The Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE) has published results from the survey to develop perspective of the sector
The Building Control Survey has gathered feedback from Building Control professionals in England and Wales.
The responses show much uncertainty in the face of several changes.
The Building Control Survey focuses on changes to the building inspector profession
This marks the third year of the Building Control Survey, and as such allows wider trends to begin emerging in the results.
575 responses were gathered in the survey, and shows that 85% of employers pay in full or in part for professional development, 74% do not believe that clients understand the new role of the building inspector, and 84% of Class 1 registrants plan to apply for Class 2, 3, or 4 within the next few years, while 16% plan to retire within the next few years.
95% of respondents were members of CABE, with the highest represented demographic by far being chartered building engineers at 49%.
Most respondents (20%) have spent 30 years or more in their role.
64 out of 100 building inspectors agreed that they feel positive about the future of the profession, in spite of sector-wide issues with staffing, as the number of people planning to continue working within building control has risen back to 2022 levels at 52%, up from 41% from 2023.
Coupled with the 84% planning to progress to Class 2 or beyond, there is hope that the staff shortage will not continue as the pipeline outweighs those planning to retire.
Building control professionals generally feel supported
41% of respondents agreed that they felt ‘very well supported’ and 32% felt ‘supported’ in their role, with just 12% feeling ‘not well supported’ and 10% feeling ‘poorly supported’.
It was further shown that 75% of employers pay their employees professional membership in full or in part, and 69% of respondents receive time off to undertake professional development.
Areas for improvement follow the number of respondents feeling that clients do not understand their new role, as just 27% of respondents said they believe the industry is improving its own understanding of complying with building regulations.
The report’s conclusion reads: “In a fast-paced industry like construction, it is imperative that professionals undertake regular CPD, and this year’s survey results showed 85% of employers pay (in-full or in-part) towards the cost of CPD and 69% give time off to employees to allow them to engage with professional development activities and training. These fi gures have stayed consistent during the past three years, and it is encouraging to see that most employers see the benefi ts from having a trained workforce and understand the importance of CPD in the pursuit of professional competency.”
Earlier this month, appointments were made for a Building Control Independent Panel to perform an inquiry into the profession following the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.
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