April 2004 ITEM 12 CB/04/194/6 SECTION C CITB-CONSTRUCTIONSKILLS

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1 April 2004 CITB-CONSTRUCTIONSKILLS TERMS OF REFERENCE OF THE CO-ORDINATING COMMITTEE FOR VOCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS AND STANDARDS Introduction 1. The Co-ordinating Committee for Vocational Qualifications and Standards reviewed its Terms of Reference at its meeting held on 25 February This followed the Board s consideration of a paper proposing the reconstitution of its supporting committee structure on 5 February The amendments which CCVQS believed appropriate were consistent with the Board s discussion and are set out below for information. 2. Attached at Appendix A is the up-to-date version by which CCVQS now expects to operate. Section A - Terms of Reference 3. Some presentational changes of wording have been made. Paragraph 1 re-expresses the overall objective for the group and confirms its status as a body constituted under Section 2 of the Industrial Training Act The committee has delegated authority to make decisions on behalf of the Board about national occupational standards and associated qualifications. There is, in effect, no change from the current version. 4. Paragraphs 2.1 to 2.9 set out in more detail how the committee is to fulfil its remit. These provisions largely mirror paragraphs 1.1 to 1.8 in the current version. However, paragraphs 2.3 and 2.4 have been introduced. 5. The first underlines the expectation that national occupational standards will be broadly consistent, both in format and content within and between occupations so that they can support flexibility in employment. QCA guidance adds that standards should be clear, unambiguous and concise, relevant and essential and a basis for the consistent assessment of competence. 6. The second sets out the group s duty to advise the Board where conflicts arise between the needs of employers expressed through occupational working groups and criteria set by government agencies such as QCA or the UK Construction Group. It is important that employers feel empowered to challenge the requirements set down by bodies outside the construction industry. 7. Paragraph 3 emphasises the importance attached to wide consultation, for example, by quantitative research work. QCA expects that contact with other standard setting bodies should be maintained to minimise duplication of effort. However, CCVQS need not undertake all of this work itself. It takes advice from Occupational Working Groups (OWGs) that report to it. These bodies are expected to involve the full range of interest groups in the relevant occupational sector. 8. Paragraph 5 empowers the committee to establish OWGs to help it fulfil its remit. At present, it has only done so in respect of individual construction occupations. In future, it proposes to establish similar groups to support the development of generic standards, in the areas of health and safety, planning and organisation, communications and efficient working practices, for example. Section B Composition 9. Amendments in this section re-express the current membership. No other changes have been made.

2 2 Section C Proceedings of Meetings 10. These paragraphs are identical to those applying to OWGs and all other CITB-ConstructionSkills committees. New clauses relate to: Reporting the Chairman s power to exclude a member or members or suspend a meeting if business cannot be conducted in a courteous and professional manner (paragraph 17); 10.2 the power to remove a member (following appropriate consultation) who fails to attend more than three meetings (paragraph 18). 11. CCVQS will continue to report to the Board through regular information papers, with specific issues of policy on which Board members views are sought being raised separately. 001/1/ March 2004

3 April CITB-CONSTRUCTIONSKILLS CO-ORDINATING COMMITTEE FOR VOCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS AND STANDARDS TERMS OF REFERENCE AND COMPOSITION A : TERMS OF REFERENCE 1. The Co-ordinating Committee for Vocational Qualifications and Standards (CCVQS) has been constituted 1 to discharge the responsibilities of CITB-ConstructionSkills identified under s5(1)(c) of the Industrial Training Act Specifically, CCVQS is the body through which the construction industry establishes and updates National Occupational Standards (NOS) and a framework of vocational qualifications for construction occupations. 2. In fulfilling this responsibility, the Committee shall: 2.1. establish and monitor a programme of work (which shall include the design of qualifications based on statements of competence, associated performance criteria and assessment guidance) to develop and review NOS and a framework of National and Scottish Vocational Qualifications (N/SVQs) 2 that meet the needs of employers; 2.2. design assessment and verification strategies for the framework of qualifications based on Statements of Competence; 2.3. ensure that standards and qualifications so developed in respect of individual occupations are broadly consistent with each other and meet the United Kingdom Construction Group s (UKCG) 3 accreditation criteria; 2.4. advise the Board if conflicts arise between such criteria and employer needs; 2.5. submit resulting standards and qualifications, on behalf of the Board, to the UKCG for accreditation or reaccreditation; 2.6. submit comments on proposals from other bodies on which CITB-ConstructionSkills has been consulted and in particular on those occupations for which the Board has indicated a wish to be consulted; 2.7. consider and to make recommendations on proposals for other related Vocational Qualifications relevant to the operations of CITB-ConstructionSkills, submitted by other SSBs or organisations; 2.8. recommend to the Board appropriate budget proposals related to the foregoing Terms of Reference for inclusion in the annual budget; 2.9. make recommendations, as appropriate, to the Training Committee on matters relating to the implementation of the construction N/SVQ framework; 3. In undertaking its role, the Committee will ensure that appropriate interests are consulted where these are not already represented through its membership. 4. The Committee may consider any other matter relating to the development of standards and qualifications referred to it by the Board. 5. The Committee has the power to establish and wind-up Occupational Working Groups (OWGs) based on common Terms of Reference, which shall be empowered either: 1 Under Section 2 of the Industrial Training Act In occupations for which CITB-ConstructionSkills is the Standards Setting Body (SSB). 3 The United Kingdom Construction Group (UKCG) is the government body responsible for the development and maintenance of NOS across the construction sector and provides the funding that supports CITB-ConstructionSkills standards development work.

