QCTO's EISA Model Misunderstood by Professional Bodies

Industry Competence Committee members met in London last week for another packed agenda focused on strengthening competence across the built environment.   Colleagues from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government joined the meeting to hear the committee's views on key challenges impacting how people and organisations work across the sector. The discussion will help inform the Government's new long-term strategy for professions, trades and occupations, ahead of an upcoming wider call for evidence.   ICC members also advised the Building Safety Regulator on competence aspects of its review of Conditions of Authorisation supporting self-certification schemes, as well as the organisation's overarching strategic approach to competence - including the implementation of competence framework - across the industries.   The afternoon focused on ICC's priorities and direction for the year ahead and beyond. Members reviewed work underway across retrofit, building control and clients, explored systemic competence risks affecting the sector and discussed where the committee can add greatest value through future guidance, engagement and collaboration.    The committee also reviewed its approach to communication, including how to better reach the people and organisations who would most benefit from practical advice and guidance.   The ICC now has its own tag on the BSI Competence Hub, where you can learn more about the committee and keep up with its work. Register now for a free account to access newly-published guidance on competence management in organisations and all upcoming advice to industry here: https://lnkd.in/eRUkQGPf   Thanks to all members, observers and contributors for a productive day of discussion.

Industry Group publishes new guidance on managing competence in organisations across the built environment The Industry Task and Finish Group (ITFG) has published its guidance on Managing Competence in the Built Environment: An industry guide on how to meet the ICC principles, providing practical, proportionate and risk-based support for organisations operating across the built environment. The guidance sets out what effective organisational competence management looks like in practice for organisations of all sizes and risk profiles, enabling them to demonstrate that people working for them, or on their behalf, are competent for the work they undertake. Its flexible and proportionate approach means that the guidance can be used alongside existing management systems, or as a foundation where no formal approach is yet in place. The guidance has been developed alongside, and is fully aligned with, the Industry Competence Committee (ICC) publication Setting Expectations on Competence Management. Used together, the ICC advice sets out what good looks like at a high level, while the ITFG guidance explains how organisations can put those principles into practice. The guidance looks at the role of organisational leadership and governance, while emphasising that actively managing competence is not simply about qualifications or training records; it is about ensuring that organisations have enough people with the right skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours for their role. Using the principles set out in the ICC document, the ITFG guidance sets out the key elements organisations, SME’s and large organisations alike, should think about when putting effective competence management in place, defining what competence is needed for different roles and activities, assessing and verifying competence, and making sure competence is monitored and maintained over time. Sofie Hooper, Chair of the ITFG comments “With competence being a critical determinant of health and safety, building safety and quality outcomes, the management of competence by organisations is not only a requirement for building safety, but it actively underpins the safety, performance and reliability of structures through the built environment. “This important document will provide much needed guidance across the sector on how to manage competence well and it could not have been done without the cross sector support and the dedication of the experts in the Steering Group. We would also like to thank the ICC for the collaboration so that we could align our guidance- making a difference together.” The guidance will next play a key role in shaping the development of a future British Standard on managing competence in organisations. The documents is available from the BSI Competence hub (https://lnkd.in/eePFAsMU ). The ITFG will next be developing case studies and encourages organisations wanting to contribute to get in touch with Sofie.Hooper@aps.org.uk.

About 3 years ago I thought “hang on a second”. Global skills partnerships sound great: destination countries invest in training in origin countries, generating graduates with much-demanded skills for both labour markets. But such partnerships often remain small and lack interest from business. Well, have we considered business-to-business setups here, instead of public or NGO-driven programmes? It might make a difference, so we should understand the opportunities as well as the risks involved. By early 2025, there was a paper with co-authors from migration and business: Colleen Boland, Tesseltje de Lange, Martin Ruhs and Ayse Saka-Helmhout. And recently, this idea was discussed extensively at a webinar with Fabio Jiménez from IOM, Pablo Acosta from the World Bank and Stéphanie Winet from the International Organisation of Employers. Thanks to Tesseltje, Sandra Lavenex and Elisa Fornalé for taking it to this level!! For the paper: https://lnkd.in/dDdUA4ya For a presentation (at an earlier event): https://lnkd.in/eFiBW52w

🚧🤝 New ISO1 opportunity for cross-border programmes. The Interreg Governance Facility project, InterregGov, has launched its first call for programmes working under ISO1, A better cooperation governance, with a focus on cross-border obstacles and people-to-people cooperation. Because legal, administrative and coordination barriers still affect everyday life in many border regions, this call will support 12 Interreg VI-A cross-border programmes with tailored guidance to identify needs, map stakeholders, develop action plans and prepare future ISO1 initiatives. 📅 Applications are open until 17 June 2026, 23:59 CET. Want to know more? Join the informational webinar on 3 June, where InterregGov and the European Commission will present the call and answer questions. 📝 Registration for the webinar is open until 29 May. 👉 Learn more about the call and register for the webinar: https://lnkd.in/da7SKD7Q #AbetterInterregGovernance #Interreg

