buildingSMART International Professional Certification
One of the core goals of buildingSMART is to promote openBIM and open standards and to help the construction industry to adopt digital ways of working consistently, through an authorised network of training partners. Each Chapter acts as the ‘regional authority’ to help local training providers develop appropriate local course content, which is aligned internationally under the building SMART Professional Certification Program.
The buildingSMART Professional Certification program enables learning organisations to educate and certify individuals according to a recognised global learning framework. It is a proof of competence for professionals working with Information Management using BIM. Qualified and Certified professionals can demonstrate their knowledge is consistent with international standards and best practices.
buildingSMART UKI is pleased to support this significant effort to deliver internationally standardised and recognised training content by defining learning outcomes for the UKI and managing the approval of UKI training providers. Registered training providers will be able to submit students who take their training to sit the exam and become individually certified and gain a recognised individual qualification.
It’s important to note that buildingSMART UK & Ireland do NOT deliver the training itself.
To find out more about the international program please visit buildingSMART International’s website by clicking here.
The buildingSMART UK & Ireland programme has the following objectives:
To support the standardisation of openBIM training content.
To support the standardisation of IMI Framework/Information Management Initiative and delivery of ISO 19650 across the UK and Ireland.
Enable the approval of training organisations and provide guidance around the programme and course delivery.
Enable the testing and qualification of individuals (who have undertaken the approved training through registered training providers).
The buildingSMART Professional Certification is currently active in four areas:
Entry Level acts as a taster for the programme and is free to allow you to gain some initial knowledge around the digital and information management processes in an openBIM world. You can do your first test and gain your first badge here:
https://education.buildingsmart.org/entry-level-introduction/
Foundation level addresses knowledge and comprehension around openBIM principles (knowledge-based learning). The UK & Ireland Foundation programme adds additional content providing national clarity over the standard international curricula.
Management Level is in development with the international teams and is looking to address focused areas around specific industries, sectors or focused learning as a next step beyond Foundation. Refer to International site for more information: https://education.buildingsmart.org
Practitioner level is in early stages of its global launch for a standardised approach to addressing the practical use of IFC and its component parts, it addresses demonstratable expertise through the individual’s ability to apply, analyse and evaluate in activities at work in an openBIM environment.
(At this time, buildingSMART UK & Ireland is focused on the delivery of the Professional Certification – Foundation programme and is in the early stages of reviewing the next steps in the programme development)
UK Implementation Background
The international Body of Knowledge (which defines the training content for training providers) is very much focused on the learning outcomes to support training content around openBIM. It comprises five modules with associated learning outcomes.
buildingSMART UK & Ireland has developed an additional Module 6 for the UK & Ireland implementation of the Professional Certification Foundation Curriculum with supporting Body of Knowledge which extends the core international content and applies further learning around UK and Ireland requirements.
It also signposts training providers to other key UK & Ireland guidance or standards documents, which should be an integral part of the training providers learning curriculum.
Module 6 includes:
- IMI Framework and Information Management Initiative
- BS/I.S. EN ISO19650-2:2018 incorporating corrigendum February 2021
- Additional content relating to BS/I.S. EN ISO 19650 Standards
- Government Soft Landings (2019)
- Construction Playbook (2022)
- Transforming Infrastructure Performance – Roadmap to 2030 (2021)
- Uniclass and other UK classification systems
buildingSMART UK & Ireland Professional Certification Authors
‘We facilitate education for any design and delivery construction professionals, clients or operational teams to improve their knowledge around the changing needs of projects and delivery outcomes. Leveraging the expertise of professional training partners to provide the internationally developed course, broadens the understanding of teams to deliver consistently high-quality projects in a digitally enabled environment’.
Richard White – Professional Certification Programme Lead for buildingSMART UK&I
As ever, we are hugely grateful to the industry volunteers responsible for authoring the buildingSMART UK & Ireland Module 6 Body of Knowledge and exam question database updates, without whom, it would not have been possible to create such a comprehensive package. This builds on the content made from by the original team from 2021.
The UK & Ireland Professional Steering Committee (2025) comprises:
The team has been supported by industry experts and an Audit Committee who we would like to thank for their continued contributions including:
Dr Anne Kemp OBE, AtkinsRéalis & nima
Casey D Rutland, WSP & buildingSMART UK&I
Nick Nesbitt – AEC3 & buildingSMART UK&I
