Supporting our members through unprecedented times

There’s no doubt that, wherever you are in the world, 2020 has been utterly unprecedented. The long-term effects are still far from clear – will it be a catalyst for change? What will the next few years look like? Whatever the wider implications, everybody’s life has experienced some sort of shift. As a member of the Chartered Institute of Building, you’ve got us to support you. Read on to find out what we’ve done to support members so far this year, and what we’ll continue doing.

What has the CIOB done to support members so far?

From the get-go, we recognised that there would be many in our industry who could see a sudden drop in their income. The construction industry spans many different roles, and these have all experienced some sort of shift from the norm. As a result, we are offering a concessionary subscription rate through a Covid-19 Support Fund and fee waivers for the Professional Review, Fellowship and Chartered Membership Programme exam (on a case-by-case basis). This is available wherever you are in the world. We are all experiencing this together, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us, or go straight to the application form, it’s quick and easy to complete.

Support for our members didn’t just start with the pandemic though – you may have come across the CIOB Benevolent Fund which has provided advice on employment or financial matters since 1992. This now also provides access to the services provided by Anxiety UK, where you can find support with anxiety or mental health issues.

Building on our financial support for members, we confirmed that there will be no increase in subscription fees for individual or company members for 2021. Prices for annual membership are frozen at 2020 levels, and you will have received your 2021 renewal notice recently (if not, it is on its way). Other membership costs such as the admission fees, programme fees and Professional Review fees are held at 2020 prices too.

For Chartered Building Companies and Consultancies, we quickly created free posters to help guide and protect employees throughout the pandemic. The CIOB COVID-19 poster suite is available to print out to help keep sites safe. A seemingly small but very practical way we have been able to help members get back on site and back to business.

We’ve an exclusive and limited CIOB Academy offer for our Company members, 30 per cent off the list price of guides and courses. To get your discount code please contact Customer Services.

We were also glad to support the launch of the Construction Talent Retention scheme in the summer. Backed by the UK government, professional institutions and construction unions, the scheme is a free-to-use online resource allowing people in the industry to showcase their experience and expertise, and helps companies find the skills they need. It also allows the redeployment of staff at risk of redundancy and enables temporary employee loans between businesses.

The site, with hundreds of employers now signed up, is live at www.trs-system.co.uk/construction and is open to both businesses looking to hire and individual candidates looking for work.

How has the CIOB changed the way it provides services to its members in 2020?

We were able to move the majority of our events online, and even managed to increase our engagement with members by a whopping 154 per cent compared to January – October last year. We even moved our Construction Manager of the Year (CMYA) celebration online – do have a look at our video if you'd like to see who won and how we celebrated.

Our education offering has also migrated online, with virtual training courses. We’ve added specific pandemic-related CPD content to our site and, through our magazines Construction Manager and Global Construction Review, provided regular updates on advice and guidance for the industry, keeping members up to speed with the latest developments from the UK and around the world.

What else has the CIOB been up to?

A new virtual fitness club was set up for CIOB members and staff to help people maintain their fitness, improve their mental health and stay connected to others while social distancing. Using Strava, the social fitness network which tracks walking, running, cycling and other fitness activity, the CIOB set up a club called ‘The Chartered Institute of Building’ which can be accessed for free through their website or app. It’s still live if you fancy signing up and want to join more than 100 members so far.

This year has seen us step up our collaboration with the industry-wide groups that interact with Government to advocate for the support to keep our sector going and help it to thrive in a post-COVID economy. Partly as a result of embracing those opportunities and committing to our partnership working (particularly with Build UK and the Construction Leadership Council), our CEO Caroline Gumble has recently been confirmed as part of the new CLC Senior Advisors Group.

Where do we go from here?

Whether it’s increased time from working from home, or a newfound desire to boost our professional status, the CIOB has seen an increase of 18 per cent in the number of members successfully attaining their Chartered membership compared to same time last year. Not yet Chartered and interested in finding out how to go about it? Contact our Customer Services team or click here to get the ball rolling. I’m pretty biased in saying it’s the best decision you’ll make this year.

Everyone in construction, no matter where we work or what role we hold, has had to be incredibly adaptable and learn a great deal in 2020. At CIOB, we have managed to provide support, services and some stability for our members. And, in looking at what we’ve achieved and where we are months into a global pandemic, we also find ourselves in a robust position financially, confident that we can help weather the rest of the storm and continue being there for members and the wider industry.