Blog: Shining a spotlight on the vital need for competence revalidation
The increased regulatory scrutiny and phasing out of industry-accredited competency cards in recent years is heightening the importance of not only greater accountability across the building energy management systems (BEMS) sector but also the revalidating of competence.
Keen to increase awareness and focus the industry’s efforts towards the provision of more opportunities for BEMS engineers to validate knowledge, expertise and skills, the Building Controls Industry Association (BCIA) recently hosted a discussion between some members of the Management Committee – with revalidation of competence one of the primary talking points.
Attendees included BCIA Vice President, Jen Vickers, ex-President Graeme Rees, Jason Harper, Managing Director of Integrated BMS, Ron Purcell, Product Portfolio Manager – Field Device at Siemens, Matt Brown, Managing Director and CFO at E.ON Controls Solutions, and Clare Grams, Director at Westminster Controls.
The panel were asked a number of thought-provoking questions, leading to plenty of insightful and informative responses.
Q. Why do you think revalidation of competence is so important?
Ron Purcell indicated the end result of revalidation of competence is safer, more efficient and better built buildings. He said: “Revalidation ensures that professionals remain up to date with evolving technologies, regulations, and best practices. In a sector like building controls, where innovation and compliance are tightly interwoven, ongoing competence validation helps maintain safety, efficiency and quality.”
His comments were echoed by Clare Grams, who revealed: “In the controls industry, regular revalidation of competence is so crucial to ensure we maintain the right skillset to perform effectively and safely. The industry is constantly changing with new technologies, system protocols, government guidelines and sustainability, so staying current is essential.
“It’s not just about ensuring professionals remain industry ready, technically proficient and capable of adapting. It’s also about ensuring the safety of our engineers by keeping them informed and up to date with the latest government guidelines and best practices for safe working.”
Matt Brown suggested competence revalidation would significantly benefit not just the engineers but smart building occupants too. “Revalidation of competence will ensure the industry maintains a high-quality standard of work via engineers who are competent and well trained. In doing this, customers will see the value of building controls and we will be more effective at reducing energy usage.”
Ex-BCIA President, Graeme Rees, agreed, saying: “The technologies and technical landscape is ever-changing and what one is experienced in today or at the point of training, may well be very different today. This includes not only controls equipment, systems and software but also the mechanical plant that one is controlling.”
BCIA Vice President, Jen Vickers highlighted the importance of adapting to changes in technology and the vital role revalidating competence has. She said: “The revalidation of competence is so important to ensure the industry has the required skillset to deliver and maintain ever-complex buildings incorporating evolving technologies.”
Q. With industry standards ever-tightening, do you think it’s even more relevant now than ever before?
With decades of experience in the industry, Graeme Rees believed revalidating competence has gained increasing significance. He said: “It’s increasingly relevant, given the importance of controls on energy efficiency and carbon reduction measures. It is important the standards and competence of the BMS Controls industry is held and maintained in high regard and seen to be professional so not to be seen as ‘double glazing salesmen’ were once perceived.”
Ron Purcell seconded the need to adapt to the tightening regulatory scrutiny, saying: “Absolutely. As standards become more stringent, especially around energy efficiency, cybersecurity and smart building integration, competence revalidation becomes essential. It ensures that individuals and businesses can meet these new benchmarks confidently and consistently.”
Q. Do you think revalidation of competence can help close the skills gap in the sector, and the construction industry as a whole?
With the skills gap a major concern across the building controls sector and the built environment, members of the Management Committee were keen to debate the potential benefits of competence revalidation. Graeme Rees said: “I don’t think it will necessarily close the skills gap, no, and some might perceive it to be an obstacle to that goal. However, the continued assessment of professional development will display a degree of professionalism in such a highly regarded industry.
Ron Purcell was a little more optimistic on the potential utilisation of competence revalidation to close the skills gap. He said: “Yes. Regular revalidation identifies areas where skills are lacking and provides a structured pathway for upskilling. This not only helps individuals grow but also ensures the sector has a workforce capable of meeting current and future demands.”
