of ventilation ducting, which was positioned at height in the Fun Factory at Pontins Brean Sands, in gross breach of its duty to take reasonable care for the safety of Wendy Jones'. The second charge alleges that, between 1 January 2015 and 21 February 2019, it failed to ensure that members of the public were not exposed to risks to their health and safety. It names the risk posed as 'the installation of soundproofing materials in the Fun Factory at Pontins Brean Sands'. Judge Lambert said a trial, expected to last up to six weeks, would take place at Bristol Crown Court on 12 October next year. He added that a pre-trial hearing would take place on a date to be fixed.
1News
10-06-2025
- Business
- 1News
Student interest in tech declines as digital talent demand soars
School students' interest in technology subjects is declining across New Zealand, despite the job market being hungrier than ever for digitally skilled workers — especially in artificial intelligence. The latest NCEA data showed a 10.4% decrease in those taking up tech subjects such as computer science, programming, digital design, and electronics in Year 11. The trend emerged even as 92% of New Zealand jobs now required digital expertise, with a demand for AI, cloud computing, cyber security and data analysis skills on the rise. New Zealand's AI industry was expected to hit $206 million this year. Potentia director of customer Julian Lambert said there had been a 300% increase in AI related roles on job marketplaces such as Seek and Trade Me in the last few years. ADVERTISEMENT "Kids don't really know what technology jobs look like for the future with the interventions of AI and what's going to steal the responsibilities they might have formerly had within those jobs." Despite the decrease, some schools were working to reverse the trend. At Papakura High School, students were embracing Mission Read, a programme designed to demystify careers in tech and provide pathways, particularly to underrepresented communities. Deputy principal Rebecca McGrath said pathways into tech "aren't yet visible" for a lot of students. "For young people like ours, who are predominantly Māori and Pasifika, we don't have the same representation in tech." Women were also underrepresented with just 39% of students earning NCEA tech qualifications being female. At the university level, the gap widened with only 22% of IT graduates being women. Mission Ready candidate recruitment adviser Jayda Felix-Mounlath said there was a myth about having to be a certain type of person. "You feel a bit like a unicorn, sometimes you just need that one opportunity to say, 'hey, why don't you give this a go'?"
