Experienced design managers have been given a new direct route to CIOB membership via the Edexcel Level 7 NVQ in Built Environment Design and Consultancy Practice.
Holders of the NVQ will be able to apply for membership by completing a short application form, bypassing the competence assessment process normally required of candidates for the Professional Review.
The syllabus was drawn up in conjunction with the CIOB in 2010, but its status as a fast-track entry qualification was only confirmed earlier this year, following similar confirmation of the Edexcel NVQ7 in Construction Senior Management – see our story here.
"A lot of construction companies, of all sizes, are taking on more design and build work, and moving staff into design management, so it’s a good qualification for up-skilling."
Ros Thorpe, CIOB
Gary Pollard, managing director of NVQ training and assessment company CAD UK, welcomed the news as a boost for the industry’s growing ranks of design managers.
“There are thousands of guys [sic] who are design managers who could achieve chartership and gain some form of recognition, but they didn’t really have a professional institution they could readily go to. But by getting this qualification, it would give them lots of opportunities.
“The CIOB is now ahead of the game in accepting QCF vocational qualifications – the NVQ 7 is recognised as being equivalent to a Level 7, or master’s degree. Plus, it’s no longer just about being a ‘chartered builder’ – Chartered Construction Manager is for everyone.”
Ros Thorpe, head of education at the CIOB, added: “A lot of construction companies, of all sizes, are taking on more design and build work, and moving staff into design management, so it’s a good qualification for up-skilling. It could also suit individuals working for smaller consulting companies.”
CAD UK has recently confirmed that the first candidate for the NVQ 7 in Built Environment Design and Consultancy Practice, a design engineer working in the United Arab Emirates, has completed the qualification via online assessment. It is thought he is now applying for CIOB membership.
His work-based competency was assessed by CAD UK assessor John Martinus FCIOB, a senior project manager at Mace.
CAD UK is currently the only assessment centre in the country offering the Edexcel NVQ 7 in Built Environment Design and Consultancy Practice. The price quoted on its website is £2,400, while a master’s degree at a university would cost in the region of £9,000.
Managers can also be assessed for the Level 6 NVQ in Built Environment Design Management, with successful completion allowing them to progress to membership via the Professional Review.
