The Building & Engineering Services Association (B&ES) has appointed Lindsay Gillespie to the new position of standards development and policy co-ordinator – skills, boosting its employment affairs and skills team.

Mr Gillespie’s principal responsibility will be to lead the association’s support for the employers who are currently engaged in developing the sector’s Trailblazer apprenticeships.

Peter Rimmer, head of the Employment Affairs and Skills Department, said: “Lindsay has already been involved, in a consultancy role, in the development of the sector’s first set of revised apprenticeship standards – covering the pipefitting trades – which were recently submitted to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Provided these are approved, the association will be engaging with appropriate stakeholders in setting up an assessment and implementation strategy.”

In addition, Mr Gillespie will be providing guidance and assistance to employers in the development of standards for the ductwork, service and facilities and ventilation hygiene disciplines.

An executive director of SummitSkills – the sector skills council for building services engineering – from 2003 until 2014, he spent the previous five years as chief executive of industry training organisation Engineering Services Training Trust Ltd (ESTTL).

Between 1990 and 1998, he was employed by the association (then the HVCA) in the roles of training officer and training development officer.