Common learning outcomes to be introduced for all construction professionals

Citation

(1998), "Common learning outcomes to be introduced for all construction professionals", Property Management, Vol. 16 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/pm.1998.11316aab.004

Common learning outcomes to be introduced for all construction professionals

Common learning outcomes to be introduced for all construction professionals

All the major professional bodies representing construction gathered together last September to publicly pledge their commitment to the set of "Common Learning Outcomes" developed by the Construction Industry Board for integration into all degree programmes for construction and the built-environment.

At a ceremony to mark the occasion each body signed a "Memorandum of Understanding" with the CIB stating that degree accreditation would now be dependent on evidence of the Common Learning Outcomes being made available by the providers of courses. In future accredited courses which provide for these learning outcomes will be able to be designated a "CIB course" and may carry the CIB's Iogo.

Sir Michael Latham's review of construction specifically called for greater teamwork and better awareness of the role of other construction professionals. The CIB published Educating the Professional Team in October 1996 which recommended the development of a common core or "foundation" for all construction professions.

The CIB appointed the Construction Industry Council (CIC) as the implementation agency for this work and a co-ordinating committee led by Robin Wilson, has worked over the last ten months to establish a Memorandum of Understanding between each professional body and the CIB. Rather than an approach based on common modules, a set of "Common Learning Outcomes" which all construction professionals can achieve has been developed. These specifically include outcomes which demonstrated enhanced communication, group dynamics and professional awareness.

The application of the Common Learning Outcomes should lead to more interaction and teamwork between professionals from different disciplines. "Effective teamwork is a important ingredient for success on any construction project" said Robin Wilson. "'Understanding and appreciating this basic fact should be a fundamental element in the education of all construction professionals. The Common Learning Outcomes developed are practical and achievable, and should furnish tomorrow's construction professionals with the multi-disciplinary and teamwork skills required to change the way construction does business."

Speaking at the signing ceremony Tony Jackson, Chairman of the CIB, welcomed the Memorandum as a major step in implementing changes to the national education system for construction professionals: "I am delighted at the enthusiasm and commitment being demonstrated collectively by all the professional bodies. It is now the immediate task of each institution and higher education establishment to determine precisely how these learning outcomes will be effectively integrated within their individual teaching programmes. I am convinced that in time this will have a major impact on the culture adopted by future generations of construction professionals."

Geoff Wright, Director of UK Property Hammerson plc, and Chairman of the Construction Clients Forum, said: "The clients of the construction industry welcome this evidence of the willingness of the construction professions to identify areas where a common approach to professional education can be achieved. Clients want construction professions to be more responsive to their requirements, particularly in relation to management of the construction process. An agreed approach to professional education will assist in achieving this."

A copy of the Common Learning Outcomes is attached. Educating the Professional Team is available priced £10 from Thomas Telford Publishing. Tel: 0171 987 6999. A box set of all 14 CIB codes of practice, guides and reports is available priced £72.50.

The text of this press release, and more detailed information on the work of the CIB is available on the CIB Web page: http://www.ciboard.org.uk.

About the Construction Industry Board

The Construction Industry Board is the partnership of the construction industry, its clients, and Government to improve the performance of UK construction. The Board aims to secure a culture of co-operation, teamwork and continuous improvement, and its main objective is to implement the recommendations of Sir Michael Latham's 1994 report "Constructing the Team".

Tony Jackson CBE is the Chairman of the Board (he succeeded Sir Ian Dixon CBE in June 1997), and the two Deputy Chairmen are Tony Merricks and Geoff Wright. The CIB has six member bodies:

1. 1.

   the Construction Industry Council, CIC, for professionals and consultants;

2. 2.

   the Construction Industry Employers' Council, CIEC, for main contractors;

3. 3.

   the Constructors' Liaison Group, CLG, for sub-contractors and specialist trade contractors;

4. 4.

   the Construction Clients' Forum, CCF, for the clients of construction;

5. 5.

   the Alliance of Construction Product Suppliers, ACPS, for materials manufacturers and product suppliers; and

6. 6.

   the Government, led by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR) and including the Health and Safety Executive, the Department of Trade and Industry, and the Scottish Office.

For further information contact:

Eira Rowe, Marketing Assistant.

Tel: 0171 636 2256; Fax: 0171 637 2258;

E-mail: cib@ciboard.org.uk

CIB degree course in construction and built environment: common learning outcomes

Communication

Candidates are required to:

• •

  prepare and present a written report;

• •

  prepare and make an oral presentation;

• •

  participate in a forum where their own view(s) are subjected to peer group criticism;

• •

  engage in an activity requiting manipulation of numbers;

• •

  prepare and make a presentation involving graphical description;

• •

  engage in an activity requiring use of information technology.

Group dynamics

Candidates are required to:

• •

  obtain set goals while working in a group;

• •

  perform a set role within a group setting;

• •

  achieve set goals while chairing a group;

• •

  negotiate and progress the resolution of a dispute;

• •

  identify and codify the roles of individuals in a group at work.

Professional awareness

Candidates are required to:

• •

  engage in an activity where ethical standards are central to the problem.

• •

  Engage in an activity where issues of protection and/or care of the natural and the built environment are central to the problem.

• •

  Engage in an activity where issues of energy management and energy conservation are central to the problem.

• •

  Perform a task which illustrates the differences in interpretation of the idea of the quality in construction.

• •

  Perform a task which illustrates the essential components of the legislative framework within which construction activity takes place.

• •

  Perform a task where the concept of value for money is illustrated.

• •

  Perform a task where design imperatives are in conflict with the cost of the solution and resolve the conflict.

• •

  Perform a task where health and safety are major issues in the brief and the solution.

Professional bodies which have indicated their wish to participate in the Memorandum of Understanding

Association of Building Engineers

British Institute of Architectural Technologists Chartered Institute of Building

Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers Chartered Society of Designers

Institute of Building Control

Institution of Civil Engineers

Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors

Institute of Highway Incorporated Engineers Institute of Maintenance Building Management Landscape Institute

Royal Institute of British Architects

Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors

Royal Town Planning Institute