The Building Control technical support pathway for succession

planning and trainingAnna Thompson

LABC Director of Training

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We all know that we need sufficiently qualified and experience staff resources to meet future demands.

Economic growth is expected to be low for a number of years but it is still vital for local authorities to plan for the future.

Issues identified include

an aging workforce competition for a declining pool of

qualified and experienced staff a lack of dedicated Building Control

courses Lack of interest in Building Control as a

career

Real issues are…..

People are struggling to keep the staff they have

There is no money for expensive college courses

College courses aren’t all relevant Training people is time consuming They keep asking for help! They are always at college!

Different types of trainee

School leavers Graduates People from site People from other professions Existing Technical Support staff

Technical support apprenticeship ConstructionSkills have developed a new Building

Control Technical Support apprenticeship framework in partnership with the NHBC and LABC.

This is for advanced level Technicians working in technical support roles

They would be working towards basic plan checking and some supervised site visits – a kind of hybrid trainee/tech support officer

Why technical support staff?

They are undervalued They are traditionally underachievers They can add huge knowledge and

experience to supplement your surveying team

You don’t need a fully qualified surveyor or building engineer for all building control tasks

The apprenticeship framework includes the following qualifications:

Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Building Control Technical Support

Edexcel BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Construction and the Built Environment*

Functional Skills (or Essential Skills in Wales) Employability skills Personal Learning and Thinking Skills

Mandatory BTEC units plus:J/600/0451 Mathematics in Construction and the Built Environment (unit

3)T/600/0221 Science and Materials in Construction and the Built

Environment (unit 4)A/600/0222 Graphical Detailing in Construction and the Built Environment

(unit 8)M/600/0296 The Underpinning Science for the Provision of Human

Comfort in Buildings (unit 13)H/600/0456 Building Surveying in Construction (unit 15)D/600/0441 Building Regulations and Control in Construction (unit 17)J/600/0224 Surveying in Construction and Civil Engineering (unit 27)

This apprenticeship will enable progression to: NVQ Level 6 Diploma in Building Control

Management (under development) Higher Nationals and degree level

qualifications Route to Technical Level Professional Body

membership with ABE

Apart from the obvious skills & knowledge it gives the individual, it will also provide the following benefits:A distinctive qualification for technical support allows for the professionalisation of that part of the serviceit is a useful independent tool to distinguish staff within a career grade or between separate grades in a support team

Increase productivity and improve staff retention Subsidised training route for new entrants and

existing staff The apprenticeship will assist services that wish to

encourage good technical support staff to progress to become professional officers

A structured training route for new entrants and existing staff

Improve staff retention and productivity

But what if you want a different route?

Now it seems there are 2 solutions!

This apprentice pathway doesn’t fit the traditional model for a trainee or a tech support officer.

LABC has therefore decided to make available a sum of money to each region to enable a limited number of “trainees” to be employed by members.

LABC Bursary The LABC scheme is not intended to duplicate

or replicate the proposed industry wide Building Control apprenticeships; therefore the scheme is not aimed at school leavers.

The scheme is not intended to support existing staff, although LABC recognises that in some exceptional instances, this might be appropriate.

Aimed at

New entrants to Building Control or transferors from Technical Support, or Career change or School Leavers (age 16-19) – excluding those following funded apprenticeship routes.

Then Existing staff undertaking a formal training

programme up to and including HNC level.

LABC will make available funding to allow for the payment of ONC or HNC course fees for a two year period (payment will be made directly to the educational establishment).

A condition of the funding is attendance at the LABC residential courses specifically covering Building Control competencies over the two year period, the course fees for which will be paid for by LABC.

What else are we doing?

Opening up residential courses to all at low cost

New areas on LABC forum Sponsoring joint CIOB scholarship Our programme of Building Control and

Planning technical support training Business support via our regions Trainee of the year

This new apprenticeship will take technical support staff to a new level

They already understand the business and customer environment

This will help local authorities to prepare their teams for whatever lies ahead

So what are you waiting for?The future is looking brighter!

www.labc.uk.com/training