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CITB enlists DTSA support for Digital Agenda!

Writer's picture: Digital Twin Skills Academy CICDigital Twin Skills Academy CIC




As a CITB England Nation Council member since September 2021 [link below], our Founder and CEO [Chief Excitement Officer], Dr Bola Abisogun OBE has been a longstanding, vocal and visible ally, towards the well documented efforts of the Executive Team, now led by Tim Balcon.

 


DCS Chair appointed to CITB England Nation Council _ September 2021

 

 

Conflating the efforts of #TeamCITB with that of his emerging peer group over at the University of Cambridge led, Centre for Digital Built Britain ‘CDBB’ the appetite for a more inclusive and representative conversation, fusing the ‘voice of industry’ with ‘academic know-how’ has been at the core of Dr Abisogun’s noble ambition since June 2017. In his view, and in a post-Grenfell environ, this is the only way that the disparate and increasingly urgent industry need(s) can be suitably interpreted and disseminated in a timely manner, across the UK construction sector.

 


 

 

With an unapologetic focus on Building Safety, the Golden Thread and Digital Twins whilst shining a light towards young people [in particular, those in the 16-25yr bracket], the DTSA is attempting to extend our reach in to the diverse, under-represented and under-served communities by extolling the benefits of digital and the positive impact on the net-zero / decarbonisation agenda.

 


 

 

Last month on 6th April the Building Safety Act became a reality for many across the industry, who perhaps up until that point had been unaware of the criticality and far-reaching implications of this generational reform.

 





 

For the purposes of this post, we are not going to provide any significant detail(s) on the new requirement(s) other than to say that our partnership with Ryder Architecture [via Dr Graham Kelly, MD at BIM Academy] and led by Allan Binns (Safety Director), presents a meaningful way to ‘educate and empower’ yourselves, both as clients and industry practitioners.

 


 

 

Notwithstanding, last week Dr Abisogun was invited to a studio in Hackney, East London to film and share his perspective with the Executive Team at CITB; which concluded with a ‘conversation with Adrian Beckingham’ about all thing’s digital twins, building safety and the increasingly mis-understood, Golden Thread.

 




On the day, Dr Abisogun was met by an incredibly friendly team of film professionals, and he emerged after some three hours with a legacy that is now being co-curated to empower the sector towards its newly established legal obligations, hopefully in a ‘plain-language’ format, that will resonate with every persona across the sector.




 

 

The focus on digital is a determined act by the DTSA to ensure that the UK construction industry increases both its awareness, understanding and application of ‘not only the spirit’ but of the Act itself; making the ‘new’ legal landscape and plethora of requirement(s), a much more focussed and ‘person-specific’ endeavour.




 

For the CITB and other stakeholders including Dame Judith Hackitt, ‘a commitment to’ upskilling will of course play a major role and key pillar towards any definition of success. At the DTSA we are determined to do our bit to provide the industry with the requisite resources and learning material, to ensure that the provision and maintenance of the Golden Thread – on EVERY construction project – becomes ‘business as usual’ for UK plc.

 

 



 

Invited initially by Danny Clarke, Head of Engagement [London, North West, North East and Southern England], the request for a conversation about the emerging sector known as ‘digital construction’ was completely aligned to our core at the DTSA.




 


Titled, ‘the Future Construction Site’ the theme made for a great panel conversation, to begin to showcase ‘digital engineering’ to a growing cohort of talent who are looking for a ‘digital first’ access point into the sector.

 



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The plan was to cover everything from technology transformation, onto the impact of automation and robotics on everyday tasks, through to the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in project planning and delivery. Whether defined as a challenge or an opportunity, digital skills are the missing link towards an accountable, transparent, incrementally more productive, and ultimately, more profitable (UK) construction industry.   

 



 

 The presence of #UKCW2024, held earlier this week at London’s ExCEL, conveniently afforded Dr Abisogun an immediate opportunity to build upon and further commit to delivering even more ‘pro-bono’ support to the CITB; this time as part of a two-person panel discussion with other industry leaders.

 



 

 

Along with an engaging audience and with standing room only, the 45min discussion between Clare Allan, Head of the Future of Work, Laing O’Rourke and Dr Abisogun, was hosted by Stephen Cole, the CITB Senior Customer Engagement & Strategic Lead [London].



 


With the soon to be updated (CITB) Digital Competency Framework, this much-needed learning material, designed to complement other digital assets currently available, will go some way towards equipping industry stakeholders – regardless of seniority – all of whom need to better understand their role and relationship with the adoption of ‘agile workflows’.

 

 


 

 

In this (2024), commonly referred to by Dr Abisogun, as the 'final year of transition'; the ‘real’ work of the DTSA has finally begun and we not only intend to support the commendable efforts of our industry colleagues at the CITB, but of equal importance, we stand ready to support ‘the digital first’ young person, in navigating their way into the sector during this ‘new dawn’ for the UK construction industry.





We look forward to the industry’s leadership by CITB, as we Serve towards #UKCW2025

 

 

 








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