CIC Cascade

7 September 2004

1. DQI AGM - The Way Forward
2. Construction Contracting N/SVQs are updated
3. CIOB questions industry capacity for BSF initiative
4. ICES approved 2 new training schemes
5. BIAT Open Award for Technical Excellence in Architectural Technology
6. Revised Guide to Public Health Engineering
7. Events

1. Design Quality Indicator, AGM 2004 – The Way Forward

On 13 October 2004 , CIC will be hosting the DQI AGM - The Way Forward - providing the opportunity for current and potential users of the DQI to re-convene and have the chance to review and influence the latest developments of the tool and experience case studies of the DQI in use.

Invited speakers include Richard Simmons, CABE Chief Executive, Graham Watts, CIC Chief Executive, Sunand Prasad, CABE Commissioner, Professor David Gann, Imperial College and Caroline Cole, Colander Consulting. For further information please go to www.dqi.org.uk/reception/events.htm. 

The event will be held at the Design Council London; tickets cost £50 plus VAT, please email thewayforward@cic.org.uk, or call 020 7399 7424 to book your place.

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2. Construction Contracting N/SVQs are updated

An important development in the field of qualifications for Construction Contracting in the UK has entered its consultation phase.

This award is a revision and development of the Construction Contracting N/SVQs. They have been designed on a ‘core and options’ basis to serve a wide range of job roles. These include people who might be considered to be office based such as estimators, quantity surveyors, buyers and planners; also people who might be considered to be site based and carry out such functions as dimensional control, surveys, physical testing and work planning. To give it greater flexibility it also includes a general route for the person who doesn’t neatly fit into one of the specified routes.

CIC has been overseeing the development work in conjunction with industry experts. The occupational standards – the building blocks of N/SVQs – have been modernised and simplified. The new structure allows candidates to build N/SVQs around common competences, to suit their own individual personal development.

Full details of the consultation together with the draft qualifications are available from the CIC website on http://www.cic.org.uk/activities/lifeconmanlevel3_4.shtml or by contacting.

Patricia Bĕhal on pbehal@cic.org.uk. The deadline for consultation responses is 30 September 2004 .

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3. Chartered Institute of Building questions industry capacity for Building Schools for the Future initiative

The Government's 'Building Schools for the Future' (BSF) initiative for upgrading and refurbishing 180 secondary schools across England is set to commence in 2005-06. But is there enough industry capacity to take on the generated workload of the scheme?

Fourteen local education authorities will share a £2.2 billion capital investment boost in the first wave of the programme, that aims to see every secondary pupil within 10 to 15 years from 2005/6 (subject to future public spending decisions) educated within 21st century standard facilities.

The current industry climate suggests that the workforce is getting smaller with less retention of existing staff, fewer recruits and a workforce that is ageing. Recruitment takes time as does training and education to produce the standard of workmanship that is necessary for these projects to take place.

Michael Brown CIOB Deputy Chief Executive said, "The BSF initiative is a fantastic opportunity for creating high standard educational facilities. However there are serious concerns about the capacity of the industry to meet the workload generated by this initiative and smaller builders will either have to find a way of becoming involved or lose out on a considerable amount of future public sector work."

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4. Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors approves 2 new training schemes

The ICES is pleased to have agreed Approved Training Schemes for Commercial Managers at two organisations in the North East and the Midlands – Birse Civil Engineering Ltd and Dean & Syball.

An Approved Training Scheme is an agreement between a practise and ICES that defines the training, development and experience that will be made available to a new entrant (normally a graduate in a surveying discipline). The aim of the scheme is to provide all trainees with a coherent and well-structured programme of development, which makes maximum use of the resources available.

Most of the organisations involved with the Approved Training Scheme at present are civil engineering (or mixed) contractors, but ICES welcomes any organisation that employs surveyors within a civil engineering environment to apply. Furthermore, applicants do not need to have a training scheme in place before making an approach to ICES, in fact, some successful applications have come from ‘new’ businesses that have come about as a result of restructuring of parent organisations . There are no fees whatsoever for the approval process or for long term inclusion of the scheme, ICES believes that the Institution benefits from the flow of well trained and appropriately experienced applicants for Membership.

