BCIA Working Groups – What did you miss?

The latest round of BCIA Working Group Meetings took place in June and, thanks to the many initiatives which members of the Working Groups are currently involved in, there was a lot to discuss.

Marketing Working Group

The Marketing Working Group concentrates on raising the profile of the BCIA and its members. The BCIA has a clear vision to raise the standard of training across the entire industry and the Group aims to achieve this through regular promotion of the BCIA both in the trade press and at industry events. The Group also plays a key part in reaching out to other organisations such as BESA, ECA and CIBSE to ensure that building controls are at the top of the agenda.

At the recent meeting, Karl Walker who has led the group for six years signalled his intention to step down as Chair.  Association President, Graeme Rees, thanked him for the commitment and leadership he had provided as the Working Group Chair, adding that it would be a hard act to follow.

The Marketing Working Group is now seeking a new Chair to lead the Group. If you are interested in taking up this position please contact Executive Officer George Lee (georgel@feta.co.uk) by Friday 29 July.

Other initiatives which were discussed included the recently launched Young Engineers Network, a new Members Welcome Pack, the ongoing work on Educational Engagement as well as events such as the BCIA Awards and Smart Buildings Show.

Skills Working Group

Led by its Chairman, Rob Wood, the Skills Working Group was established to ensure the BCIA continues to raise the performance standards of the industry. The Group oversees the BCIA’s Technical Training Programme and works with the Marketing Working Group to raise the profile of training and development.

One of the key areas of focus for the Skills Working Group has been the launch of the BEMS Controls Engineer Apprenticeship and work continues on the numerous activities which relate to this which include the development of new technical training courses (BCM07-15) and the associated assignments together with an ongoing programme of work with the Electrotechnical Certification Scheme (ECS).

There is a huge amount of work still to be done and volunteers are sought to attend a workshop on Wednesday 14 September at the FETA offices to map out assignments and exams for the new courses.

A second workshop will take place in October to map out a framework for the Experienced Worker Assessment (EWA) – the exact date will be communicated in due course.

If you would like to take part please contact Executive Officer George Lee (georgel@feta.co.uk).

Technical Working Group

The technical nature of building controls is a highly specialised area which is why the Technical Working Group, which is led by Chairman, Richard Bush, is a key part of the BCIA. The Group plays a major role in supporting the membership by providing a forum for open discussion – enabling manufacturers and systems installers to work together for the benefit of the whole industry.

The Technical Working Group have formed a number of small Project Groups to look at current priority areas, these include:

• Embodied Carbon Project Group which will look at concerns around inconsistencies on how embodied carbon was being measured due to the existence of a range of different calculators, methodologies and standards leading to a level of potential confusion.
• Building Regulations Part L Project Group to draw together the various policy initiatives around Part L implementation and the potential impact on a range of other policy areas, including Future Business Standards and National Calculation Methodology.

Get in touch to get involved

Member companies interested in getting involved in any of the Working Group activities or who would like to receive the meeting minutes should, in the first instance contact Executive officer George Lee (georgel@feta.co.uk).

Further information and the dates for the next meetings can be found here