1. Anna Thompson LABC Director of Training
The Building Control technical support pathway for succession planning and training
Anna Thompson
LABC Director of Training

2. © Presentations and their content are the copyright of LABC
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.
© Presentations and their content are the copyright of LABC

3. 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

4. People are struggling to keep the staff they have
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!

5. Different types of trainee
School leavers
Graduates
People from site
People from other professions
Existing Technical Support staff

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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)

10. 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

11. 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 service
it is a useful independent tool to distinguish staff within a career grade or between separate grades in a support team

12. 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

13. But what if you want a different route?

14. Now it seems there are 2 solutions!

15. 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.

17. 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.

18. 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.

19. 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.

20. Opening up residential courses to all at low cost
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

21. 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

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