The approved companies consider that these schemes play an important role in the attraction and retention of high calibre employees, ensuring that the development of their roles is achieved quickly and efficiently. Approved Training Schemes involve a significant investment in those individuals undertaking them, and may be considered to be part of the overall reward package being offered by the employer. Employees are also assured that they are to receive the best opportunities available to them in terms of training and development.

Birse Group plc is the ultimate parent company of a group of companies whose principle activities comprise civil and process engineering, building, the hire of plant and machinery and commercial property development. Birse Civil Ltd’s vision is ‘we will be a truly customer focused business operating within our chosen markets working alongside our supply chain and employing the very best practices on safely. All our staff will be proud to work for Birse CL.’ For more information, their website is http://www.birse.co.uk.

Dean & Dyball is one of the largest, privately owned construction and property groups in the UK . They have been trading for over 30 years and operate from a network of regional offices across the South of England, Midlands and Wales . Dean & Dyball’s goal is to be recognised as the best regional contractor in the UK by all of their stakeholders. For more information, their website is http://www.deandyball.co.uk.

The Institution is confident that Birse Civil Engineering Ltd North East Region, and Dean & Dyball at Midlands Region will gain external recognition for having prepared a well thought out training and development scheme that takes new recruits through from induction with the company to the end of their third year.

ICES’s Education, Training and Membership Officer Paul Brown has found that making some personal contact between the trainees and the volunteers and staff at the Institution is a very important aspect of bringing the schemes to life. He would also be pleased to visit any applicants who are interested in the scheme.

To find out more about companies who offer ICES Approved Training Schemes, please contact Paul Brown at ICES’s Head Office, tel 0161 9723114 or email et@ices.org.uk.

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5. British Institute of Architectural Technologists Open Award for Technical Excellence in Achitectural Technology.

Do you know of an outstanding new building which demonstrates technical excellence? If so, why not nominate it for the prestigious 2004 BIAT Open Awards for Technical Excellence in Architectural Technology.

This Award is specifically designed to recognise technical excellence in the built environment. It is open to all professionals working in the built environment. ANY individual, practice, group of people or corporate body can enter.

Entrants must demonstrate their achievement of technical excellence in construction by illustrating the composition of ideas put into practice and presented in a working format. The 2004 Winner was Chetwood Associates for the Egg call centre, Pride Park , Derby. Previous winners have included Grimshaw’s Eden Project and Foster’s National Botanical Garden of Wales.

The winners of the award will be publicised through Architectural Technology magazine. The Award (First Prize) takes the form of £1200, a cast plaque for permanent attachment to the project, and a certificate. Highly Commended (Second Prize) receives £750 and a certificate. Commended (Third Prize) receives £550 and a certificate.

Awards will be announced and presented at the Institute’s Annual Dinner and Dance at City Hall, Belfast , on 20 November 2004 . The deadline for entries is 6 October 2004 .

For further information contact Diane Dale, BIAT, 397 City Road , London EC1V 1NH . Tel. 020 7278 2206 Fax 020 7837 3194 Email diane@biat.org.uk Website www.biat.org.uk.

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6. Revised Guide to Public Health Engineering published by Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers.

The revised edition of the CIBSE Guide G: Public Health Engineering has been updated to take account of numerous new regulations and standards, particularly the Water Regulations, that have been brought in since the first edition was published in 1999.

The work on the publication was carried out as a Partners in Innovation project funded by the DTI with relevant experts responsible for the various sections.

The guide is aimed primarily at public health engineers who design and maintain such systems but it is also useful for anyone with responsibility for building services and other aspects of water and waste management in buildings.

As well as the hygiene aspects of water supply, the guide also covers measures designed to reduce water consumption in accordance with the new regulations. The water services and utilities section of the guide covers amongst other things: sources of water supply, hot and cold water services, control of legionella, energy efficiency and maintenance procedures.

Guide G: Public Health Engineering costs £44 (plus P&P) for CIBSE members and £88 (plus P&P) for non-members and can be ordered from CIBSE on Tel 020 8772 3618 or online at www.cibse.org/publications.

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7. Events

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

Events recently added include:

Community heat networks (CIBSE CHP Group)

Thinking outside the box – the art of innovation (ACE Progress Network business seminar)

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