Emma Clancy, CEO of Certsure and Mike Andrews, Group CEO of NAPIT, explain why working together can help increase the reputation of our industry.
While Certsure (NICEIC & ELECSA) and NAPIT may be competitors in the marketplace, we recognise that as major participants in the industry we need to be better at working together to support electricians across the country to increase the competence of individuals working within their businesses. We also want to encourage a new generation of professionals to take up the many opportunities that lay ahead.
Gone are the days of deregulation in the building services industry. Recent events, such as the tragedy at Grenfell, have seen an unprecedented focus on the industry and its role in supporting the safety of the public.
With the outcome of the Hackitt Review due this spring, together with pressure from some MPs to relook at Part P and a consultation to introduce mandatory safety checks on electrical installations in the private rented sector in England, we can anticipate change in the industry beyond the introduction of the 18th Edition. This may lead to mandatory registration or, at the very least, a greater emphasis on competence and continued professional development.
With that in mind, we’re investigating ways to assess individual electricians’ competence within the existing scheme structure. We want to provide contractors with a choice on the best assessment route for their businesses and to allow them to demonstrate their competence and that of their workforce.
The aim is to provide a transparent and consistent process across all schemes and ensure that registered businesses are able to respond to whatever may come their way. It may also provide a way to make life increasingly difficult for those who don’t want to work safely and to the Regulations.
NICEIC, ELECSA and NAPIT have worked hard to continually raise standards in the industry. Back in 2014 we created the RCPE (Registered Competent Person Electrical) website – a single mark and register for all electricians registered to carry out electrical work in homes in England and Wales.
Competition between organisations like ours ensures that hard working electricians have choices about who they choose as their Certification Body. But by working together, we can enhance the reputation of the industry to not only encourage more people to join it, but also to find ways to inspire and support those who operate within it to upskill.