Originally planned for April, the CIOB’s annual Conservation Conference is being held as a virtual conference on 5 November.
The event will explore the impact of the loss of traditional craft skills. This has reached critical levels as an ageing workforce retires, along with insufficient apprenticeships and a ‘framework’ which is not fit for purpose.
This comes against the background of an unprecedented number of large projects where these skills will be essential, such as the Palace of Westminster and Notre Dame Cathedral.
Meanwhile, the CIOB’s ‘Understanding Building Conservation’ course and ‘Building Conservation Certification Scheme’ have received official endorsement from English Heritage. The courses, which currently run online, are attended by English Heritage staff.
The Understanding Building Conservation course has a focus on the up-to-date approach to building conservation, considering the broad ingredients of understanding and dealing with technical issues and heritage values and how we bring them all together with appropriate processes. This two-day course provides eligibility for the Building Conservation Scheme in lieu of other eligible criteria.
The Building Conservation Certification Scheme, launched in June 2017 in response to a growing demand for ‘certified’ conservation specialists, applies the same criteria as other similar schemes, but with energy efficiency and sustainability in recognition of the importance of climate change.
