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.


 

Introduction to Project Control Short Course

All reworked materials now received from the training development contractor. The course has been put into Adobe Acrobat Portfolio in the ECITB brand format and is ready for release to Ops at the end of Feb 2010.

ECITB Certificate in Project Control

Formerly known as the Offshore Project Control Programme, this programme is now underwritten by City and Guilds and ECITB and City and Guilds are working together to ensure the programme assessments guarantee the learners attain the required standard.  A delivery model for launching this programme across the UK is in it’s advanced stages and it is planned to be available through the provider in the New Year.  The first pilot cohort is presenting their portfolios to their employers in late October.  The Project Team would like to thanks these learners and their employers for their contributions to this programme development.

MSc in Professional Engineering

Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen have completed their Feasibility Study into the demand and viability for a Work Based Learning MSc to be delivered in Aberdeen for offshore engineers. The findings show there is a demand for this type of development programme in the region and the university have developed a model that is deliverable. There is an issue that there may not be a consistent and viable cohort to deliver this programme and further discussions are required with the potential of a marketing campaign to be carried out to develop a reasonable intake of delegates.

Certificate in Management for Engineers (ECITB)

Applications are open for suitably qualified candidates in engineering construction and related employment to join the third intake of the Postgraduate Certificate in Management for Engineers (ECITB). The Modular Programme commencing in the Autumn of 2010 at Loughborough has the following key benefits:

• Contextualised management qualification for engineers

• Flexible delivery for working professionals

• Delegates who complete the certificate are eligible to progress with credit onto the 2nd year of the Loughborough MBA, which is accredited by AMBA and is delivered through part time modules

• Graduates and non-graduates may apply, and Loughborough academics may interview by telephone to explore relevant work experience (generally 3 years in engineering construction or a related sector – usually engineering or construction based)

To apply visit www.lboro.ac.uk/ecitb

Note that ECITB grant funding must be approved through the ECITB’s Post graduate Programme Administrator, Alison Tridgell-Wyatt prior to commencement of the programme.

AlisonTridgell-Wyatt@ecitb.org.uk

 

Supervisory Development 

ECITB have consulted with Industry over the people management standards of supervisors in the Industry. The ECITB have used the data to develop a competency framework for part-time, full-time and senior supervisors. From this information the ECITB are developing an assessment tool that will assist employers in benchmarking the capabilities of their supervisors and establish if here are any develop needs. The tool will also help individuals who may want to work towards being a supervisor. The ECITB have mapped the statements in the competency framework to National Standards. The competency framework will be published on the website with a consultation document available to feedback comments to R&D.

 

 

Supervisory Management Training & Development (SMTD)

Development & Pilot of Combined Online Programme for On/Offshore

This project has now been completed. Materials for operational release are being prepared. Induction training for new LTPs and tutors is being developed. Product launch, via licensed Training Provider, is scheduled by Operations for August 2010.

ECITB R&D have kicked off a project to research the competency requirements of Supervisors in the Engineering Construction Industry. The research aims to provide clients and contractors with guidelines on People Management Standards and assessment of Supervisors to support selection. This requirement was a recommendation from the Gibson Review. The project will also look at the competency requirements of supervisors in the Industry so ECITB can gain accreditation for it’s supervisor programmes and inform further development programmes. The project aims to be completed by the Summer.

 

Project Management Short Course (PMSC) Development

The aim of this project is to strengthen the range of project management short course training available to the industry. Aided by the input of a Project Management Industry Steering Group, the ECITB is developing an ECITB owned suite of relevant courses accredited, where appropriate, by professional bodies and contextualised to the industry. This will provide opportunity for a wider delivery, including more company in-house training where appropriate and a deeper understanding of subject matter through distance and work based learning.

Phase I of this Programme has completed. ECITB is now an Accredited APM Training Provider and publication of an Industry project management Competence Framework, Assessment Tool and Industry Guide is expected shortly. Development is complete and the product is with ECITB Marketing & Communications for artwork.

The next stage of PMSC development has now commenced. This will address the requirement for specialised short courses, e.g. Risk Management. The PM Steering Group has provided initial guidance here but further industry feedback is to be sought via the Employer Regional Forums followed by a general industry survey. The survey will also assess PMI PMP requirements as well as ACTIVE (as recommended in the Gibson 2009 Review of Productivity & Skills in UK Engineering Construction. This Industry consultation will not be complete until the end of September 2010.

It is aimed the new suite of courses will be much easier for companies and individuals to identify appropriate training needs and map these needs to appropriate courses. Emphasis is being placed on the development of classroom courses but there are future plans to address distance learning requirements where appropriate.

Development on the first of these courses is expected to commence early October. Working Groups will be established in each specialist area to scope specific requirements. This may result in more than one course per specialised subject.

The first of these new courses should be available by January 2011.

 

 

Staff Supervisor Development Programme

This project is currently being scoped and aims to develop a Graduate Development type programme for Staff Supervisors. The aim is to develop supervisors with high potential to become Staff Supervisors, employed, if required by companies on a full-time staff basis. The programme will develop people using the level 4 requirements identified in the competency framework and a training specification being developed by the Steering Group based on critical performance outcomes such as commercial awareness and Project Management. The North East Steering Group have established there is a demand for this programme in the region and are now defining the training specification. The Steering Group is to be augmented by representatives from other regions.

 

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 is 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 is expected to ‘go 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.

 

Contacts

 
 
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