CIC Cascade 10 November 2006

CSCS have announced the launch of a new Professional Qualified Persons (PQP) card. The card widens the scope of CSCS to cover non-site based professionals who have health and safety responsibilities – such as consultants, clients and engineers – to ensure that everyone in the construction industry can demonstrate competence, qualifications and health and safety awareness.

Almost 20 professional institutions, including the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Royal Institution of British Architects and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors have had their qualifications and membership criteria reviewed as part of the process for creating the new card. The criteria for members of Professional Institutions who would be eligible for the Professionally Qualified Persons card is:

Professional institutions whose qualifications have been mapped against S/ NVQ and approved for recognition against existing CSCS platinum or black occupational cards
Professional institutions whose qualifications are regulated by the Engineering Council
Architects Registration Board whose qualifications are regulated by statute.

The card will identify an individual’s professional institution and will only be issued to professionals who can demonstrate a high level of health and safety knowledge though the achievement of a new Higher Managerial Health and Safety Test. The Test was developed by CSCS, CITB-ConstructionSkills and the Construction Industry Council (CIC) in close conjunction with professional institutions and consultancies.

The Professionally Qualified Persons card will be promoted to consultants and other professionals not working permanently on site, and we will encourage them to ensure that CSCS is specified in the tenders and contracts in which they are involved.

Brian Adams, CSCS Chief Executive added: “We are extremely encouraged that Professional Institutions and Consultants have requested a CSCS card to reflect their commitment to occupational competence. This card broadens the reach of the CSCS scheme beyond site operatives and will be another key driver in proving competence and health and safety amongst the entire construction workforce.”

Sir Michael Latham, Chairman of CITB-ConstructionSkills added: “We are extremely pleased with the support we have had from this sector, with key industry bodies getting involved in setting the standards for the new Health and Safety Test, ensuring it meets the needs of the sector. We thank them for this input, and look forward to their continued support in furthering our industry’s commitment to raising Health and Safety standards.”

Stuart Henderson , Construction Industry Council Deputy Chairman, said:
“The new PQP card underlines the commitment of those in the professional services sector to Health and Safety as it was promoted by CIC . It also creates a challenge for those providers to take the test and pass it. Those that do and gain the card will be moving the whole industry a little further forward.”

The Higher Managerial Test will sit alongside the existing range of CITB-ConstructionSkills Health and Safety Tests, which are sat by over 300,000 candidates per year. CSCS have recently decided that the new test will also apply to the level 5 card for Managers who are resident on site, with effect from January 2007.

Those wishing to apply for a CSCS PQP card, should call CITB-ConstructionSkills’ SkillsDirect service which pulls together the various components into one integrated service – call 0870 850 5262 to book or visit www.citb-constructionskills.co.uk/skillsdirect for more information.

There is a question book available for the Higher Managerial Health and Safety Test - which carries all the possible questions and answers for the Test and is available when booking the Test or from the booking line and website at any other time.

Top

2. Nationwide Consultation - Revision and development of Built Environment Design Level 3, 4 & 5 NVQ/SVQs

An important development for built environment design practitioners in the UK is about to enter its consultation phase and feedback is invited from all interested parties.

These revised NVQ/SVQ qualifications have been developed for those working at technical support, intermediate and senior levels in design disciplines and consultancy across the built environment

CIC, as a partner in ConstructionSkills have been overseeing the development work on the revision of the NVQs in conjunction with industry experts.

The occupational standards – the building blocks of NVQs/SVQs – have been modernised and simplified. The opportunity has been taken to review and consolidate a number of the original Level 3, 4 and 5 Design–related NVQ/SVQs to take into account feedback from use of the existing qualifications, changing industry practice and legislation etc. The new structure allows candidates to build NVQ/SVQs around common competences, to suit their own individual personal development.

The consultation has just begun and will end on the 24 th November 2006 .

