The next stage of the industry consultation on ductwork competence is now open and we want your views.
Consultation closes Monday 12 October 2026.
Have your say
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Competence has become one of the defining issues for our industry
The Building Safety Act has rightly put greater emphasis on individuals being able to demonstrate the skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours (SKEB) needed to carry out their work competently.
But creating a more competent industry takes much more than introducing another card, certificate or commercial scheme.
It takes people from across our sector giving their time, sharing their expertise and working together to agree what good actually looks like.
That collaborative work often happens quietly behind the scenes. But it is fundamental if we are serious about raising standards and delivering lasting cultural change.
And right now, we need the industry's help again.
Help set the standard for ductwork competence
The Ductwork Installer Competence Group (DICG) has opened the next stage of its industry consultation on Managing Competence for Ductwork Installation Activities – Upskilling.
The group sits within the wider industry competence structure and brings together specialists, employers and sector bodies to develop an industry-led approach to competence for ductwork installation.
BESA is proud to be part of that work through the Engineering & Building Services Skills Alliance (EBSSA), working collaboratively with organisations from across engineering and building services.
The first phase of the DICG's work established core competence requirements for ductwork installers.
But that work also identified an important gap: how people progress beyond baseline installer competence towards more complex work and craft and supervisory roles.
This second phase has been developed to address it.
What is the ductwork competence consultation about?
The proposals look at competence across activities including:
- Work site coordination
- Inspection and pre-commissioning of industrial and commercial ductwork systems
- Commissioning of industrial and commercial ductwork systems
- Decommissioning of industrial and commercial ductwork systems
- Inspection and maintenance of fire dampers and smoke control dampers
At its heart is a framework setting out the skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours required to perform relevant activities competently.
It also considers how competence should be evidenced, validated and maintained over time.
This matters because competence isn't something you achieve once and forget about. Our people, technologies, regulations and working practices continue to develop and our approach to competence needs to reflect that.
What are the differences between England and Wales?
Many contractors operate across both England and Wales, but it is important not to assume the regulatory requirements are identical.
While both nations share the same ambition of improving building safety, Wales has introduced its own legislative framework through the Building Safety (Wales) Act. This includes important differences, particularly during the occupation phase, where Wales adopts a broader approach to regulated residential buildings with different categories and legal duties depending on a building's height and risk profile.
There are also differences in building control processes and regulatory responsibilities. For businesses working across both countries, understanding which requirements apply to each project is essential to ensuring compliance and advising clients correctly.
Our member guidance explains these differences in detail, helping contractors navigate both regulatory regimes with confidence.
Built by industry, for industry
There is a huge amount of work behind these proposals.
Employers, manufacturers, trade bodies, skills organisations and technical specialists have given their expertise and time to developing them.
That collaboration is important.
No single organisation has all the answers on competence. And no organisation should be developing standards in isolation from the people expected to apply them.
We need frameworks that are rigorous enough to raise standards but practical enough to work in the real world.
That means listening to the people who manufacture the products, train and assess the workforce, employ ductwork installers and, crucially, carry out the work.
That's why consultations matter
Competence should be about raising standards, not creating another commercial opportunity. There is understandably a lot of activity around competence following the Building Safety Act. For BESA, however, competence isn't a trend or an opportunity to create another product to sell.
We are a not-for-profit organisation
The money we generate is invested back into supporting our members and improving the industry through technical standards, guidance, skills and training, competence, safety and representation.
Our role in this work is therefore simple: help industry develop something that makes industry better.
That often means investing significant time and expertise into work that most people will never see – bringing organisations together, working through difficult technical questions, challenging existing approaches and finding consensus.
Your feedback really does make a difference
We also recognise that we're asking busy people to give us their time.
Reading technical documents and responding to a consultation takes effort. So I want to be clear about why we're asking you to do it.
Following the consultation, every comment will be reviewed by the Ductwork Installer Competence Group. Where required, feedback can result in changes to the functional map and framework of competencies, the standard for competence and the implementation plan before the proposals progress to formal industry adoption.
Because the people who understand ductwork best should have a voice in determining what competence looks like.
Help us get it right
If you're a ductwork installer, contractor, manufacturer, training or assessment provider, technical specialist or work elsewhere in the ductwork and ventilation sector, we want to hear from you.
Help set the standard for ductwork competence.
The consultation closes Monday 12 October 2026.
DOWNLOAD THE DUCTWORK COMPETENCE CONSULTATION AND HAVE YOUR SAY
Thank you to everyone who has already contributed their time and expertise to this work and to everyone who takes the time to respond.
Raising competence is a collective responsibility.