LABC welcomes blueprint to improve competence in the built environment

A blueprint to improve competence for those working on higher-risk buildings and drive culture change has been set out by a cross-industry group representing more than 150 organisations in the fire and built environment industries.

Setting the Bar is the second and final report of the Competence Steering Group [CSG] and is an update of its Interim Report, Raising the Bar, published in August 2019. The work was initiated by the recommendations in Dame Judith Hackitt’s review Building a Safer Future.

The proposed overarching system of competence set out in the report is made up of four key elements:

• a new competence committee sitting within the Building Safety Regulator
• a national suite of competence standards – including new sector-specific frameworks developed by 12 working groups
• arrangements for independent assessment and reassessment against the competence standards
• a mechanism to ensure that those assessing and certifying people against the standards have appropriate levels of oversight.

LABC Chief Executive, Lorna Stimpson commented, "We welcome the publication of the final report into industry competence and are committed to seeing the recommendations implemented.

"I'd particularly like to highlight the commitment to strengthening professional pathways in building control, support for unifying the sector and the introduction of a generic competence framework. We are also determined to work alongside the BECS [Built Environment Competency Standards Steering Group  Strategy Group] to help translate this into a full British Standard which will give the building control profession a truly expert approach to competency and professional development."

View the Setting Bar report here