Following growing demand for ‘certified’ conservation specialists the Chartered Institute of Building has today launched the CIOB Building Conservation Certification Scheme.
With 25% of the UK’s building stock pre-1919 most construction professionals will work on historic buildings at some point during their career, which makes it vital in the public interest to have the right skills and competencies recognised.
The scheme which has been developed in consultation with English Heritage, the National Trust, Historic Scotland and Cadw (the Welsh Government’s historic environment service), has been established for conservation specialists to gain recognition for their expertise and as a pathway for the next generation of specialists.
“We need to hold onto our past and treasure it”, said Rebecca Thompson CIOB President. She added: “Globally, people look to the UK for leadership on the art and science of conservation. We have a huge stock of old buildings that need to be maintained, adapted, restored and conserved and we must ensure that the industry has the right skills and that expertise is clearly benchmarked. The demand from clients and organisations in this space is for ‘certified’ experts and that is what our scheme provides.”
There are three levels of competency within the scheme, each with different entry requirements and a level-specific certificate. Those levels include CIOB Registered in Building Conservation which gives professionals with some experience and knowledge in the area of heritage and conservation recognition for their expertise.
For those with significant experience of traditional buildings including listed buildings and scheduled monuments there is the CIOB Proficient in Building Conservation level of competency.
The final level is CIOB Certified Building Conservation Specialist which is for experts in the field with a deep understanding of the significance and historic value of buildings and the philosophy of building conservation.
The scheme acts also a pathway for individuals who want to progress their career in this area as they gain additional qualifications and experience. The CIOB Academy has set out to support the industry with its own two day ‘Understanding building conservation’ course which supports this scheme.