When we were writing PAS 8671, I remember thinking to myself that matching a project team’s SKEB to a job – particularly one where the design and technical constraints haven’t yet been resolved – is fiendishly tricky. In the back of my mind were all the changes a project undergoes from first idea to final completion. How DO you satisfy yourself of a team’s competence when you’re appointing them amid uncertainty about what the work will entail? The team may have great SKEB, but how does it map to the needs of the job? More than that, project teams aren’t endlessly malleable. You can’t just helicopter in missing competence at the drop of a hat. First, you have to recognise the gap. Then source the right people. Then afford to bring them in without upsetting the programme or budget or project coordination. And yet that is pretty much what Part 2A and the wider competence agenda now expects. Two recent publications worth reading – one from the Industry Competence Committee, the other from the ITFG (Industry Task and Finish Group) – throw light on the issue. The term they use is ‘competence management’. I’m not sure they have all the answers, but I was struck by the extent to which they expect businesses – including microbusinesses and SMEs – to have some kind of system for managing competence. The focus on individuals’ SKEB hasn’t gone away. It’s just that now you need a way to: • identify what competence is needed; • check that people have it; • address gaps; • maintain records; and • review competence over time. That is a pretty significant change for smaller operators that still rely heavily on informal knowledge, trusted individuals and accumulated experience rather than structured organisational systems. In short, competence management increasingly looks like something organisations will be expected to ‘do’ (proportionately) as part of ordinary business governance - rather than consider only at project level or during audits. Importantly, this has implications for procurement, assurance, supply chains and organisational risk management, not just compliance. If you're interested, the two guides are on the BSI's Built Environment Competence Hub: 👉 ICC (April 2026): "Setting Expectations on Competence Management - ICC Advice for Industry" 👉 ITFG (May 2026): "Managing competence in the built environment. An industry guide to meeting the ICC principles" https://lnkd.in/eidyRtEe #BuildingSafety #Competence #ConstructionLeadership #BuiltEnvironment #RiskManagement #BuildingSafetyAct

QSECDEF Australia presents: From Q-Day to Delivery: The Decisions That Will Make or Break Quantum Infrastructure BY: Akin Oni, PMP, DTM, CCP, CPTM Global Megaproject Executive, Strategist, CEO of Eftex Group, and President of The Knowledge House, Inc. https://lnkd.in/gRSdJCeR | WHY THIS MATTERS: According to the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), “By end of 2026: Organisations should have a refined plan for their transition to PQC. The transition plan should account for organisations’ security goals, risk tolerances, dependencies and the value of their data.” IMPORTANT: The shift to post-quantum security is no longer theoretical. And readiness is not only about algorithms, standards, or technical migration plans. The real challenge is delivery. Akin’s session will challenge us to think beyond awareness and toward execution readiness. DATE & TIME: Monday 11 May 2026 | 12:00 pm Australia’s EST Sunday, 10 May 2026 | 09:00 pm America’s CST MEETING LINK: https://lnkd.in/gkc8BvqM Don’t miss this high impact session! Everyone’s welcome. Join us.

I was invited last week to speak as a guest lecturer in AUT’s Advanced Built Environment programme, delivering a session on NZS 3910:2023. I had the opportunity to discuss not only the technical aspects of the standard, but also the governance behaviours and decision‑making disciplines that sit behind effective contract administration. My appreciation to Associate Professor Mani Poshdar, Dr Katrina Rañeses, and Ali Bidhendi for the invitation and for the thoughtful way they integrate industry engagement into the programme. It’s encouraging to see emerging professionals engaging critically with the frameworks that shape our sector. Capability remains our most important asset. #NZS3910 | #Governance | #ProjectManagement | #Contract Auckland University of Technology

On 15 May, Viet Nam's Deputy Prime Minister, Ho Quoc Dung, signed the National Standards Strategy for the period 2026-2035 "For standards related to strategic technology development, strategic technology products, and key economic sectors, Vietnam aims to have representatives participating in 60% of the corresponding technical committees of ISO, IEC, ITU, etc.; the TCVN technical committee should have representatives participating in the IEC technical committee in some areas related to smart city development." https://lnkd.in/eCnw_kCu

An interesting morning today at the TIC Council quality infrastructure roundtable. Around 100 professionals in standards, conformity assessment and accreditation discussed how we, as a community and a sector, can address the opportunities and challenges we all face. UKAS Chief Executive Matt Gantley gave final remarks making a strong call for QI collaboration as we move forward.