Full details of the consultation together with the draft qualifications

Top

3. ConstructionSkills sets a challenge for professionals in the South West

Do you want to meet other Built Environment professionals in your region in a competitive but informal environment? The Construction Challenge is one way you can do just that while promoting better teamwork and increased interdisciplinary understanding among professionals.

Teams at each regional competition will be asked to complete a practical task. This may, for example, involve building a model from a selection of materials provided on the night. The exact task for the evening will be revealed to teams at the start of the event. All tasks will however make full use of a variety of skills and knowledge possessed by different Built Environment professionals. To achieve the most success participants will be required to work together with their team members.

Events will be held in Manchester, Bristol and Guildford in November 2006. Each Construction Challenge event aims to:

promote success through teamwork
promote management and leadership skills
demonstrate how construction professionals must work together to achieve common objectives
be an enjoyable and competitive night’s entertainment.

Any organisation working in the Built Environment can enter a team of between 3 - 5 people. This includes, among others, consultants and universities. The only requirements are that team members must:

represent a cross-section of professional disciplines, and
all be aged under 30 on the day of the competition.

There should be no more than five members per team, who ideally should be from different professional disciplines, although this may not be possible in every case. You may for example decide to enter a team comprising of a surveyor, a town planner, an architect, a project manager and an engineer.

The events are free – and there will be prizes for the winners! Drinks and a buffet will also be provided.

For further information or to register a team for an event, please contact Janette Welton at CIC before Friday 10 November 2006 (Tel 020 7399 7404, Email jwelton@cic.org.uk).

Top

4. ACE forms new public buildings consultancy group

In a move which further strengthens its growing industry representation and influence, the Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) has announced the creation of a new group for the public buildings sector.

The ACE Public Buildings Sector Interest Group will be chaired by Clive Anderson, managing director of property and project management at ACE member firm White Young Green. Clive has a track record of delivering high quality services and has experience in a range of sectors notably local and central government, the criminal justice system, healthcare, defence and education. The new sector interest group includes representatives from leading consultancy players in the sector and will ensure that ACE can pre-empt and proactively address issues and concerns of members in the private buildings arena.

The group will also set an agenda to deal with key issues in the public buildings arena and engage with major clients and key stakeholders.

Commenting on the setting up of the new group, ACE economic, policy and regional director Irum Malik said: "The public buildings group further strengthens ACE’s influence in the industry. Our sector interest groups enable ACE to better represent consultancy and engineering across all the main industry sectors."

All ACE sector interest groups are comprised of sector champions from key consultancy and engineering firms in the relevant industry sector and where appropriate include key sector stakeholders including experts and clients. All groups are chaired by leading representatives from ACE member companies.

ACE, which represents over 800 member firms that employ over 45,000 staff, is the leading business association for consultancy and engineering in the UK.

Top

5. Plumbers are essential!

The Institute of Plumbing & Heating Engineering’s website www.iphe.org.uk is visited, on average, by 1,300 people per day. One of the most popular pages on the site contains a search facility for consumers looking for an IPHE Registered Plumber. Other top pages of interest cover technical information and advice about training.

A recent consumer survey on the website came up with the following information:

On the subject of consumers’ general perception of plumbers, it was surprising to find that even though there are lots of negative stories about plumbers in the media, 59% of those taking part said that plumbers provide an essential service. However, 29% believe that they overcharge. Only 6% said they are undervalued and 6% think they are all cowboys!

When asked how long they would expect to wait for a plumber to arrive in an emergency, 55% said five hours, 20% said one hour, 20% reckon on waiting 24 hours and just 6% expected to wait more than 24 hours.

On the topic of training around 67% decided it took three years to train, 32% thought it would take one year to qualify and 1% believed it would only take three months. The Institute recommends that anyone seeking an industry recognised qualification should aim for NVQ Level 3 in Plumbing, which can take around three years to complete.

Blane Judd, chief executive, gave the following comment: “These statistics show that consumers do recognise and respect competent and conscientious plumbers. IPHE members abide by a code of professional standards and are committed to raising standards.”

