Professional Review (PR) route to MCIOB by Paul Carter, MCIOB

I have worked in the construction industry since I was old enough to pick up a trowel. My journey started working with my family, before moving onto college to gain a recognised award in trowel occupations. I applied my craft, working in self-employed and employed roles with various builders, small and large, before advancing my career, and going into teaching. I get a great sense of satisfaction passing my skills and knowledge onto others and also wanted to give back to the industry.

I attended night school and college as a mature student to gain all the relevant awards, which enabled me to move into teaching and tutoring. I applied my new skills as a temporary worker within several colleges and training providers. I taught many apprentices, departing with my skills, knowledge and wisdom, helping to build a talent pool for the industry. I continued to develop, finding myself at NHBC, the UK’s leading independent provider of warranty and insurance for new homes.

My role within the company started as an assessor, however I quickly climbed the ladder to principal assessor and internal verifier; delivering construction related National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ’s) to most major developers within the industry.

I was working with senior construction professionals regularly in my interactions and so it was the next logical step in my career to become chartered with the CIOB. This gave the right impression to my clients, a prestige to my employer and increasing my confidence overall.

There are various routes when applying for the MCIOB application, I liked this, as it makes it more accessible for a wider range of people. For example, I chose the academic route because it suited my vocational teaching background.

The application to chartership, I found some of the questions are quite specific and require a robust response. However, if you are operating at the level required and have the experience, this is not an issue. I found the application straight forward, therefore where requested, I could provide examples of my experiences.

Once submitted, I was a little anxious awaiting the decision; had I been successful?

Initially, I received a reply from the CIOB that required me to provide a little more context to some of my responses in my application. The CIOB’s professional review team made it easier because I was given guidance as to where I needed to apply the additional information to underpin my original application. Once I elaborated on my responses, I simply resubmitted.

Something else I like about the application process, was that it is not a given that you will pass and reach chartered status. Some schemes appear, you send away your details and immediately your competent or qualified, there seems no real checks or in-depth application process. But with the CIOB, you really do have to show your worth, which makes being part of MCIOB so much more satisfying, I really did feel a great sense of accomplishment when I was accepted.

When I got my reply of acceptance I was overjoyed, I felt part of the elite along with my peers, recognised for my experience and work within the industry. This has now enabled me to progress in my current role, being able to deliver NVQ’s up to level 7, with an eye on the next step in my career, whilst now working towards FCIOB.