Going for Gold - CMPE

COC Scheme
In an era where the costs of
operator training continue
to escalate, the Contractors
Mechanical Plant Engineers
(CMPE) Certificate of
Competence (CoC) scheme
continues to find the niche
markets that have allowed it
to remain one of the largest
and most prominent schemes
within the UK.
Headed by the National Registrar, Mr
Chris Miller of the Staffs and Midlands
Branch CMPE, the scheme has
successfully survived, and indeed grown,
where others have fallen by the wayside.
In a true tale of David and Goliath,
thousands of new operators each year
purposefully choose CMPE and its CoC
or Gold CoC card (where the latter is tied
into the government recognised Scottish/
National Vocational Qualifications (S/NVQ)
scheme), despite the availability of other
card schemes in the market place.
Perhaps a success of the scheme is
its affordable cost? Or perhaps, it’s the
fact that the scheme explicitly ties the
Going for Gold with the Certificate of
Competence (CoC) scheme
employer into holding a duty of care to its
employees? Such a duty of care is of course
a legal requirement, but is this made as
explicit in competitor schemes?
Whatever the reasons underpinning the
scheme’s success, there is no doubt that the
CoC continues to maintain its appeal with
industrialists.
Mr Miller himself has become quite a genie
within the industry because ten years ago,
there were some who were ready to dismiss
the CMPE CoC card scheme, predicting that
it would eventually disappear. Indeed, the
converse has happened so how has Chris
achieved this success?
In a recent interview with PEP, Chris told
us: “There will always be a market for the
CMPE CoC card scheme because although
professionals within the industry want to
ensure that their operatives are both trained
and competent, they do not wish to pay the
extortionate fees charged by some of our
competitors - especially in a recession when
funds are tight and profits minimal, if there
at all.
“Our philosophy has always been to work
with employers, who ultimately hold a legal
and moral obligation to ensure that their
employees are trained, competent and
ultimately safe and productive. Schemes
may come and go but that obligation always
remains intact and indeed, so it should – the
rate of plant and equipment related accidents
continues to cause major concern throughout
all of industry not just the industry that I
predominantly work in [construction and civil
engineering].”
Chris continued: “The problem as I see
it, is that some employers out there try to
exonerate themselves from any liability
and attempt to place the onus and total
liability upon the operator in the event of
an incident or fatality. This is absolutely
ludicrous as managers, site supervisors
and fellow operators must all take some
responsibility for their acts and / or omissions
– this is written in the Health and Safety at
Work Act etc. 1974. No card out there can
guarantee totally infallibility all of the time as
behavioural issues can lead to a competent
operator making a mistake or overlooking the
obvious.
“Within CMPE, we have a dedicated and
stalwart band of committed members who
are determined to raise the standards of
training and competence, and market the
much respected CMPE brand. The success
of CMPE is very much down to the hard work
and passion of its branch members and long
may this continue.”
Chris is certainly an enigmatic man and
a highly rated professional, with vast
experience of plant and machinery within
industry; he has witnessed first-hand the
many changes
that the industry has experienced over the
past 30 years. Under his leadership, the
CMPE’s flagship initiative is set to continue
well into the next 30 years.
If you would like to find out more about the
CoC card scheme, please contact:
Mr Chris Miller, National Registrar
Contractors Mechanical Plant Engineers (CMPE)
Woodside House, Pedmore Road,
Dudley, West Midlands, DY2 ORL
Tel: 01384 352403
Fax: 01384 350269
Email: millplant@aol.com
3 CMPE�������������������� Newsletter September 2011