March 2016

Welcome to the March 2016 BEPE Update 
Welcome to this last BEPE update from government. As you may be aware, on 1 April 2016 day-to-day management of the BEPE project transfers to the Construction Industry Council, so future updates about progress will come from them. More on this below, along with the latest encouraging news about inclusive design from the Quality Assurance Agency.

BEPE enters a new stage
For the past two and a half years, government and the Greater London Authority have been proud to kick off the BEPE project and support work to embed quality inclusive design education into the training of built environment professionals. Our goal from the start was to initiate this work, gain support from the professional institutions and build momentum, but ultimately to hand over the project to the built environment sector to take forward in the longer term.

The project is now at a point where it’s ready for this handover. We have the support of eighteen of the leading professional institutions and educational establishments, have raised the profile of inclusive design across the sector and with students, and have seen real changes in professional standards start to happen.

So we’re delighted to announce that the Construction Industry Council (CIC) has agreed to take over the management of the project from 1 April 2016. The CIC is the representative forum for professional bodies, research organisations and specialist business associations in the construction industry. It has a collective membership of 500,000 individual professionals and more than 25,000 firms of construction consultants, and is committed to promoting quality and sustainability in the built environment.

As a membership organisation the CIC has the capacity to raise the profile of inclusive design and the scope to broaden the engagement of industry partners in the BEPE project. The CIC will report progress to the Minister for Disabled People twice a year. This arrangement will help to ensure a smooth transition from a government driven project to an industry owned and led project. 

Read all about it! The BEPE Report
To mark the handover of the project we’ve written a report which we hope will be of interest to anyone who’s followed the project to date. The report briefly summarises the history of BEPE, from the initial idea up to the fully-fledged project it is today, and articulates the successes and challenges encountered along the way. It shows the progress made by the professional institutions so far and looks ahead to the future of the project as it is handed over to the CIC. The report is available to download from the GOV.UK website (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/built-environment-professional-education-project) – please take a look and share with anyone you know who has an interest in inclusive design.

Inclusive design at the heart of Subject Benchmark Statements 
The Chartered Institute of Building has been working with the Quality Assurance Association on the review of the subject benchmark statement (SBS) for Land, Construction, Real Estate and Surveying. The SBS sets out what graduates might reasonably be expected to know, do and understand at the end of their programme of study, and is reviewed periodically.

Consideration is being given to embedding ‘the principles of inclusive design and the processes needed to design, build and manage accessible and inclusive buildings places and spaces’ throughout the benchmark statement. It is also likely to include as a common requirement within all training programmes – ‘the development of an awareness of legal and ethical responsibilities that enable the diverse needs, sentiments and requirements of all stakeholders to be recognised and valued’. If approved, this will be another great step towards embedding inclusive design into the heart of built environment education.

The consultation draft will be available on the QAA web site in April (http://www.qaa.ac.uk/home), along with revisions to the Landscape Architecture SBS. So do please respond in support of the changes to include inclusive design skills and knowledge. 

Keeping you informed
The CIC will continue to keep you informed about the latest BEPE developments just as we have through these newsletters. We wish the CIC every success as they take over the project and look forward to seeing how the amazing momentum with inclusive design education develops!

Thank you
Thank you very much for your interest in the BEPE project in the last two years. Your continued support is vital in promoting and maintaining interest in improving inclusive design education and training. Your support can help maintain the momentum to effect the system change needed to make inclusive design business as usual in all development projects in the future. 
Built Environment Professional Education (BEPE):
Stimulating ways to improve inclusive design training and education
Students: Learn the skills that make inclusive design second nature
Educators: Inspire your students to acquire the knowledge, skills and confidence to make inclusion the norm not the exception
Professionals: Achieve the highest standards of access and inclusion in all your projects