The ECS has released its 2023 Annual Review, which highlights some of the progress made in the past year towards raising industry standards, improving competence and providing an efficient and accessible service for ECS card holders and the wider electrotechnical industry.
ECS is the identification and competence card scheme for electrotechnical operatives developed and agreed by industry and is administered by the Joint Industry Board (JIB) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. One of the aims in 2023 was to develop easier processes for applying for an ECS card. A number of changes were made to MyECS and the ECS Employer Portal to make both systems quicker and simpler to use. Improvements included improved automatic detection and reading of multiple uploaded images, plus automatic real-time checking for speedy and secure verification of more than 1,000 qualifications.
The Annual Review also records the continuing success of the Remote Invigilation system, which has now seen more than 50,000 assessments completed online. Initially launched during Covid-19 restrictions in January 2021, the system has been expanded to offer the ECS Health, Safety and Environmental (HSE) Awareness Assessment and technical assessments across Fire and Security, Network Infrastructure, Electrical Safety and Building Controls.
Another advance has been in the development of Experienced Worker Assessments (EWA), which have been designed as accessible routes to industry recognised qualifications for those with existing industry experience. These consider work carried out to a nationally recognised standard and, on completion, candidates have evidenced competency to meet the requirements of an ECS gold card.
Jay Parmar, Chief Executive of the JIB, who was recently appointed as a member of the Industry Competence Committee (ICC), said: “The ECS continues to make vital strides forward in setting standards and establishing a highly skilled workforce for the electrotechnical industry. In order to do this, however, we recognise the importance of developing user-friendly systems for the people we serve so they can demonstrate their competence with ease, and we continue to look for ways we can enhance our service in pursuit for excellence.”
Read the ECS Annual Review 2023