Q. How will revalidation of competence benefit your business?
Verifying skills and qualifications through the revalidation of competence has substantial advantages for business owners, as Clare Grams explains: “As a business, we place a strong emphasis on maintaining and enhancing the competence of our engineering team. We conduct regular refresher sessions to ensure our engineers’ skillsets remain current. Internal training is led by our Head of Engineering, providing learning on evolving practices and technologies.
“Additionally, we use our in-house panel shop, by which engineers participate in hands-on panel building, incorporating new types of controllers. This practical approach ensures our team is fully competent and confident when working with these systems on site.
“We also work closely with our suppliers to host product training and presentation days whenever new technologies or equipment are introduced. This ensures our engineers remain up to date with the latest advancements in the field and can apply them effectively. This approach results in reduced downtime and fewer callouts while reinforcing our clients’ confidence in our ability to deliver efficient, first-time fixes.”
Ron Purcell concurred, saying: “It improves product quality and reliability, reduces risk of non-compliance, enhances customer trust and satisfaction, leads to greater innovation and operational efficiency and supports strategic planning by aligning workforce capabilities with business goals.”
Jason Harper believed competency revalidation was vital for businesses. He said: “I think that regular revalidation of competency can bring benefits to a company, such as improving productivity and ensuring employees have the correct skills and knowledge to perform their duties effectively. It also reduces risk and costly mistakes, leading to higher customer satisfaction and this strengthens the overall performance of the business.”
Jen Vickers followed, stating: “Businesses that invest in their people are seen as good places to work. It’s a good way of staff attraction and retention. Having a portfolio of staff who can demonstrate industry-recognised competence helps businesses win work, too.”
Q. Likewise, how will it benefit your employees?
Revalidating competence won’t just provide employers with opportunities, it will also benefit the employees, as Clare Grams, and then Graeme Rees and Ron Purcell explain. Clare said: “By investing in our engineers through ongoing training and regular revalidation, we demonstrate our commitment to equipping them with the highest level of knowledge and expertise available in the industry.”
Graeme Rees then echoed these comments, adding: “Employees will feel invested in and will see continuous professional development if approached in a constructive developmental way, rather than a threatening manner.”
Finally, Ron Purcell stated: “It offers clear development pathways, recognition of the employee’s expertise, increased job security and mobility, greater confidence in their roles and boosts morale by showing that the company invests in their growth.”
Q. What are the biggest challenges the sector is facing? How can proving competence help overcome some/all of these?
With the construction industry facing substantial challenges, such as rising costs, skill shortages and project delays, the revalidation of competence offers promising signs of hope, as Graeme Rees details: “Staff attraction, recruitment, training and retention can all play a part. With training, there are good options in place.
“Meanwhile, attraction and retention areas need to be worked on and simple yet robust plans for competence and continued professional development may help here if approached correctly in supportive and developmental ways rather than a threat/risk way.”
Ron Purcell added further benefits, stating: “The key challenges include rapid technological change, a shortage of skilled professionals, increasing regulatory pressure and the integration of smart systems and Internet of Things (IoT). Proving competence can help by ensuring readiness for new technologies, building trust with clients and regulators, reducing project delays and errors and creating a pipeline of qualified talent.”
Matt Brown highlighted the concerns over the current skills gap. He said: “There is a shortage of skilled engineers in the industry. It is essential that competence is demonstrated and maintained to ensure our clients receive the quality of service that they expect and to minimise costly re-work due to lack of expertise for controls companies.”
Jason Harper echoed these comments, saying: “I think the biggest challenge facing our sector is the shortfall in quality skilled engineers. There is a growing gap between traditional BMS engineers, and the skills needed for modern software-driven systems requiring a multi-skilled engineer capable of a high level of understanding in IT systems, software and mechanical plant. As a result, companies are struggling to hire and retain this hybrid skillset.
“Proving competency will give companies the reassurance that the employed BMS engineer has the skillset capable of carrying out the role effectively.”
As the building controls and automation sector’s only representative body, the BCIA is leading the way in developing more efficient ways of revalidating competence. Conversations such as this one highlight how the industry has some way to go but has a promising future if everyone works collaboratively to improve the verification of skills and qualifications process.