CIOB launches free online course on quality in construction

The CIOB Academy is launching a free online course on quality in construction to tackle the issue of build quality and help identify what steps can be taken to support the delivery of construction projects

The free MOOC – massive open online course – on quality in construction, follows the success of the first two MOOCs which the CIOB has run previously.

The three-week interactive course, opening later this month (21 October), follows two years of work by a CIOB commission of past presidents.

This quality in construction course is free and open to anyone working in the built environment sector globally. It has been designed specifically for those working in the industry and for clients and end-users who want to learn more about what can be done to achieve quality buildings.

The course will cover:

• Defining quality in construction and its importance to those who build and interact with buildings and infrastructure;
• The social, economic and human costs associated with poor quality;
• A history of management in construction and other industries;
• The legal and regulatory environment for quality management;
• Putting quality into practice; methods, processes and systems;
• Changing an organisation to instil a culture of quality in construction.

Adrian Montague, head of the CIOB Academy, commented: “The CIOB is pleased to team up with Martin McCabe, who has delivered courses on quality for us previously.

“This free course will help to open up the conversation on quality in construction and is a continuation of the CIOB’s work to push quality higher up the agenda.

“We hope to bring the delivery of quality in construction to the front of the minds of those involved with the construction or use of buildings.”

Chair of the Construction Quality Commission, CIOB past president Paul Nash, added: “A little more than two years ago, the CIOB established a commission to look into the issue of quality in our industry following a series of high-profile failures. We needed to understand what was preventing or promoting the delivery of quality at all stages of the construction process so that we could act to bring about the change that was so urgently needed.

“Our research highlighted that there was a need to raise standards across the industry. But more than this we needed to change the culture of our industry; we needed people to take pride in the buildings and infrastructure that they were creating. To help achieve this, the CIOB has committed to provide practical advice and training to our members and the wider construction community.

“This new MOOC, which is supported by the research conducted by the commission, aims to raise awareness of the importance of quality both to the reputation of our industry and to the wellbeing of those who use the buildings that we create.”

For construction professionals requiring a more in-depth look at the topic and the practical tools and techniques to achieve quality, the CIOB Academy’s two-day course on Construction Quality Management is the next step.