Strategic restructure to transform industry competence

The Engineering and Building Services Skills Authority (EBSSA), of which ECA is a founding member, is set to build on its work ‘raising the bar’ on individual competence within the built environment. Today EBSSA becomes part of a new industry competence structure under the Building Safety Regulator (BSR).

The announcement (9 Dec 2024) by the Industry Competence Steering Group (ICSG) clarifies EBSSA’s role in defining the post-Grenfell competence regime, as it will sit directly under the Industry Competence Committee (ICC) and the BSR.

Established in response to the Grenfell Tower Fire and subsequent independent review by Dame Judith Hackitt, ICSG has now transitioned to become a formal working group of the ICC under the BSR, signalling a strategic shift towards more rigorous industry-wide competence frameworks.

The new structure includes sector-led groups, key topic groups, and working groups. They bring together contributions from over 60 professional and trade bodies and 1500 individuals in the built environment, with membership of the sector led groups still growing.

EBSSA was convened in 2023 by Actuate UK members, together with other leading sector bodies, BEAMA, CIPHE, TICA-ACAD and the standards organisation MCS. Its aim is to provide a credible, authoritative voice for skills across all engineering and building services.

EBBSA’s has focused its energy on The Engineering Services Super Sector (Engineering Services Installation & Maintenance), which launches in January 2025. This is one of five super-sector groupings operating under the aegis of Working Group 2: Installers (WG2), with support from the Construction Leadership Council.

Andrew Eldred, ECA Chief Operating Officer and Working Group 2 Engineering Services Super Sector lead, said:

“Actuate UK, EBSSA and our member associations have been contributing to development of sector-specific competence frameworks for several years now. We are well into the delivery and implementation phase, with some engineering disciplines having already issued their frameworks and many others progressing well towards the same end.

Sector Lead Group (SLG10.2) Engineering Services Installation and Maintenance gives us a great focal point, allowing different engineering services organisations to come together, share information and ideas, and support each other towards the goal of raising the bar on competence. ICSG, in turn, provides an opportunity for wider dialogue and support, both across the built environment as a whole and in collaboration with the Building Safety Regulator and other parts of government.”

This article appears on the ECA news and blog site as 'Strategic restructure to transform industry competence' dated 9 December 2024.

--ECA

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings

• Best practice.
• Building Safety Alliance.
• Building safety certificate.
• Building Safety Regulator.
• CDM
• Chief inspector of buildings.
• CIC response to Hackitt report.
• Competence framework.
• Competence management.
• Competence Steering Group.
• Consultation on banning the use of combustible materials in the external walls of high-rise residential buildings.
• Duty holder.
• ECA calls on London Mayor to prioritise green electrical skills in the capital.
• ECA research cited in Welsh Government consultation on Net Zero Sector Skills
• Government response to the Building a Safer Future consultation.
• Grenfell articles.
• Grenfell Tower Fire.
• Hackitt review of the building regulations and fire safety, final report.
• Industry Competence Committee for the Building Safety Regulator.
• Joint Competent Authority.
• Principal contractor.
• Professional.
• Professional conduct.
• Professional practice.
• Raising the Bar.
• Reform of building safety standards.
• Setting the Bar: a new competence regime for building a safer future.
• Skills gap.
• Solar energy workforce goals and the ECA Charter to recharge electrical skills.
• Sweeping building safety measures announced.
• The Building Safety Bill and product testing.
• The Construction Industry Council summarises what to expect from the Construction Products Regulations.
• The ECA Recharging Electrical Skills Charter included in key report.
• Industry Competence Steering Group restructure