In our latest update from Jon Vanstone, Chair of Certass, we discuss the MHCLG review of the Minimum Technical Competence (MTC) requirements, plus hear about Certass TA’s new offering for fabricators, component suppliers and other industry suppliers…
“There is going to be greater scrutiny on installers”, explains Jon Vanstone, Chair of Certass TA, who is discussing the MHCLG review of the Minimum Technical Competence (MTC) requirements for competent person scheme installers, which gets underway for glazing in July.
Whilst the review will take up to a year to do properly, Jon feels the hard work needs to start now: “Our job as Certass is to make sure that when the rules come in further down the line, our members are already in the right place, so that when they’re announced mid-next year, they’re already doing things correctly and they don’t have to deal with a sudden big adjustment.”
We’re all aware that the landscape is changing quickly in construction and Jon feels this is a crucial opportunity to shine a light on those who do it right: “We have a remit from government to improve our standards in construction – and glazing is a big part of that – so we need to make sure that we do things right, we also need to support any government programme that inspires trade, as well as inspires the consumer to choose the right tradesperson.
“In the end we want those that do things right, and make the effort, to find their lives a lot easier than those that don’t.”
With regards to what tests for competency might look like in the future, Jon says whilst qualifications are important, a focus on CPD will be key going forward: “We will see qualifications as a route, however a qualified person still needs to have regular checks and carry out CPD work, otherwise they’re only as good as the day they qualified.”
He concluded: “Our job in this process is to make sure local installers have a pathway that is sensible and fair – what we need to work towards is if you pass all the time, we’ll see you less; our aim is to ensure the understanding that local installers statistically are most competent and Certass installers have an unrivalled compliance rate.”
Opening up: Supply Chain Membership offering for Certass TA
A big development this week for Certass TA is that, following the success of the Certass TA Forum which has supported and kept installers in the know about what’s relevant to them during the coronavirus pandemic, it will now offer membership to fabricators, component suppliers and other industry suppliers.
For just £24.95 per month, they can now gain access to the Certass TA Forum and utilise their contacts, plus take part in a monthly webinar where Government guidance, new initiatives and the key issues affecting the supply chain are put under the spotlight. But whilst discussion will be helpful, it’s the action of relaying any concerns to government that will be crucial, keeping the pressure on the relevant parties and providing a voice for the glazing supply chain.
Jon explained: “We’ve built trust with our installer base in the last couple of years and that’s what we plan to do with manufacturers and fabricators. We have direct links to government and we want to utilise these for the benefit of the supply chain.”
Jon again points to the many unresolved issues that exist since Covid took over, alongside the need for a longer term forecast for manufacturers and fabricators which he feels the Supply Chain Membership can assist with: “We still haven’t dealt with the fallout from Brexit, we still have Covid-19 concerns for another year at least, Building Regulation changes, the introduction of the Building Safety Regulator – whilst installers have a shorter term horizon, manufacturers and fabricators need a much longer term view – they need to know what they’re doing in 2021 now.”
Jon continued: “It’s all very well Government saying ‘X,Y,Z’ and releasing numerous updates, but you’ve got to be able to understand what that means in the big picture. What you want is someone to say: ‘keep an eye on that one; that’s relevant; this one’s relevant because of that one’… and sift through the noise, but importantly relay any concerns to government and represent the concerns of our sector. And that’s why we have widened TA membership to the supply chain, to form that link to government.”
Register for the Supply Chain Membership here