4 to formulate recommendations on standards of competence (NOS) and associated vocational qualifications in a specific occupation; or 5.2. to formulate recommendations on generic standards of competence and associated vocational qualification units 4 where these apply across more than one occupational group; 6. The Committee shall comprise: 6.1. a Chairman, who shall be appointed by the Board; 6.2. two members of the Board, appointed by the Board; B : COMPOSITION 6.3. one member nominated by each of the following members of the Construction Confederation: the Civil Engineering Contractors Association; the Major Contractors Group the National Contractors Federation; the National Federation of Builders; Scottish Building; 6.4. one member nominated by the Construction Plant-hire Association; 6.5. one member nominated by the House Builders Federation; 6.6. two members nominated by the Federation of Master Builders; 6.7. two members nominated by the National Specialist Contractors Council; 7. The Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU) and the Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians (UCATT) shall each be entitled to nominate one member. 8. The British Association of Construction Heads and the Association of Learning Providers shall each be entitled to nominate one member. 9. Citb (NI) shall be entitled to nominate one member to reflect the views of training providers in Northern Ireland. 10. The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) the Scottish Qualifications Agency (SQA) and the City & Guilds of London Institute (CGLI) shall each be entitled to nominate one Observer, who shall have no voting rights. 11. The Departments for Education and Skills (DfES) and Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Scottish Executive Education Department (SEED) shall each be entitled to nominate one Observer, who shall have no voting rights. 12. CITB-ConstructionSkills staff members shall normally be in attendance to present information and advice, but shall have no voting rights. 13. The Chairman of the Committee may invite additional persons to attend a meeting for a particular purpose, who shall have no voting rights. 4 For example, those dealing with management and supervision or health and safety.

5 5 14. The Committee may co-opt up to three additional members, for a fixed term not exceeding two years, who shall have no voting rights. C : PROCEEDINGS OF MEETINGS 15. At a meeting of the Co-ordinating Committee for Vocational Qualifications and Standards, one third of the members shall be the quorum. 16. The Chairman shall preside at all meetings of the Co-ordinating Committee for Vocational Qualifications and Standards at which he or she shall be present, but if at any meeting the Chairman be not present within ten minutes of the time appointed for holding the meeting the members present shall choose one of their number to be the Chairman of the meeting. 17. The Chairman shall be responsible for ensuring that the business of a meeting is conducted in a courteous and professional manner and shall, taking the advice of the Secretary, have the right to adjourn a meeting or temporarily exclude any individual or individuals whose conduct falls below acceptable standards. 18. Any member who fails to attend three successive meetings may be deemed to have resigned, and a replacement may be sought following appropriate consultation with the relevant nominating body. 19. A resolution put to the vote shall be decided on a show of hands by members present and voting. Each member shall have one vote and if the votes are equally divided the Chairman of the meeting shall have a second or casting vote. 20. Minutes shall be kept of the proceedings of the Co-ordinating Committee for Vocational Qualifications and Standards and any such minutes shall, if signed by the Chairman of the meeting or by the Chairman of the next succeeding meeting, be evidence of the proceedings. 21. A summary of the proceedings of each meeting agreed by the Chairman will be reported to the next succeeding meeting of the Board. 001/1/ March 2004