The Council for the Built Environment (CBE) – an entity of the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) – on February 22 held a pre-launch activation event to showcase and encourage registration in its Built Environment National Logbook (BENL).

The BENL, which is expected to be launched in the week of March 8, will be a comprehensive and centrally located electronic database that tracks and monitors built environment professionals, candidates, students, unemployed graduates and artisans, and will provide accurate statistical data on a continuous basis to government and the industry.

In December 2023, Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Sihle Zikalala, along with MECs, endorsed the Built Environment Professionalisation and Skills Development Strategy for the Public Sector, which entails 12 interventions.

The BENL is the first intervention, with the directive being the establishment of the national infrastructure as a vehicle to synergise, integrate, coordinate and monitor interventions.

This strategic intervention thus entails the establishment of a BENL and strengthening systems in relation to demand and supply within the built environment.

The entails the CBE, Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB), Professional Councils and National Treasury establishing the BENL as part of the infrastructure procurement regime and in compliance with the CIDB Act.

The BENL is expected to serve as an electronic database for unemployed built environment graduates and a platform to provide career path support and guidance to these young graduates, CBE CEO Dr Msizi Myeza said.

High-level outputs of this first intervention include that the CBE, in partnership with the built environment industry and Treasury, would re-establish the Roster System across government to ensure expeditious implementation of projects.

The CBE and the DPWI will also collaborate on developing programmes that are aimed at matching women-owned professionals with work opportunities.

The DPWI and the CBE will further engage Department of Higher Education and Training and Sector Education and Training Authorities to support workplace training and mentorship programmes.

The benefits of the BENL include that it will assist in systematically unlocking bottlenecks and addressing challenges in candidacy and mentorship programmes across the three spheres of government, State-owned entities and the private sector (including artisans).

Moreover, it will track and monitor built environment professionals, candidates and artisans and provide accurate statistical data on a continuous basis to government and the industry.

It will also implement structured candidacy and mentorship programmes, mock interviews and preparation of portfolio of evidence on a virtual platform.

The BENL is also expected to consolidate databases of unemployed graduates and professionals.

Moreover, it will link the CBE database of build environment professionals to strategic investment projects and ready projects registered with the CIDB, thereby providing a database of these professionals to relevant projects.

The Consultancy Roster System across government is anticipated to assist in the expeditious implementation of projects.

The BENL is also expected to develop a demand and supply side integrated system to enable better planning within the industry, with a focus on future, demand-led skills.

The aim is for the BENL to first target individuals, and once the platform is more established, it will approach companies – this will therefore be a process, with the BENL not compulsory from the get-go. Funding is also being fleshed out properly.

The BENL is currently being finalised prior to the launch, and the event formed part of a broader CBE youth engagement programme in partnership with various academic institutions of higher learning, professional councils, government entities, and the private sector.

Stakeholders, students, candidates, professionals and artisans were educated about the platform and its benefits, and were also provided with an interactive demonstration of the BENL, allowing them to flesh out some user issues.

They were encouraged to make use of the demo platform, and provide feedback and highlight any issues that they experience, so that this can be rectified prior to the launch, by emailing Amukelani@cbe.org.za.