The British Geotechnical Association (BGA) is the principal
association for geotechnical engineers in the United Kingdom.
The British Geotechnical Association (BGA) is the principal
association for geotechnical engineers in the United Kingdom.
10th Dec 2024 12:30 hours
On-line event
This is an on-line event. The viewing button above links to a Microsoft Teams meeting.
The BGA Geotechnologist Network has the purpose of bringing such skilled and practical individuals together as a community within the BGA.
The BGA considers that 'Geotechnologist' is a description of any skilled, knowledgeable and practical individual, with experience working in the Ground Engineering Industry, but not necessarily professionally qualified. This could apply to individuals carrying out activities including, but not limited to, site investigation, laboratory and field testing, field monitoring, geospatial mapping, dewatering, piling, grouting, numerical modelling, drafters of drawings etc. The field is wide open, and we do not pretend to know all the possibilities, which is why we want to encourage involvement from all who consider themselves a Geotechnologist, or who indeed aspire to be.
It is time that the skills and contributions that technicians bring to the geotechnical industry are recognised and that they are provided with a clear career pathway. Most geotechnicians do not have a qualification which relates to the specific work they do and many have few formal qualifications. However, they perform a vital role in obtaining data which clients and designers rely on and which are used in highly technical applications and decision making. This can often lead to thousands and sometimes millions of pounds worth of work carried out or cost incurred due to the data obtained. There are now vocational qualifications available for a number of technician roles used across the geotechnical industry. This talk will provide details of what a vocational qualification is, the pathways available, how they can be obtained and how they can be used to obtain further development and formal recognition.
Julian started his career as a site-based Engineering Geologist with Soil Mechanics who were the largest ground investigation contractor at that time and moved through the ranks to board level. After being frustrated by the lack of training for people entering the business, he decided to set up his own training business using experts across the industry. Julian is now Managing Director of Equipe which provides training and vocational qualifications across the geotechnical industry. He is a Past Chair of the AGS, sits on their Safety Working Group and also sits on the BDA Training and Education Committee. He was lead author of the UK Specification for ground investigation and is currently leading a working group to improve procurement processes for GI. Julian has also been involved in Standards development and numerous pieces of industry guidance to improve safety and quality. He is passionate about raising awareness of the importance of drilling, laboratory and technical activities often or typically carried out by skilled operatives without any formal qualifications. He has been involved with developing vocational qualifications for over 15 years which recognises the skill and knowledge of those people. This has included development of Level 2 and Level 3 vocational qualifications for both drilling operatives and geotechnicians.