CIC Cascade

16 October 2006

1. Best Practice Guidance on Continuing Professional Development for the thinking professional
2. ConstructionSkills scoops national award for Positive Image campaign
3. National Construction Week at CIC
4. The ABE Fire Safety Award 2006
5. Promoting Excellence
6. Job opportunities at ACE
7. Events

1. Best Practice Guidance on Continuing Professional Development for the thinking professional

As part of its remit within ConstructionSkills and in conjunction with the involvement of its Member Institutions, CIC has completed a project to help advance the importance of Continuing Professional Development across the sector.

The project is primarily centered on the empowering of individuals to adopt a more meaningful approach to CPD and helping to provide the guidance to facilitate this.

As a result of industry surveys and consultation with professional bodies, the project identified a combination of factors that impinge on CPD practice including: changing needs in this fast-moving industry; recognition of the need to address skills shortages and gaps identified by sector employers; recognition by professional bodies of the difficulties involved in implementing CPD; capacity problems experienced by employers in developing staff; and the perceptions of many professional practitioners about what constitutes ‘CPD’ and that CPD is an ‘obligation’ and a ‘chore’. Clearly, a key point about CPD is whether people actually do it and whether it is effective and valued.

The main outcome of the project was the development of ‘best practice guidance’. This particularly focuses on the advantages of adopting CPD which has structure, is target driven and benchmarked in order to demonstrate acquired knowledge and competence, and which can also be recorded.

This guidance is neither intended to be prescriptive to Institutions, employers and practitioners, nor to supplant requirements and guidance set out by Institutions themselves. Instead, it is about working with Institutions, employers and practitioners, to address common industry skills issues through better use of CPD. It is also about empowering individuals to adopt a more meaningful approach to CPD, to develop themselves and their careers and about helping to provide the guidance to facilitate this. Many of the features in the guidance have already, or are now, being introduced by a number of Professional Institutions.

Guidance with particular advice for employers and individual practitioners.

Further information on the project can be obtained from David Cracknell and Mussa Awaleh at CIC – please telephone 020 7399 7400 or email lifelonglearning@cic.org.uk

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2. ConstructionSkills scoops national award for Positive Image campaign

ConstructionSkills’ Positive Image campaign has been recognised in the marketing industry’s Direct Response Intelligence Awards 2006, by winning the Intelligent Application of Data Online award, pushing The Army’s recruitment campaign into second place.  Previous finalists include big brands like British Gas, Unilever, first direct, ntl, Vodafone, and Hewlett-Packard.

The awards are presented to companies that push back the boundaries of data use. ConstructionSkills demonstrated how the intelligent use of data has delivered measurable business results - getting young people to apply for apprenticeships and scholarships online or, if they were too young to apply this year, to sign up to our CRM programme - which means they get regular e-newsletters from us on construction careers.

The entries were independently judged by a jury consisting of 20 senior client marketers and data experts from direct marketing agencies and data consultancies.  The aspect of the campaign which sparked the judges’ interest was the task of selling something that young people were unlikely to take up for four years.   As one of the panel of judges commented: " …it was nice to see someone taking a long term view"

The news comes in the same week that ConstructionSkills beat off strong competition to become a double winner at the Sector Skills Alliance Scotland Awards 2006 - including the award ‘Most Innovative Lifelong Learning Media’ for Positive Image.

Notable Positive Image online campaign successes include:

• The number of unique visitors to bconstructive.co.uk between January and August 2006 has already exceeded the annual target of 300,000
• This year’s campaign saw a 243% increase in the use of the Virtual Careers Advisor on bconstructive.co.uk compared to last year, with 23,000 people helped over the campaign period.
• A further aim of the campaign was to increase the ‘stickiness’ of the website, which was achieved with users spending an average of 9 minutes on the careers section.  This is an increase of 2 minutes compared to 2005.

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3. National Construction Week at CIC

National Construction Week 2006 (NCW), a joint initiative between ConstructionSkills and the DTI, was launched by the current Chairman of CIC and former Minister for Construction, the Rt Hon Nick Raynsford MP. NCW is the national not-for-profit campaign which provides young people with the opportunity to experience the wide range of exciting opportunities available in the modern construction industry.

