Welcome

Soon CABE will publish its consultation paper on the future direction of the Association, developed over the past year in response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 Report.

This paper outlines how CABE will continue to strengthen trust and confidence in both our members’ professional competence and the Association as a whole.

Although the implementation of the Building Safety Act in England might seem to signal the conclusion of reform, in reality we remain at the midpoint of a much broader transformation affecting the built environment across the UK. Over the coming months, further government-commissioned reports on fire engineers, fire risk assessors and building control will inform debate on professional standards more widely.

CABE’s Future Professional paper seeks to redefine what ‘good’ looks like for CABE as a 21st-century professional body. While our core values remain constant, expectations from the public and government have evolved significantly. CABE must respond by strengthening governance, transparency, accountability and member support, while embedding lifelong, competence-based learning and professional development. I welcome members’ reflections on the direction we have proposed – the paper’s publication will be announced across all CABE channels in due course.

A key and often debated topic in this is revalidation. Currently a requirement for building inspectors and the UK-SPEC HRB register, revalidation was originally recommended in Dame Judith Hackitt’s review of fire safety and building regulations, formalised in BS 8670 and reinforced by the Industry Competence Committee’s latest guidance. As discussed in my October webinar on CABE Building Inspector Competence Assessment Scheme (CBICAS) scope extension and revalidation (see cbuilde.com/revalidation), revalidation is not about periodic requalification. Rather, it is about verifying that members have effectively maintained their professional competence and development over time. Future Professional proposes that revalidation initially be offered on an opt-in basis for members seeking additional recognition of their professional standing, subject to review. In time, if revalidation becomes a wider requirement, market protection will be necessary to ensure fairness – something we are actively exploring with government.

To help members maintain competence, CABE is launching several new initiatives. The Built Environment series returns next year with in-person conferences in England, Wales and Ireland, alongside an online conference for Scotland and three half-day online CPD conferences on core professional topics. Also in development is a mentoring system to support members applying for upgrades or specialist registrations, and a digital library back catalogue of Building Engineer journals. This archive will be a lifelong learning resource, complementing our free Competency Management System (cbuilde.com/CMS).

To further enhance member development, we will introduce gold standard CPD recording platform mycareerpath®. This will enable reflective logging of CPD activities linked to competence requirements and offer personal development planning.

With so much in the pipeline, be sure to regularly check all CABE communications for the latest updates.

Richard Harral Chief Executive Officer

Image credit | Samm Kerr