Building standards verification service: workforce strategy

Glossary

Ambassador's network – Building Standards staff within a local authority working as part of an outreach programme to participate in activities with schools, colleges, universities, job fairs and at professional networking events to raise awareness of the building standards profession. 

Built Environment – The human-made environment that provides the setting for human activity, ranging in scale from buildings to cities and beyond.

BSD – Building Standards Division is part of the Directorate for Local Government and Communities in Scottish Government. The division prepares and updates building standards legislation and guidance documents, conducting any necessary research and consulting on changes as the Building (Scotland) Act 2003 requires. The division, on behalf of Scottish Ministers, gives views to help verifiers make decisions in particular cases, and deals with applications to relax standards for particular matters. It also approves verifiers, and certifiers of design and construction and it checks how verifiers and certification scheme providers are operating the system. 

CABE – Chartered Association of Building Engineers is a member organisation, which confirms competence and ethical professionalism. Members work across the life cycle of the built environment specialising across a wide range of disciplines. 

Career Changer – A person who moves from profession to another usually with transferable skills but also requiring new skills and abilities for their new role.

CAS – Competency Assessment System provides a consistent set of competencies that are linked to relevant Building Standards training and work-based learning options. 

CIAT – Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologist the qualifying body for architectural technology.

CIOB – Chartered Institute of Building is a professional body that represents construction and property professionals who work within the built environment.

Competency Matrix – used by Building Standard local authority staff to define the level of competence required for different building standards roles based on increasing levels of complexity and risk attached to building warrant applications.

Data collection exercise – An information gathering activity, undertaken to measure both the efforts and impact of the Building Standards recruitment activities.

DYW – Developing the Young Workforce is the Scottish Government's Youth Employment strategy to better prepare young people for the world of work. 

Grow Your Own Approach – The development of staff who are beginning their career. This will be staff who are usually recruited with limited experience and training and on the job learning will be provided to reach a goal of being fully qualified in the profession.

LA – Local Authorities in Scotland. The 32 local authorities are responsible for the provision of a range of public services such as education, licensing, social care, transport and waste management.

LABSS – Local Authority Building Standards Scotland is the membership organisation representing all local authority building standards verifiers in Scotland. 

MA – A Modern Apprenticeship is a job, which lets people earn a wage and gain an industry recognised qualification. 

My World of Work – Scotland's career information and advice website designed to help build career management skills. 

Professional framework – A set of standardised job roles that will be used to align existing, and variable job titles with those in the Competency Assessment System. 

RICS – Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, a professional body promoting and enforcing the highest international standards in the valuation, management and development of land, real estate, construction and infrastructure.

SDS – Skills Development Scotland is the national skills agency of Scotland. It is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government.

SCQF – Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework is the national credit transfer system for all levels of qualifications in Scotland. It is a way of comparing qualifications and includes achievements such as those from school, college, university, and many work-based qualifications.

ScotXed – Scottish Exchange of Data provides data within Scottish Government for national and international statistical publications. The collection tool platform provides a secure and efficient data exchange between local authorities and Scottish Government. 

Supply and demand for resources – the forecasting of current and future staffing needs in relation to business objectives and achieving a balance by having the right number of employees with the right skills at the right time.

Succession planning – process for identifying how authorities ensure they are able to sustain their capacity and capabilities, and fill key roles. 

Workforce development – is considered an interconnected set of solutions to meet employment needs and can include changes to culture, changes to attitudes, and changes to people's potential that help to positively influence local authorities future successes.

Workforce demographic – People employed in roles based on factors such as age, education and other factors.