Annual Review

During 2010, the difficult economic situation in the industry has posed many challenges in all of the places the Institute operates and within the industry itself. Despite these challanges, throughout 2010 the CIOB has undertake a range of activity all aimed at promoting our members, the work they do and our continued commitment to the promotion of the built environment as central to the quality of life. Below is a summary of some of our key activities. This list is by no means comprehensive, but aims to give you a summary of some of our highlights in 2010.

• The CIOB continues to research key issues in the industry and over the last twelve months we have studied the recession’s impact on skills and management within construction as well as the future of procurement.  Our expertise has also been commissioned by the Libyan government to study the effectiveness of their national construction industry. You can access all our latest research by clicking here: CIOB research
  
  
• To engage those outside our industry the Institute launched two campaigns that highlighted the creativity and importance of our sector. The Art of Building photography competition challenged people to look at buildings in new ways and the relationship they have with the built environment. Equally our ‘Poetry of Construction’ campaign captured the imagination of those people who wanted to use words rather than pictures to describe their passion for buildings and this industry. To find our more about the Art of Building, click here: Art of Building
  
  
• In media terms we continue to work hard to raise the profile of the CIOB, our members and the industry as a whole. The CIOB brand has been seen in a multitude of national titles, the BBC, the construction press and regional media publications, including most recently being quoted in the Independent on the 4 Nov 2010.
  
  
• The CIOB has a significant and respected voice on diverse issues including the development of health and safety, building regulations, construction act reform, skills (including active participations in the Access to the Professions Panel and its Sub groups),  training, ethical standards, heritage protection, diversity, and time management. 
  
  
• With our commitment to reducing carbon emissions from the built environment, the CIOB have formed its own Carbon Reduction Working Group. The Group aims to working with the industry by engaging with:
  • Government - to ensure better regulation, compliance and support;
  • Education - to improve knowledge, training and skills; and
  • Industry - to provide thought leadership, implement best practice, and inspire world-class performance

It also aims to produce a set of best practice guidelines that will inform CIOB members on how to achieve government carbon reduction targets.

• The CIOB have worked closely with CIC in developing a focussed and coherent strategy in relation to political engagement at Party Conferences including drafting appropriate industry manifesto material and attending political events. This work has also developed with the creation of the Parliamentary All Party Group for Excellence in the Built Environment.
  
  
• The Institute is actively engaged in policy development discussions on Green Investment Bank developments and have participated in parliamentary events on issues covering Housing to the Carbon Economy including the Green Investment Bank.
  
  
• Social media has become an important part channel for our members to connect with each other to share knowledge and find new opportunities. Over the year the CIOB has developed its own presence across a range of social media networks to help support our community. We have partnered with specific providers like the Construction Network (tCn) to create bespoke environments for our members. To follow us please click on the social media icons at the bottom of the home page.
  
  
• The CIOB ambassador programme has continued to inform the Institute’s policy and research remits over the course of the year, as well as adding to our representation on various industry groups, such as the CIC’s Diversity Panel and the Building Control Alliance. We have also increased the scope of the programme to cover regions as far as Peru, Portugal and Libya.
  
  
• For the first time in the history of the CIOB the AGM was held outside of the UK.  The Chinese city of Shanghai hosted not only the Institute and delegates for the AGM but was also the venue for the Institute’s Members’ Forum. At the conference on 30 June, former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott delivered a keynote speech on climate change and its impact on “building better cities. Former CIOB president Roger Flanagan discussed how sustainability will affect international construction markets in the midst of urbanisation. Chinese speakers included Yi Jun, president of the China State Construction Engineering Corporation, the largest national and international contractor in China, and Lu Haiping president of Shanghai Green Building Council. You can read more about this significant activity by following this link: CIOB 2010 AGM
  
  
• The CIOB published a forward-thinking publication entitled CIOB’s Professionalism: An inclusive definition of Construction Management. Authored by Past President Professor John Bale, the publication drew upon wide consultation and debate within the CIOB the publication accurately depicts the wide spectrum of professionalism practiced by our members in every part of the Institute. To view the definition click here: Definition of construction management
  
