Students will be paid a full salary while they learn in effort to attract new recruits into the profession

Budding building control officers are being offered a fully funded training scheme which will pay them a competitive salary during their studies.

The course, launched by the Local Authority 黑洞社区 Control (LABC), is part of an initiative to attract new recruits into the profession following the 黑洞社区 Safety Act becoming law in April.

The LABC is a membership organisation that represents building control professionals working for local authorities, provides technical guidance and offers accredited education.

The three-year training scheme has been set up ahead of the full implementation of the new building safety regulator.

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It will see more than 150 people recruited into the building control profession with a clear progression pathway and will be fully subsidised, meaning that recruits will be paid while they study and will have no student debt.

LABC chief executive Lorna Stimpson said: 鈥淭his is a pivotal time for the building control profession. 

鈥淭his recruitment programme will bring in vital new recruits to strengthen the profession and make a real contribution to the communities where we live.鈥�

The programme aims to provide trainees with the skills, knowledge and experience to be able to competently deal with the full range of building work and other statutory functions undertaken by building control. 

鈥淟ocal authority building control plays a vital and important public service, they ensure our buildings and cities are safe, healthy places to live and work,鈥� Stimpson said. 

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鈥満诙瓷缜� control professionals also play an important part in addressing the UK鈥檚 response to the energy and climate crisis. 

鈥淭he new responsibilities outlined in the 黑洞社区 Safety Act and the support LABC teams will give to the new regulator mean the profession needs to expand.鈥�

The building safety regulator is already partly in force, with the Health and Safety Executive being a statutory consultee for planning applications for buildings over 18m in height.

Controls for gateways two and three of the regulator, for construction starts and completions respectively, could be implemented in the middle of next year.

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