Education

• Graduate Common Learning Outcomes
• 14-19 Diplomas in Construction and the Built Environment and Engineering
• Foundation Degrees
• ConstructionSkills - Construction Qualifications Strategy Strand 5 Accreditation Project
• Accelerating Change in Built Environment Education
• Technical Advanced Apprenticeship Project

Graduate Common Learning Outcomes

In 1997 the Common Learning Outcomes (CLOs) covering built environment HE programmes were signed up to by all the major professional bodies. Through consultation with the professional bodies and academia, a revised set of Graduate Common Learning Outcomes (GCLOs) and Intermediate Common learning Outcomes have now been developed to reflect the changing needs of the industry. This set of Intermediate Common Learning Outcomes (ICLOs) reflects the changing needs of sub-degree programmes recognised by professional bodies.

The construction and built environment sector recognises that improvement in construction practice can only be truly effective when all stakeholders – clients, fundholders, regulators, planners, designers, procurers, suppliers, constructors, operators and maintainers – work together and recognise the distinctiveness of all professionals within the industry.

The new set of Graduate Common Learning Outcomes and Intermediate Common Learning Outcomes provides a valuable benchmark for construction and built environment graduates. The criteria within the GCLOs and the ICLOs set out the personal skills and levels of technical and professional awareness that new graduates should have achieved as they embark upon their professional careers.

The following professional bodies have already officially signed up to the new GCLOs:
CIAT (Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists)
CIBSE (Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers)
CIOB (Chartered Institute of Building)
ICES (Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors)
LI (Landscape Institute)
RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects)

Courses which are accredited or validated by these professional bodies will be designated a ‘CIC endorsed course’ and may use the CIC logo. Further details on the accredited courses can be obtained directly from the relevant professional body.

Read full documents GCLOS and ICLOS

14-19 Diplomas in Construction and the Built Environment and Engineering

The construction and the built environment sector (C&BE), and the engineering sector form two of the largest industry sectors in the UK. With an international reputation for world class design, inspirational architecture and engineering and the highest quality construction, working in these industries offers a highly rewarding career.

These industries need a diverse workforce with specialist skills and creative ideas, which present a wide range of career opportunities at all levels. These include professional, managerial, technical support and craft careers. Employers are keen to increase their intake of new, young recruits, with the right skills.

For this reason, the introduction of the new 14-19 Diplomas in ‘Construction and the Built Environment’ and ‘Engineering’ provide for the first time, new and flexible qualifications, that offer both practical and theoretical learning in real life contexts for these industries. They are available at 3 levels - Foundation, Higher and Advanced. Diploma students will be equipped with both necessary general and industry specific learning, to progress on to an apprenticeship, employment, college or university.

Members of the Construction Industry Council (CIC) look forward to welcoming Diploma students from all lines of learning, and especially holders of the Diploma in Construction and the Built Environment, and also the Diploma in Engineering, into careers in the C&BE sector.

We expect that holders of a relevant level 3 Diploma will be at least as well placed as those with ‘A’ levels and other level 3 qualifications, at an equivalent grade to study for the degree level qualifications that lead to a broad range of professions in our sector. (Universities will regard the Advanced Diploma as broadly equivalent to 3.5 A Levels and the Progression Diploma to 2.5 A levels). 

We look forward to working with all those concerned with the design, delivery and management of the Diplomas to ensure that the industry has access to the capable, qualified new entrants that it needs to ensure continued success and prosperity.

Further information on the Diplomas can be found at:
www.cbediploma.co.uk
www.engineeringdiploma.net
www.direct.gov.uk/diplomas
www.connexions-direct.com
www.bconstructive.co.uk

You can access specific guidance about the important choices relating to Maths and Science subjects within the Diploma, that are a necessary for those intending to develop careers in engineering and pursue engineering courses in Higher Education by visiting the websites of the relevant professional bodies – you can find links to these via the CIC members webpage.

The Diploma in Construction and the Built Environment covers a broad range of industries including:

• Construction (including planning, design, building and maintenance)
• Building services engineering (electrotechnical, heating, ventilating, air conditioning, refrigeration and plumbing industries)
• Property, housing, cleaning services and facilities management
• Energy and Utilities (electricity, gas, waste management and water industries)
• Process and manufacturing industries (coatings, extractives, building products, glass and print)
• Designing, constructing and maintaining process plants for the oil, gas, water, environmental, food, power generation, pharmaceutical and chemical industries.

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The Diploma in Engineering covers a broad range of industries including:

• Aerospace Engineering
• Chemical Engineering
• Civil Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Computer Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering

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Foundation Degrees

ConstructionSkills has supported the development of Foundation degrees since their inception in 2001 through the auspices of a best practice network.