The launch event for this year’s campaign was held at Greenwich Peninsula on 5 October. Greenwich Peninsula is located within Nick Raynsford’s own parliamentary constituency and will be the focus of a huge regeneration project over the next few years. The launch included a tour of the construction work being undertaken at the O2 centre (formerly the Dome) and Peninsula Square. This work at the O2 centre marks the start of this huge regeneration project. The centre is currently being transformed into a modern entertainment venue which is due to open in summer 2007.

As part of NCW, the ConstructionSkills team at CIC organised a major event for construction professionals in conjunction with Urbis, the museum for the Built Environment in Manchester. With the help of Architruck, the RIBA North West region’s articulated careers lorry, members of the public, and in particular children, could find out about the various professional careers. Young people were also invited to participate in one of the many practical activities inside Urbis which aimed to demonstrate the importance of the Built Environment and foster future interest.

CIC -ConstructionSkills then visited two local schools with Architruck. Over the course of the two days, 100 pupils designed and constructed a geodesic dome out of simple materials (paper, tape and batons) which could hold two people inside it. Pupils developed a wide variety of innovative designs and were very positive and enthusiastic about the opportunity to find out about the industry.

The CIC - ConstructionSkills team also participated in the Job Seekers Forum which was held at the Hub in the London Borough of Newham. A variety of talks and careers related information available were on offer to visitors to the Forum to encourage local people to pursue a career in the construction and engineering sectors.

CIC thanks all those institutions and their members who have supported National Construction Week 2006 and looks forward to even more events being organised to promote construction professionals in 2007.

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4. The ABE Fire Safety Award 2006

The Association of Building Engineers (ABE) is pleased to announce that this year’s winner of the ABE Fire Safety Award is David Simmonds of Surefire Systems Ltd.

David developed Surefire’s watermist system, Scotchmist, to a standard sufficient to accord with the requirements of the London Underground Ltd (LUL) Standards to provide automatic fire suppression on escalators.

David received his certificate from the ABE President, David B Smith CEng PBEng FBEng FIFireE FCII SFPE, at a special awards ceremony in London. He was also presented with a specially engraved decanter.

Unusually, this year saw a Highly Commended certificate being awarded. Bill Jackson, Property Director of the National Library for Scotland, could not attend the London event so a separate presentation took place in Edinburgh.

Bill was highly commended for carrying out a most thorough fire risk assessment in relation to the Library and its priceless contents. In addition, and most importantly, for getting the necessary improvements made to the building whilst ensuring the ongoing support of numerous interested parties with this historic building.

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5. Promoting Excellence
The IPHE’s Women in Plumbing Group in conjunction with Yellow Pages, will be hosting its fourth Conference at the Union Jack Club, London SE1 on Wednesday 22nd November 2006.  The theme for this year’s event will be ‘Promoting Excellence’ and it is anticipated that over 100 delegates will attend.

As usual, the line up of speakers will talk about topics that will have an impact on women in the plumbing and heating industry, including employment prospects and what is happening in the industry as a whole in respect of diversity.

Following on from previous years, there will be an interactive session and so everyone will get a chance to make their views known. The WPG Conference is free and includes refreshments and buffet lunch. Afterwards everyone is given the opportunity to network over a glass of wine.

Guy Hayne, Manager Consumer Development, Yellow Pages, made the following comment: "We are delighted to be working with the Institute’s Women in Plumbing Group. This conference is becoming an important industry event and it has our full support."  

Who should attend? Anyone in the plumbing and heating industry, men and women, are welcome to attend. This includes trainees, employers, manufacturers, local government - anyone who would benefit from hearing the views of women in the industry.

To reserve your place, please contact Carol Cannavan for a booking form at carolc@iphe.org.uk or ring 01708 463114.

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6. Job opportunities at ACE

The Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) is looking to recruit a number of new staff to assist in the further development and growth of the organisation. Three of these posts are currently being advertised on the ACE website. ACE has created the post of Business Development Executive to oversee the acquisition of new members and the maximising of business development initiatives. They are also looking to recruit an International Business Executive to deliver ACE’s business plan agenda for the international market and provide business opportunity leads for members. ACE is also recruiting a Knowledge Management Executive to provide leadership and direction in all knowledge management and IT activities. Further details about these opportunities, including job descriptions and person specifications.

9. Events

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

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