ECA collaborates on industry guide to managing competence

Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA) has contributed to producing an industry guide to help ECA Members meet the new Industry Competence Committee (ICC) advice on managing competence in the built environment.

The guide, Managing Competence in the Built Environment: An industry guide to meeting the ICC Principles, explains how to plan, manage, support and evidence individual competence, using the recently published ICC Principles as a core framework. (see also article ITFG publishes new guidance on managing competence in organisations across the built environment)

The guide also states:

“The purpose of managing competence is not to ensure that all people meet the standards set out in industry competence frameworks but to ensure that organisations have, collectively, access to enough individuals with the necessary combination of skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours to deliver the required outcomes to the appropriate standard.”

ECA was part of the Industry Task and Finish Group (ITFG) which developed this guide, following publication of the ICC’s advice, Setting Expectations on Competence Management Principles.

The ICC advice sets out its expectations for how organisations should manage and assure the competence of those undertaking design, building work, and managing buildings.

The feedback from industry consultations undertaken in May and September 2025 has led to the common principles being established that should underpin organisational approaches to competence.

ICC will build on this advice during 2026 through the development of case studies and practical examples to support implementation.

Ruth Devine MBE, ECA’s Immediate Past President, and ICC member, said:

“As the electrotechnical sector becomes increasingly in demand in the UK through increasing digitisation, electrification and the clean energy transition, this demand must go hand-in-hand with safety and competency. The ICC’s work will help businesses demonstrate their integrity and professionalism, providing them with a framework to protect them from the risks that come from failures in competency.”

ECA Members can access these publications and further resources for free by signing up to the BSi Competence Hub.

This article appears on the ECA news and blog site as "ECA collaborates on industry guide to managing competence" dated 15 May 2026.

--ECA