ConstructionSkills is fully supportive of a more ‘demand – led’ system and views Foundation degrees as a key focus for this work. ConstructionSkills will have a crucial role in providing robust and up to the minute research and intelligence about the industry and in levering in demonstrable employer engagement and commitment to action that will support innovative programme design and delivery. The development of Sector Skills Agreements will provide the mechanism by which to integrate the planning and funding cycles needed to support the development of industry led Foundation degrees, but also provide the means by which partner capacity and flexibility to respond to changes can be increased.

Please use the following links to access Foundation Degree Sectoral Framework.

Sectoral Framework for Foundation Degrees

Listing of key benchmark criteria for a prototype bid for a Foundation Degree programme in Construction and the Built Environment

ConstructionSkills - Construction Qualifications Strategy Strand 5 Accreditation Project

Project Aim

This project involved working with, accrediting bodies (particularly professional bodies), regulating bodies and qualification providers who operate within the sector, to identify and agree common/core principles for qualification approval, certification and accreditation criteria and processes, to mutual advantage.

Project Stages

The first interim report identified the principal stakeholders responsible nationally and within the sector for the development, assessment and recognition of competence and knowledge and also the principal functions carried out in relation to these responsibilities. These are identified in Table 1 below.

The first report also identified that any common approach adopted in the sector, would need to be developed within the parameters of the national requirements laid down by the national ‘regulatory’ authorities. The focus, therefore, has been to concentrate on the (shaded) recognition criteria and processes implemented by the sector ‘regulatory’ bodies – including ConstructionSkills, Engineering Council, Architect’s Registration Board, sector professional institutions, Construction Skills Certification Scheme, Investors in People and Constructing Excellence. The most significant focus has been on the accreditation of education programmes by professional bodies.

The second interim report identified in more detail the strategies and criteria used by professional and other accrediting organisations in the ‘external’ recognition process, taking into account emerging related national regulatory and ConstructionSkills initiatives.

The findings of the first 2 stages were reported to the CIC Lifelong Learning Committee and to the ConstructionSkills Standards and Qualifications Strategy Committee in May 2008.

The Committee agreed that producing some ‘best practice’ guidance would be a useful step. The ConstructionSkills Standards and Qualifications Strategy Committee considered that there would be advantages in an initiative which might help to eliminate duplication within the current systems.

Taking into account the findings in the first 2 stages, a number of emerging ways forward were identified in the third interim report including the following:

1. Develop best practice guidelines for professional bodies that can be adopted on a voluntary basis:
   
   This would involve development of a set of common accreditation best practice procedures which could both streamline the approvals process, and reduce the time for approval.
   
   
2. Greater use of a common cooperative approach should lead to the following improvements:

• Common quality standards for both accreditation process and criteria;
• Use of common language/terminology in qualifications;
• Semi) automatic recognition of qualifications endorsed by others, or that have undergone recognised QA processes;
• Simplification/reduction of burden/ avoidance of duplication of effort on the awarding institutions and on the accrediting body.

Guidance material developed during the project is presented under Course Accreditation and Accreditation Process.

Download the full Report.

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Accelerating Change in Built Environment Education

CIC, CITB-ConstructionSkills, CEBE, Rethinking Construction, and the Learning and Teaching Support Networks (LTSNs), have been involved in the Accelerating Change in Built Environment Education initiative - designed to follow the outcomes of the ‘Accelerating Change’ report. It aims to improve communication and dialogue between the construction industry and the academic world in order to better align education with industry needs, promote interdisciplinary team-working and show how this can deliver improved industry performance. ACBEE proposes to identify existing or planned examples of good collaborative practice. CIC's Progression Project is one such exemplar project. Its outputs should be a valuable input to the work of the Sector Skills Councils; for more information please access the following link: Accelerating Change in Built Environment Education (ACBEE)

Technical Advanced Apprenticeship Project

The Construction Industry Council within ConstructionSkills and in conjunction with QCA and SSDA, is currently managing a project to explore the potential of Technical Advanced Apprenticeships in construction. We are now working to develop and pilot a model[s] for a self-standing ‘qualification’ for apprentices, reflecting the views of sector bodies and other key stakeholders. This model[s] could potentially lead to candidates being on a career pathway that would lead to Technician Membership of Professional Institutions within the Built Environment sector.

Your involvement in this project is key to its success; we welcome participation from employers, colleges, assessment centres and Professional Institutions in the upcoming pilot trials.

To get involved, please contact David Cracknell, Director of Lifelong Learning dcracknell@cic.org.uk telephone 020 7399 7403