At Baxall, the majority of our technical directors are members of the CIOB, and have been for some time. We understand the value of being part of this professional body and how it can support us in our careers, so we were encouraged when we began noticing a trend amidst our employees’ aspirations in their appraisals to also become chartered.

When we attended the Birmingham Expo in 2016 we came across the CIOB stand and talked to the team about what, as employers, we could do to support our employees reach that goal. We got in touch with the Employer Engagement team who came out to visit us.

Rather than limiting their visit to just those employees who had already expressed a wish to become MCIOB, we opened it up to our entire organisation, encouraging as many to come along to meet with the CIOB team and find out if, and how, they could get chartered. Having the CIOB visit helped to demystify the routes and the processes for our staff. Not only did they explain the step by step process, but they had personal one-to-ones with each staff member to explain their individual route, where they were on track and where they needed to develop. As a result, we were able to identify which of them needed to take the PR route and which could achieve chartered status by CMP. We then approached a trainer to support our team work through either of those routes.

Taking our employees on this journey is an investment for us as an employer. We give time off to study for exams and attend lectures, but it’s fantastic to see the gathering of the troops at their homework clubs as they help each other study. You can’t underestimate the importance of collaboration! As they have gone through the process together, they have had a unique opportunity to collaborate. It’s been inspiring to see their confidence grow as they share their experiences with the wider team to support each other.

When people are keen to get chartered, it does require two-way buy in to that commitment. Thanks to the interview process with the CIOB team, it made it more personable to each of our employees, helping to push them in the right direction by convincing them that they could reach that goal.

By raising the standards of our talent internally, we’ve also been able to support the local CIOB hub. We share the events and networking opportunities on our intranet and often attend as a group, strengthening the presence of the local hub and reinforcing its importance with our staff and peers.

There are HR metrics on training days but there are no metrics to shout about as a competitor for qualifications. But we’re not doing this for headlines; we want it ingrained into the very nature of our business. We want to be strong on training and learning development because it benefits our employees, our organisation, and the public. Our staff are our most valuable asset and seeing ten graduate at the recent ceremony made us feel like proud parents, being able to reflect on how hard they’ve worked to get this accomplishment and how this is just the beginning of their journey with the CIOB. For some of the team, their next step is to become CEnv, for others it’s about continuing their professional development through the local hub and training courses.

For the business, the sense of pride we have in client meetings where everyone has MCIOB on their business cards, reassuring our clients that we are leaders in construction, can’t be beaten. Our company strapline is “buildings built on teamwork” and the training partnership is one way to practice what we preach.

If you want to know more about the CIOB Training Partnership scheme to see if your organisation could benefit, click here.