Modern Building Services

INDUSTRY NEWS 6 MODERN BUILDING SERVICES APRIL 2023 “Engineers will provide Net Zero solutions” says Chris Skidmore Speaking at the 2023 CIBSE Building Performance Awards, MP and Chair of the Net Zero Review Chris Skidmore highlighted the essential role of engineers in the fight to reach net zero carbon emissions. The address emphasised the MPs personal commitment to the zero-carbon target: Identifying it as an urgent challenge, but also as an opportunity for the UK to capitalise on its world-leading position on climate change. Acknowledging both the importance and the opportunities of zero carbon targets, the address highlighted the key role of the engineering professions: “we rely on yourselves to be able to come up with creative solutions to the problems we face, just as we’ve always relied on engineers in centuries past; to deliver on transport stations, to deliver on buildings and cities that we now live in. We now rely on yourselves to come forward and find the solutions to the net zero problems we don’t have answers for as well as scaling up the challenges we know we can meet today” says Chris The overall CIBSE Building Performance Champion award was, fittingly, won by a retrofit project designed to demonstrate how older homes could be improved to the point where they become net energy generators rather than consumers. JIB Skills Development Fund celebrates 70 years The Joint Industry Board (JIB) is celebrating the 70th anniversary of its Skills Development Fund (SDF) by urging members to take advantage of the many opportunities to raise their skill levels and enter new and emerg- ing markets. With the move towards net zero and need for low carbon technologies within the built environment, the JIB Skills Development Fund is providing a much-needed boost for skills and training by providing up to 75% of the costs of relevant upskilling qualifications. Originally established as the Further Education Fund, it was rebranded in 2015 as the Skills Development Fund and over the years the JIB has been working to raise the level of awareness of the Fund with the aim of promoting a higher standard of technical knowledge and craftsmanship across the electrotechnical industry. The SDF helps people improve their skill set in a number of ways, such as providing grants to JIB member companies to train their workforce and become more competitive in an ever-evolving marketplace. The Fund is also open to those who have been made redundant and may be able to provide grants to help increase the skills of those unemployed to re-enter the workforce. Just in the last five years, record levels of applications and support have seen 150 people provided with over £100,000 in grant funding to progress their education and careers in the electrotechnical industry. www.jib.org.uk/jib-skills-development-fund ECS Annual Review high- lights raising standards The Electrotechnical Certification Scheme (ECS) has released its 2022 Annual Review, which highlights the cross-industry engagement to raise competency standards, the ongoing success of ECS Check, and the launch of the CSCS Smart Check app. ECS works alongside more than 100 organisations across electrical, fire and security, digital, network infrastructure, building controls, au- dio-visual, and the wider electrotechnical sector to collectively raise standards. In collaboration with other organisations, ECS reached significant milestones and contributed to key industry developments that will be vital to the advancement of the electrotechnical industry. More than 2,000 organisations have now registered with ECS Check, the free to access digital system that allows main contractors and clients to verify the ECS card of electrical personnel working on projects. April 2022 saw the launch of CSCS Smart Check, represent- ing a historical and progressive step forward in building quality and safety. For the first time, all 2.1 million cards displaying the CSCS logo can be verified using a single app. The three-page document also reports on the Building Safety Act, Industry Group updates to the ECS Electrical Safety Unit and the resounding success of Remote Invigilation, the online assessment service for ECS Assessments. www.ecscard.org.uk Save the date: Thursday 5th October 2023 The Commissioning Specialists Association takes a great deal of pride in bringing together the industry each year to celebrate achievements across the sector. Since launching its industry-wide awards programme back in 2015, the CSA Awards Ceremony held at The Guoman Tower Hotel, London, has become a significant celebration where talent, drive, determination and contribution to the industry is recognised. Nomination/entries are open; it’s your chance to prove you’re at the top of your game! They close on the 14th July. www.csa-awards.co.uk/categories