Blazing the Project Controls Skills Trail
Summary: This talk will explain the long standing Project Controls Skills shortage that persists to this day and the ‘wake-up call’ to the engineering and construction industry that has led to the collaborative actions of senior project controls practitioners, sector and professional bodies and training organisations to raise the profile of project controls; including most recently the development of the newly launched Project Controls Technician Trailblazer Apprenticeship.
Shane Forth, Costain, ECITB
Shane Forth is Director of PMO for Costain Natural Resources, a Fellow of both APM and ACostE and an MSP Registered Practitioner, Shane has 41 years’ experience in Oil & Gas, Nuclear and Power & Process industries and is recognised externally by customers, peers and professional bodies as a project controls expert, sitting on national professional, technical and academic working groups. He has an MSc in Project Management awarded in 2013 from University of Manchester, and won the Stephen Wearne award for best overall performance followed by national acclaim, winning the APM Geoffrey Trimble award for best Master’s post-graduate dissertation. For the last 25 years, Shane has provided strategic and functional leadership in Project Management and Controls as a member of .senior leadership team at both global and divisional level including responsibility for the development and continuous improvement of project management assurance and project controls processes and systems. In the development of project controls people resource and competency to meet business needs, Shane has specified and delivered training through company Project Management Academies and been a driving force in the implementation of national project controls apprenticeship and graduate programmes, for which he has been honoured twice by the ECITB including winner of a national award for individual leadership and significant contribution to training and development. Shane is currently Chair of the employer-led group developing the Project Controls Technician Trailblazer apprenticeship programme.
Catherine Lambert, ECITB
Catherine.Lambert@Ecitb.org.uk
Catherine Lambert is an experienced manager with product development, project management and stakeholder engagement expertise. In the last four years she has brought company project controls experts and training organisations together to create a successful, pro-active Industry-wide Project Controls Working Group. This Working Group has developed: quality Vocational Qualifications that meet the needs of industry; comprehensive training standards that specify the correct discipline-specific technical knowledge and techniques essential for the continued successful delivery of project control, cost engineering, estimating and planning by UK-based companies; and a new Project Controls Technician Apprentice Standard that is ideal for those embarking on a career in this field. There is now a range of qualifications, apprenticeships, training products and a career path that together are increasing the attractiveness of Project Controls as a place to start and develop a successful career. Catherine continues to support the Working Group in ensuring its important contribution to the project controls profession is recognised industry and UK-wide.
