ISSUE OF COMPETENCE IN CONSTRUCTION

through accredited training and the achievement of qualifications.

* The most sensible way of proving competence is by means of independently accredited training that makes good use of end point assessment. Proof of attendance alone is not enough.

* With the Building Safety Regulator now having the power to prosecute not only a corporate body but also individuals identified as not meeting their responsibilities, contractors are going to be taking the ‘who are we safest with’ approach. This means that early adopters of accredited training for staff in order to prove competence will find it commercially useful because they will be at the front of the queue when it comes to handing out contracts. A knock-on effect of this will be that proving competence will take precedence over securing the lowest price.

* People at all levels should be willing to upskill and have their competence tested. Better informed people make better decisions.

* Accredited training must be fit for purpose, ie functional and not job title focused. If no qualification is in place in a particular area of the industry, then new accredited training can be tailored to suit it. This should be carried out annually in order to prove continued competence.

IIn addition to questions being posed to the podcast’s panel of experts by GQA, questions were also submitted by other construction industry members. The questions covered changing product specifications, why training is important in the construction industry, how the introduction of a Building Safety Regulator will affect competence, and how competence can be better engrained at the procurement stage. To listen to the podcast go to https://omny.fm/shows/the-big-green-q-a. Anyone wishing to provide feedback about the podcast can email dan.brown@gqaqualifications.com.

GQA Qualifications is a multi-industry awarding body writing vocational based qualifications to support a wide range of career paths.

Accredited training leading to qualifications

If you are looking to retrain for a new career, or looking to develop your skills to open up opportunities why not consider practical training in window and door installation

Learn about Building Regulations, working safely on site, how to remove windows and doors from buildings and replace with new ones

All courses fully accredited and could contribute towards NVQ Qualifications

With further assessment and achievement, successful candidates can go forward to achieve CSCS Cards to enable them to work safely on site

Training delivered in Sheffield in a fully Covid secure environment

For more information on training contact sayhello@buildingourskills.co.uk

For more information on vocational qualifications and CSCS cards contact info@gqaqualifications.com www.gqaqualifications.com