How degree apprenticeships help fill skills gap

Building control is fundamental to health and safety, to energy efficiency and – at a time when we need to build new homes faster than we have in decades – to the effective regulation of the construction industry. This means qualified building control surveyors are in high demand at the moment. Despite this, the sector faces a number of challenges.

In 2017, a report published by the then Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government's Building Control Performance Standards Advisory Group drew attention to the age profile of the profession, suggesting that many building control bodies were facing significant staffing challenges as experienced surveyors approached retirement. The report also showed that the average building control surveyor's level of experience and qualifications was on a downward trajectory.

Meanwhile, the 2020 report, Recommendations on the future regulation of the Building Control Sector and Profession in England, published by RICS, found that, until recently, funding for training and development in building control has declined as competition in the sector intensified, exacerbated by downturns in the construction industry.

This report went on to argue that a wider culture of deregulation during the preceding years had diminished the value and authority of building control bodies. But the tragic events of the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 made it clear that it was essential to change the mindset of the construction industry and improve competence levels.

One such programme is the University of Wolverhampton's building control surveying degree apprenticeship, which took its first students in 2018. They graduated last year, and a second cohort followed this May.

The programme was designed and developed by the university in collaboration with employers, Local Authority Building Control (LABC) and professional bodies. The course is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Building, the Chartered Association of Building Engineers and RICS. It is taught by lecturers who – in addition to their academic and teaching qualifications – are professionally qualified and have practical experience in the sector.

Entrants to the programme need to be currently employed in a building control or building standards role, working a minimum of 30 hours per week. They will typically require a minimum of three A levels, an equivalent qualification, or practical experience in a construction- or property-related discipline.

Most applicants will join at year one of the programme. However, those with suitable existing qualifications and experience can start at year two or three, completing the programme even more quickly.

Degree apprentices take the 48-month course part-time alongside their full-time jobs. Employers are required to release an apprentice for off-the-job training and study for at least 20% of their normal working hours – effectively, one study day a week during term time.

The classes are largely delivered online, except for one face-to-face residential week each term. This makes it convenient for apprentices to study the course wherever they are based in the country. As well as support from lecturers, all apprentices are allocated a personal tutor and a skills coach to support them in their studies.

Towards the end of the programme, all degree apprentices must complete a dissertation. This gives them an opportunity to undertake their own research and contribute to knowledge in a particular aspect of building control of interest to them.

Professional ethics are therefore central to the knowledge, skills and behaviours that underpin the University of Wolverhampton's degree apprenticeship. It uses scenario-based exercises to develop apprentices' understanding of what RICS and other building control professional bodies expect when it comes to ethical practice.

Another of Dame Judith's key findings was the need for higher standards of competence among built environment professionals. During their studies and on-the-job training, degree apprentices at Wolverhampton therefore study technical topics including design principles, fire safety and construction technology.

The course also covers detailed aspects of building legislation, regulatory processes and professional practice. Assessments are designed around practical application of their learning on building control functions.

RICS global building standards director Gary Strong comments: 'A career in building control has never been in greater demand. More professionals will be required following the passage of the Building Safety Act 2022 in England, and increased scrutiny of building safety in other countries. RICS has long supported the need for degree apprenticeships as a route to gaining professional qualifications.'