Ms Tracey Abbott from Stafford was selected as the winner of the lucky prize draw for taking part in the survey and was sent a bottle of Moet & Chandon champagne.

Top

6. How Corrupt is UK Construction?

51% of UK construction professionals felt that corruption is commonplace within the UK construction industry according to a survey by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB).

The survey asked over 1400 construction professionals what type of corrupt practice was most commonly found, and examined attitudes of how corrupt they deemed a variety of practices to be. The study also looked at the areas in which respondents felt that corrupt practice was most likely to occur.

82% of respondent’s were managers or directors; 57% worked in large companies, 20% were employed in medium sized firms and 23% in small organisations.

76% of respondent’s regarded the employment of illegal workers as widespread in UK construction; 60% felt that fraud within the industry was prevalent and 41% had been personally offered a bribe.

Michael Brown CIOB deputy chief executive said, “People define corruption in different ways. What is corrupt to one person might be common practice or just ‘how it’s always been done’ to another. We wanted our research to take the temperature of UK construction and find out what the perception is from those that work within it and its scale.

Whilst the majority of respondents recognised corrupt practices for what they were, there was a concerning level of people who thought, for example, that producing a fraudulent invoice was not corrupt or that using bribery to obtain a contract was also not a particularly corrupt practice. We clearly have some way to go as an industry to make ethical construction the only construction.”

The World Bank has estimated the cost of corruption to the global economy at US$1.5 trillion a year. More specifically corruption in the Great British construction industry could cost anywhere up to £3 billion a year. The total cost of corruption to the respondent’s companies was estimated at £35 million per year.

A full copy of the report is available at http://www.ciob.org.uk/resources/research

Top

7. National Trust triumphs in BIFM Awards

Achievements in facilities management were celebrated at the 6th annual BIFM International Investors in FM Excellence Awards. The event, held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London, lived up to its reputation as the biggest and most prestigious FM awards event in the UK, with 1,200 facilities management professionals gathering to celebrate the achievement of their colleagues.

Sheila Ferguson and her band provided a sensational start to the evening’s entertainment. Ferguson established herself as a soul music legend when she rose to fame as lead singer of The Three Degrees, the most successful female group in 1970s America.

The host for the evening Adrienne Lawler, journalist and newsroom anchor for the BBC, Sky and Carlton, was lively, engaging and humorous. Lawler and new BIFM Chairman Peter Cordy were joined on stage by the sponsors of each of the twelve categories to present the awards to the winners (see full list of winners and highly commended entries below).

The presentations began with the ‘New Build Award,’ sponsored by Workplace Management, presented to The National Trust for their headquarters project, Heelis. The judges were looking at the extent of FM integration throughout the whole process of planning, designing, building and operating a new facility.

The National Trust also won the award for ‘Sustainability’, sponsored by Interserve FM.

Commenting on the NT's success, Helen Riddell, National Administration and Facilities Manager said: "The undoubted success of the building has been due to the synergy between the design and the functionality of the building and the ability to bring the Trust's Central office teams together under one roof. While the building is an award winning example of sustainable design, the working practices in operation also demonstrate the Trust's commitment to practical sustainability. Not only do we employ a strict green travel policy, but other measures such as duplex printing on central multi-functional printer/copiers and centralised waste recycling bins, rather than under desk bins, mean that we encourage all users to consider their impact on the environment. The building is not just a great place to work, it is an education centre and we hope it goes on to influence its users and visitors in their everyday life."

Rob Jarman, Head of Environmental Practices added: “The National Trust is delighted to have won this award, as Heelis is a flagship example of our commitment to reducing our environmental footprint and developing renewable energy schemes at our own properties. Heelis is floored with carpet manufactured using wool from Herdwick sheep from the Lake District and is clad and decorated inside with timber from National Trust woodlands. It generates one third of its electricity demand from its solar roof and saves water through its water-miserly lavatories and washrooms.

But above all, it is a fantastic place in which to work and from which to serve our supporters.”

