Building Standards

Strengthening Assessment of Competency for the Building Standards Profession

September 26, 2024 by Simon Moore No Comments | Category Building Standards, Competence, Workforce, Workforce Strategy

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 report, published on 4 September 2024, was clear on the need for competency assessment of individuals involved in building projects. Managing competency is a strong theme across the report’s recommendations. The Building (Scotland) Act 2003 and associated legislation requires verifiers to have the necessary competencies for the role and this requirement is set out in the Operating Framework and Performance Framework for Verifiers.

A new project is underway to develop and implement a scheme for independent assessment and periodic revalidation of competency for the building standards profession. Building Standards Division has been working with partners to ensure the building standards profession is resilient, sustainable and individuals are able to access training to maintain their competency since the ‘Workforce Strategy for the Building Standards Verification Service’ was published on 1 October 2020.

Under the remit of the strategy, The Professional Competency Framework for Verifiers (PCF), and the Competency Assessment System (CAS) were introduced in 2021. They provided, for the first time in Scotland, a national methodology to assess the competency and capability of individuals fulfilling specific job roles in the building standards profession. The CAS Toolkit developed by Local Authority Building Standards Scotland (LABSS) provided a mechanism for individuals to assess their level of competency and identify any skill gaps with their line manager. Introducing a scheme for independent assessment of competency is a natural progression to strengthen the competency management process.

A Competency Steering Group has been established to oversee work to develop and implement an independent assessment scheme. The first meeting took place on 26 June 2024 and future meetings will be held on a quarterly basis. Members are drawn from LABSS, the Scottish Building Standards Hub, Verifiers, Skills Development Scotland, Chartered Association of Building Engineers, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, Institution of Fire Engineers and Local Authority Building Control.

Following the first meeting, a research project was commissioned to develop an options appraisal to ensure the preferred model for an assessment scheme meets the needs of verifiers. The model will be specific for Scotland and have equivalence with the approach to raising competence for building control professionals in England and Wales. The Professional Competency Framework for Verifiers will be reviewed as part of this work to further streamline the job roles in the profession and refresh the competency requirements to support effective assessment once the scheme goes live.

The introduction of an independent assessment scheme represents a significant change in how competency is managed. Regular communications and engagement with verifiers will be overseen by the Competency Steering Group to ensure everyone is able to share their views and contribute to the development of the new approach. A transition period will be implemented once the scheme criteria is defined, and a provider is appointed, to provide 12 months for individuals to understand the process and to prepare for assessment. It is expected the scheme will become operational in 2026 which will mark five years since the first competency assessments using the CAS.

Further updates on progress with the development of an assessment scheme will be provided on a regular basis and the revised Professional Competency Framework and the assessment scheme criteria will be published online.

Comments