The Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP) has been shortlisted for two awards in the Trade Association Forum’s (TAF’s) Best Practice Awards. The Awards, supported by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, recognise, reward and promote best practice among trade associations in the UK. Awards range across 17 categories under the three thematic areas of Engage, Improve, and Lead.

The ASFP is delighted to have made the shortlist for awards in two of the three thematic areas by clearly demonstrating an increased level of membership engagement and the Association’s work to develop solutions to support skills development priorities for its members and the industry.

The Engage theme recognises leadership in engaging with members, their teams and their stakeholders. ASFPTV, the ASFP’s YouTube channel, has been shortlisted for the Membership Engagement Award in this category. The channel’s depth, breadth of programming, reach, capacity to engage and ability to inform has improved ASFP’s member engagement. The platform has been used to a high level with the development of five distinct series that split content into technical information, ASFP news, and member-based content.

ASFPTV has helped make content more digestible, accessible, engaging and understandable for members. It has given members a platform that they can use to advertise and find new audiences, while allowing the ASFP to quickly get information out to members, and the wider industry, keeping everyone up to date with the latest news.

The ASFP’s Competency Pathway has made the shortlist for the Skills Development Award under the Improve theme, which recognises associations that drive improvement in their operations and effectiveness. The ASFP has developed a series of passive fire protection training courses, across multiple platforms. These significant developments will culminate in the establishment of a full Competency Pathway for passive fire protection. This will be aligned to the RIBA Plan of Works for the design and construction process and reflect the SKEB (Skills, Knowledge, Experience and Behaviours) across all associated stakeholders.

The Competency Pathway is ASFP’s proactive response to the Grenfell disaster and recognises the need to improve all areas of SKEB across the entire design, product development, procurement, installation, and sign off process for passive fire protection systems.

ASFP Business Manager Mike Ward commented:

“We are delighted to have been shortlisted for these two prestigious awards, which clearly recognise the ASFP’s dedication to improving and developing the services we offer to our members. These initiatives have already delivered huge dividends and are a testament to the continued commitment and enthusiasm of the ASFP team.

“Member engagement has grown by 40% over the last two years and our comprehensive training courses ensure that our members can widen and evidence their skills. Our qualifications framework allows ASFP members and others to clearly demonstrate their competence. Once fully developed, our Competency Pathway will offer a clear route for all working in the design and construction sector to achieving the appropriate competency in passive fire protection.”

The Award winners will be announced at a ceremony at The Brewery, London on 23 February.

For further information on ASFP passive fire protection training visit HERE.