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Research & Development

Welcome to the ECITB Research and Development section of this webpage.

This section aims to provide you with up to date information on the various projects the R&D team are involved in that are related to this particular department. The section also includes the details of all R&D Project Managers in case you wish to contact any member of the team.

Please view the National Occupational Standards for the Engineering Construction Industry.

Project Management NOS Review / QCF Qualification Development

 This project has now restarted following a delay by UKCES decision to include project management NOS in the Pan Sector Standards. With funding directly from UKCES, ECITB leads this project, in collaboration with APM and the support of CfA (newly appointed pan-sector organisation for project management standards) in producing updated and revised generic, cross sectoral project management NOS with the aim of the development of a QCF qualification. Next meeting of SSCs and professional bodies is to take place in London on 22nd July. Anyone specifically interested in engaging in this project should contact the ECITB Senior Project Manager, Nikki Timson.

Apprenticeship Framework Review

This project is twofold; 1. preparing ECITB’s Apprenticeship Frameworks for QCF changes and introduction of Functional Skills (England only) / Essential Skills Wales (Wales only), transfer arrangements for the transfer of QCF qualifications into the Scottish framework and 2. Preparing all Frameworks for SASE/W compliance by 6th April 2011. This involves a number of areas including the introduction of Personal Learning & Thinking Skills (PLTS) and associated assessment strategy and a revision of Employee Rights and Responsibilities training and assessment.

Virtually all NQF qualifications relevant to ECITB will be transferred to QCF framework by 1st September. Technical Certificate 2456 will cease funding once ECITB submits its SASE/W compliant frameworks as C&G are not redeveloping this qualification for the QCF. Plans are being made, and employers and training providers consulted, to offer a replacement for this qualification

 An options report has been completed and submitted to the Project Sponsor on achievement of compliant frameworks. This has taken into account employer and training provider wishes A proposal for wider employer consultation is being prepared by the project team.w Once agreement is sanctioned, specification of requirements will follow to allow for the development of work required.. 

Engineering Your Future – ECITB Career Progression Route Map

ECITB is working hard to encourage more people to join the sector and to retain skilled people by developing careers in Engineering Construction. As part of this essential initiative we are building an innovative and dynamic on-line application entitled ‘Engineering Your Future’ to showcase roles, career options and progression in the sector. It is being professionally developed and will be widely publicised. It will be an interrogative tool that is aimed at a wide variety of users from school/college leavers right through the spectrum to seasoned professionals across Craft, Technical, Generalist and Management positions.

This project fits in the wider remit of the Vocational Qualifications Reform Programme and the output is one of the actions from ECITB's Qualification Strategy Action Plan - to show clearer progression routes through the industry. The Qualifications Strategy Action Plan for Engineering Construction identifies several outcomes that will help achieve the objective of ensuring sufficient and appropriately skilled people are both attracted to and retained within the industry to satisfy a substantially increasing workload. The project also aligns with recommendations from the recently published Gibson Review.

This exciting project is currently under development with the IT infrastructure complete. Job descriptions, images and video are all being sourced for input and the project goes ‘live’ later in 2010. If you’d like more information or to be involved with this exciting new project, please email the Project Manager, Gill Lea on GillLea@ecitb.org.uk. We’d be particularly interested in hearing from you if you are an ECITB in-scope company and would like to feature some of your people on the site (images/video) or would like to provide feedback on the site before the general release.