The Engineering and Building Services Skills Alliance (EBSSA) will continue to work on ‘raising the bar’ on individual competence within the built environment as part of the new industry competence structure under the Building Safety Regulator (BSR). Today’s [9-12-2024] announcement by the Industry Competence Steering Group (ICSG) provides clarity on how our work to define the post-Grenfell competence regime will now be directly under the Industry Competence Committee and the BSR.
The Engineering and Building Services Skills Alliance was convened in 2023 by Actuate UK members together with other leading sector bodies, such as BEAMA, CIPHE, TICA-ACAD and the standards organisation MCS, to provide a credible authoritative voice for skills across all engineering and building services. A key priority for EBSSA has been our work under the Engineering Services Super Sector (Engineering Services Installation & Maintenance), which launch in January this year as one of five super-sector groupings operating under the aegis of Working Group 2: Installers (WG2) with support from the Construction Leadership Council.
Andrew Eldred, ECA Chief Operating Officer and Working Group 2 Engineering Services Super Sector lead, said:
“Actuate UK, EBSSA and our member associations have been contributing to development of sector-specific competence frameworks for several years now. We are now well into the delivery and implementation phase, with some engineering disciplines having already issued their frameworks and many others progressing well towards the same end.
Sector Lead Group (SLG10.2) Engineering Services Installation and Maintenance gives us a great focal point, allowing different engineering services organisations to come together, share information and ideas, and support each other towards the goal of raising the bar on competence. ICSG, in turn, provides an opportunity for wider dialogue and support, both across the built environment as a whole and in collaboration with the Building Safety Regulator and other parts of government.”
Actuate UK members and the Engineering & Building Services Skills Alliance (EBSSA) welcomes the publication of the Construction Jobs Plan as an important step towards building the skilled workforce needed to deliver the UK’s growth, housing, infrastructure and clean energy ambitions. The plan recognizes the importance and integral part that the Engineering and Building Services sector play in realising these ambitions.
Engineering Services Alliance, Actuate UK, has joined as an official industry partner for the UK’s only HVAC-R event dedicated to advancing the efficiency of commercial, industrial and large-scale residential buildings. Taking place on 25–26 November 2026 at Excel London.
Actuate UK InstallerSHOW2026 Partnership. InstallerSHOW 2026 isn’t just another exhibition; it’s a truly transformative event for the installation, trades and built environment sectors. If you’re an installer, builder, carpenter, electrician, decorator or business owner connected to any aspect of installation or the built environment, InstallerSHOW 2026 promises to be the most practical, innovative and rewarding edition yet.