The ‘Impact on Organisation and Workplace’ award, sponsored by Reliance Integrated Services, was won by Microsoft for ‘children and staff coexisting in harmony’.

The joint winners of the ‘Best Practice in a Fit-out Project Award’, sponsored by Jewson, were the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Siemens Facility Management for Siemens Power Generation in Heaton.

The award for ‘Best Practice in a PFI/PPP Project’, sponsored by Facilities Recruitment, was won by Robertson Facilities Management for ‘Chester Le Street Community Hospital’.

The award for ‘Best Article in FM Journalism’, sponsored by MITIE Group, was won by David Arminas for his article ‘The Time for Auction,’ published in FM Wold magazine.

The winner of the ‘Innovation Award’, sponsored by Hays Facilities Management, was Centrica Group Property for their project ‘Intelligent Buildings that can really talk’.

The ‘Technology Award’ sponsored by Amey Business Services was presented to Macro and Cirrus Software in Partnership for the FM Horizon Helpdesk.

The winners of the ‘Customer Service Award’, sponsored by Larch Consulting, were Royal & Sun Alliance and TNT Managed Services for their mail and distribution services.

The award for ‘Student of the Year’, sponsored by Land Securities Trillium, went to Judi Hall as the student who achieved the best performance in the BIFM examination Part I and Part II during the last year.

The penultimate award, for ‘Communications and Marketing’, sponsored by FM World, went to MITIE Group plc for ‘Communicating our changes.

The final award ‘Facilities Manager of the Year’, sponsored by Linaker, is given in recognition of outstanding personal performance as well as career progression and was awarded to Ian Broadbent, Group Facilities Manager with Hallmark Cards.

The evening then took another musical turn and the audience enjoyed a visually stunning show by Night Games – a complete showstopper of a band with dazzling choreography, breathtaking costume changes and close harmonies.

The casino, sponsored by Workplace Law, raised over £9,000 for charity - to be split between the BIFM chairman's charity Marie Curie Cancer Care and Exhall Grange school for disabled children. A football signed by the Arsenal team and donated by Facilities Recruitment Ltd., was auctioned for £4,000.

For more information visit www.bifm.org.uk or telephone 01799 508606.

Top

8. Mark Kennett: New CIAT President Elect

The new President-Elect of the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT) is Mark Kennett MCIAT, a partner in private practice based in York, who takes up office at the close of CIAT’s 2006 AGM in Newcastle-upon-Tyne on 18 November. He will become the institute’s president in November 2007, replacing the current President, Jim Kirwan.

The Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists represents over 7,000 professionals working and studying in the field of Architectural Technology. It is internationally recognised as the qualifying body for Chartered Architectural Technologists (MCIAT) and Architectural Technicians (TCIAT).

Speaking on his appointment, Mr Kennett said: “It is a great honour to be elected to this position and I hope to oversee continual advancement in the standards of education, competence, practice and the conduct of all of our members for the benefit of society. I consider it important that the working relationships we have with our sister institutes and with the government are promoted and developed. One area I have been charged with during my year as President-Elect by our council is to chair a working group to develop an overarching strategy for international development.”

Following the AGM the institute celebrates its year of success at the President’s Annual Dinner Dance, which is the high point of the CIAT calendar. This year it will be held at the Civic Centre, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The event brings together around 200 CIAT members and related industry professionals and includes presentations of the Insitutes awards and a civic reception hosted by the Lord Mayor of Newcastle.

For more information on Dinner dance tickets visit www.ciat.org.uk

9. CIC Chairmans Dinner

A dinner was held on 6 November 2006 in honour of Stuart Henderson’s Chairmanship of CIC from 2004 to 2006.

The dinner was held at the Institute of Civil Engineers and attended by 45 people. Stuart was presented with the traditional gift of an inscribed Armada Plate.

10. Events

The events page of the CIC website is frequently updated visit the events page for details.

Top


	For general information please contact CIC

Construction Industry Council is a company no. 2388396 limited by guarantee, registered in England. CIC registered office: 26 Store Street London WC1E 7BT