The Industry Competence Steering Group (ICSG) identified 15 Sector Led Groups (SLG) for the construction industry in response to the Grenfell Tower Fire and the subsequent independent review by Dame Judith Hackitt.
SLG 10 - Installation and Maintenance, was established to address competence issues in the installation and maintenance sector. It is the biggest programme of collaboration in the built environment today, and led to the development of the Super Sector Programme, which organises SLG 10 into five distinct categories: Envelope, Engineering Services, Interiors, Civils and Structures.
In August 2023, DHF, together with Automatic Doors Suppliers Association (ADSA) and the British Wood Working Federation (BWF) was invited to sit on the “Envelope Super Sector Scheme” for installation, formed from Working Group 2 and is now known as SLG10.1. The Doors and Shutters segment of the ‘Envelope’ Super Sector is headed up by Ken Price, Managing Director of ADSA and also includes DHF’s Commercial Director, Patricia Sowsbery-Stevens, as well as Helen Hewitt, CEO of the BWF.
“For the past 12 months, the CITB has facilitated weekly meetings with us and ADSA, and as a result, a draft SKEB statement, Strategy Statement and Route to Competence has been formed,” explains Patricia. “As this is an industry strategy statement and not one solely for the aforementioned trade associations, CITB has approached other trade associations to have input into the strategy statement. The result is that it has been identified that the National Occupational Standard (NOS) for the Door, Gate & Shutter industry has some skills gaps and is in need of a review.”
CITB is presently inviting the industry to have input into the NOS review (scheduled to take place in January 2025), and to help shape what competency means. This collaboration will form part of the competency framework, and help identify training gaps to ensure the sector meets the evolving demands of the Building Safety Act 2023.
The review will focus on updating NOS standards, for example, COSVR 676: Install door and gate systems; COSVR 677: Install shutter systems; COSVR 678: Service and maintain door, gate, or shutter systems, and COSVR 679: Dismantle and repair door, gate, or shutter systems. It will also explore enhanced standards for the installation, servicing, maintenance, repair, and dismantling of fire doors and shutters.
“The National Occupational Standards (NOS) are a benchmark for competence decided by industry practitioners,” explains Patricia. “The NOS are used to set out the skills and knowledge needed to be deemed competent to perform activities and issued to create the NVQ. CITB develops and maintains the NOS on behalf of the construction industry through a regulated process that is overseen by UK Standards.
If any DHF members would like to get involved in the NOS Review, please complete this form: https://forms.office.com/e/FmRD7cuWU1. Working closely with industry practitioners and stakeholders ensures the content of NOS meets the needs of the construction industry.
December 2024
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