NOCN Group, a charity specialising in skills and workforce development, is set to launch a new digital workforce competence platform. It is designed to help construction employers demonstrate workforce competence and meet growing compliance requirements under the Building Safety Act.
The platform, powered by the NOCN Skills Passport, brings together verified qualifications, skills, knowledge, experience, behaviours and continuing professional development (CPD) records into a single digital record that both employers and workers can access.
NOCN, the awarding body and custodian of the Construction Plant Competence Scheme (CPCS), said the platform has been developed to give employers greater visibility of workforce capability while enabling individuals to maintain a portable digital record throughout their careers.
Increased scrutiny of competence
The launch comes as construction firms face increased scrutiny over competence following the introduction of the Building Safety Act 2022, which places greater emphasis on ensuring those carrying out regulated work have the appropriate skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours.
The platform has been developed with input from employers and industry specialists, including Mark Wakeford, chair of the executive committee at EvoEnergy, a fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and former chair of the National Federation of Builders.
Wakeford said: “The Building Safety Act has fundamentally changed how employers need to think about competence. Organisations now have a statutory duty to ensure people carrying out regulated work are competent, but demonstrating that competence has often been difficult because information is fragmented across different systems.
“The platform addresses a genuine industry challenge by bringing together trusted evidence of skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours in one place, giving employers greater confidence when making competence decisions.”
Graham Hasting-Evans, chief executive of NOCN Group, added: “Employers need confidence that people are not only qualified, but competent, current and capable of carrying out their roles safely and effectively.
“Our Skills Passport application brings together learning, competence and compliance in one connected ecosystem, giving organisations greater visibility of workforce capability while providing individuals with a secure professional record that grows throughout their career.”
The workforce competence platform is currently being piloted with industry partners ahead of a wider launch later this year.
