Businesses benefit by aligning themselves with green building movement

If your company touches on the built environment sector then taking advantage of continuing professional development with the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) is to be seriously considered.

The GBCSA is on a mission to inspire a built environment in which people and planet thrive, and it has equipped its training and education team to sharpen the competitive edge of all who participate in its courses. These courses have been readily taken up by professionals involved in meeting growing market demand for green building skills.
Throughout the past decade it has established itself as the most credible green building advocacy and training organisation in South Africa and today provides focused training to enable industry professionals to become accredited in one or more green building rating tools.

The accredited professional (AP) qualification covers the full value chain of the built environment, and will enable APs to guide project teams in the design and certification of Green Star projects. These are linked with existing building, new buildings, the interiors of those buildings and the precincts that surround them. Professionals who want to be accredited to facilitate both Net Zero and Net Positive buildings, which able to support their designed use without relying on municipal services, are able to study towards these qualifications. The EDGE training programme, focusing on Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies, is also administered and very popular with those in the residential sector.

Registered APs on staff are able to guide project teams in the design and certification of Green Star projects, which are quickly becoming the norm, as well as be recognised as professionals with a greater understanding of environmental issues related to the built environment and property industry.

GBCSA APs have the opportunity to build up experience and a network of green building professionals, whose niche skills are increasingly being called upon for development projects, whether or not the project is GBCSA-certified.
Training as a GBCSA AP gives yourself and colleagues not only the opportunity to be involved in the industry-wide momentum towards Green Star Africa certifications, but also contributes towards experience and building a professional network with the types of skills applicable to sustainable development.

Both employers and employees benefit from continuing professional development. GBCSA training and Green Star accreditation will help to:
• Focus your knowledge and abilities on the green building sector.
• Give a competitive edge to your services.
• Help you maintain professional standard registrations and qualifications.
• Understand innovative best practices and changing regulations and so develop more confidence in your role.
• Expose your company to new ideas and break out of the same old social and business networking circles.
• Fuel a professional and personal passion for a more sustainable approach to life and work.

The increasing costs of developing and maintaining buildings pushes the sector to take advantage of the resource efficiencies which green building affords. Management and employee training in GBCSA-accredited courses are excellent ways to sharpen your company’s value offering and remain relevant in this quickly-adapting economic environment.
Visit the GBCSA education and training page for more details: https://gbcsa.org.za/train/