  
• In 2010, the Institute became involved with young people as a partner of the b-live Foundation’s Employability Programme. The programme provides schools with unique and inspiring work-based projects that develop students’ employability skills and provides them with exciting opportunities to engage with employers.  We have developed a robust project asking 50 schools to design the world’s first building which will sit in orbit above the earths atmosphere. The brief is to design a building which is sustainable, and thinks about how inhabitants will work, rest and play. The project aims to not only helps students gain an insight into the positive role of construction in a more sustainable world but one which also develops key functional skills like numeracy to help enhance students’ employability prospects. To view our video briefing to students, please click here to view. CIOB b-live briefing video
  
  
• This year has seen the launch of series of Meaningful Conversations. The events in conjunction with Costa Coffee have been created to engage members and guests in conversations on a variety of subjects, practical, theoretical and esoteric. Our first speaker was Beulah Keane, Sustainable Construction Project Manager Marks and Spencer. You can view the event online by following this link: CIOB, Costa Coffee: first Meaningful Conversation event
  
  
• The CIOB had a large presence at 2010’s Ecobuild event in March, including the hosting of a key-note speech from Paul Morrell OBE, the Government’s chief construction advisor, which was received enthusiastically by the industry and members alike. To view Paul Morrell’s keynote speech, click this link: De-carbonising the industry - are we fit for the future?
  
  
• The challenge of technology is forcing us all to look at how we do things and to discover news ways of working and promoting ourselves. As an Insitute we have recognised this challange and how we can help our members engage, facilitate and debate using mobile technology. In 2010 we launched an updated website, which whilst in design may not look significantly different, has given us the platform that we needed to start moving the CIOB website forward in being able to provide more interactive, rich media content, online community space and so on, ensuring it remains a real member benefit.  
  
  
• The CIOB has also been active publishing titles through Construction Books direct, these include the following titles:  

Code of Practice for Project Management in Construction and Development – 4^th Ed. Published Jan 2010 and developed by the CIOB with RICS RIBA, APM, ICE and CIC. This is the all-new edition of the benchmark text on Construction Project Management.

Launch of Construction Research and Innovation in January 2010.This is the new professional journal from the CIOB, bringing knowledge, foresight, analysis and strategy to people serious about their careers.

Publication of the CIOB Past President Keith Pickavance’s new title Guide to Good Practice in the Management of time in Complex Projects – providing expert guidance on pro-actively and effectively managing time on complex projects to reduce delay to completion.

The CIOB Small Works Contract 2010 was launched in July. This is the former ‘Small Works’ and ‘Minor Works’ Contracts combined to form a contract for use in the industry today.

• The Institute’s Construction Innovation and Development team has been continuing with its international Leonardo da Vinci Projects, part of the European education and training programme "Life-long Learning" focusing on initial and further vocational education and training, which include: 

1. Improving Vocational Education in The Construction Industry Sector with The Aim of Identification and Recognition Qualifications in European Union Countries

Project Promoter: Polish Association of Construction Industry Employers – PL

Partners: Universidade do Minho (UMINHO) – PT; Econometrica Ltd – EL, Ufficio Scolastico Provinciale di Venezia – IT; Le CREDIJ ((Regional Centre for local development and for the training and integration of youth) – FR; Polish British Construction Partnership Ltd. (PBCP) – PL; The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) – UK.

2. Trans European Promotion of Privet Public Partnership

Project Promoter: PPP Foundation Centre – PL

Partners: Dublin Institute of Technology, Construction Management and Technology Department (DIT) – IE; Universidade do Minho (UMINHO) – PT; ERBIL Project Consulting Engineering Co. Ltd. (ERBIL) – TR; Warsaw University of Technology, Civil Engineering Faculty, Department of Construction Engineering and Management (WUT) – PL; The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) – UK.

3. Common Learning Outcomes for European Managers in Construction II  

Project Promoter: Warsaw University of Technology, Civil Engineering Faculty, Department of Construction Engineering and Management (WUT) – PL.

Partners: The Association of Building Surveyors and Construction Experts (AEEBC); Darmstadt University (DARM) – GE; Universidade do Minho (UMINHO) – PT; Polish British Construction Partnership Ltd. (PBCP) – PL; The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) – UK.