44 C O N T E X T 1 2 8 : M A R C H 2 0 1 3 IHBC education Could Try Harder: education matters Why is education important in the middle of a recession? When jobs are on the line, it is often those who are flexible and with a wide range of skills who survive. How can the IHBC help its members? Since taking on the role of IHBC education secretary in June, I have been trying to get to grips with this area. Two things became clear. First, there is a huge amount of activity by many individuals and organisations. Second, as an institute we have limited capacity to deal with all the current issues.We need to use our modest resources very carefully indeed. In order to make some sense of all the activity, I have come up with a very simple model of the IHBC’s role in education. There are three main areas of activity. First, there are the core skills. These are the things we learn to make us competent professionals. They can cover anything from first degrees and qualifications through to (most important) conservation courses, particularly those recognised by the IHBC. They also include continuous professional development (CPD) and making sure that, as circumstances change, our members have the requisite skills to do their job in a competent manner. The second area I call outreach, in which IHBC members pass on their knowledge to others. This might be in providing training to local councillors, or talking to residents or schools. It can include training programmes or events for other built environment professionals. The third area is that of building craft skills.You can not have good building conservation without the necessary craft skills to implement repairs, extensions and alterations. Starting with our core skills: do we have sufficient courses, both in quality and geographical coverage to provide the training that a heritage professional needs? The potential closure of conservation courses is a matter of concern: that at Ironbridge is currently under threat. There is an issue of academic versus vocational training. The latter route appears to be the government’s priority. Equally important is ensuring that CPD, whether provided by academic institutions or IHBC branches, meets the needs of members. The difficult job market and ever-changing legislation and government guidance make this essential. Outreach is the area in which I am currently making a living as a heritage professional. During a long career as a conservation officer, it became apparent to me that much of the conflict involved in heritage stemmed from a lack of appreciation of the issues by other built environment professionals, never mind the general public.While the lack of knowledge of traditional building construction and conservation among, for example, architects might be blamed on the architectural schools themselves, there is a role that we as professionals can play in putting that right. Building craft skills is an area in which the IHBC has always had a strong role.We are represented on organisations such as the National Heritage Training Group (NHTG). However, this is an area over which we have more limited control.We are not an employer and can only indirectly improve training and skills. Organisations such as the Construction Industry Training Board and the Heritage Lottery Fund can put resources directly into training initiatives. What should be the IHBC’s priorities? We need to get our core skills right.We are in something of a vicious circle, where the lack of conservation jobs might be dissuading people from entering the profession. This reduces the demand for places on courses, which puts them under threat, which leads to fewer people out there with the necessary skills.We should ensure that the opportunities are there for people from a variety of different backgrounds to obtain suitable training and experience to enter the profession. On an individual level, it is important that the CPD provided by the IHBC and others is fit for purpose. Not only should it be keeping up with changing legislation and guidance, but it should also be widening our members’ skill base to allow them to respond to employers’ requirements. Events such as the annual school, and the conferences, seminars, visits and workshops organised by the branches, can all contribute to this.We should look at CPD in terms not just of our core skills but also of those which might be more generic or transferable, such as management, urban design and building economics.We also need to have an eye towards accreditation issues. CPD overlaps quite considerably with outreach. I have been running courses for planners to teach them the basics of what conservation is about. This not only increases their knowledge and appreciation of the issues, but also raises their confidence in dealing with architects and surveyors.While there might be concerns that this is helping them to take over the jobs of conservation officers, the opposite has proved to be the case. They appreciate what they do not know and that they need to seek expert advice. At a regional level, I have been impressed by an evening course run by Inverness College on conservation masterclasses, targeted at local architects and surveyors. This is in part organised by IHBC members. It is the type of activity in which IHBC members could be more involved to increase conservation knowledge and skills across other professions. Unlike outreach activities, most building craft skills training is provided by others rather than by ourselves. Consequently our opportunities for direct involvement are less than in the other two areas. However, we can use our influencing skills to show support and guidance to the NHTG and others. In my role as chair of the education, training and standards committee, I want to review our role and responsibilities. I shall also be looking at the roles and responsibilities within the committee and reviewing our business plan. At the time of writing I am preparing for a Historic Environment Forum (HEF) skills summit. On a more practical outreach level I am working with Local Authority Building Control (LABC) and the SPAB (Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings) to set up a joint workshop for building control and conservation officers to help in the mutual understanding of each others’ roles. Have I got the issues right, or are there other areas in which we should be involved? Contact me at education@ ihbc.org.uk. David McDonald, chair of the IHBC education, training and standards committee
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