JIB-PMES Joint Industry Board for Plumbing & Mechanical Engineering

The Joint Industry Board for Plumbing and Mechanical Engineering Services (JIB-PMES) is an independent not-for-profit organisation. Serving the plumbing and mechanical engineering services industry since 1972, the organisation sets the standards for employment, welfare, operative registration and grading. JIB-PMES helps employers to sustain a motivated and stable workforce. Thousands of employers also engage with the organisation by supporting the registration of their operatives through the JIB-PMES CSCS Registration and Grading scheme.

Plumbing and mechanical engineering operatives working on CSCS controlled construction sites are required to hold a suitable JIB-PMES CSCS card. To obtain this card, the applicant must pass a Health, Safety & Environment test and provide evidence of holding a suitable sector relevant qualification. The Health, Safety & Environment test demonstrates that the applicant’s site safety knowledge is up to date. These tests have typically been delivered to applicants in physical test centres.

JIB-PMES recognised that it is sometimes difficult for their operatives to travel to a test centre to take these exams. For people who do not live in major cities, it often involves a full day away from work. JIB-PMES decided to develop a Health, Safety & Environment test specifically for plumbers and mechanical engineer services, and to offer that as an online exam with remote proctoring. This would mean their operatives could take the exam from their home or employer’s office at a convenient time, without having to travel.

When looking for a solution to manage the creation and online delivery of the new exam, there were some key elements that JIB-PMES were looking for:

• The exam to be delivered with human-led remote proctoring, so the candidate would have a supported and positive exam experience.
• A high level of test integrity, ideally with both the exam and proctoring in one complete application, with a close level of proctoring supervision.
• Integration with the JIB-PMES registration and payment system via the website.
• Reporting dashboards for analysis of the question bank and how questions were performing.
• A question bank platform for the creation and management of a substantial number of questions, with detailed taxonomies that would enable clear reports for candidates on their exam performance.
• To maintain security of the question bank through randomised exam papers, using linear-on-the-fly (LOFT) selection to create a unique paper for each candidate.
• To allow candidates to see their results immediately, and to access guidance on what topics they need to focus on if they failed.

TestReach was chosen as the preferred partner for JIB-PMES as TestReach could meet all the requirements and was experienced in the management of exams for the issuing of CSCS Labourer’s cards.

JIB-PMES has been delighted with the successful launch of the Plumbing Health, Safety & Environment test. Their operatives have welcomed the introduction of the online exam. Candidate numbers have been higher than expected and demand is continuing to grow.

Equitable exam: There is a close focus on the exam standard with an average pass rate of 70%. To ensure that the exam is fair and equitable for all, TestReach question reporting tools and statistics are used to identify any question that is not performing so it can be removed or improved.

Security: The linear-on-the-fly test approach means that every candidate has their own exam paper, with the correct number of questions in each topic section. This helps maintain security of exam content over time.

Integration: An API integration via the JIB-PMES website enables candidates to book and pay for their exam, and to be automatically enrolled into TestReach. They receive an email notification to start the process where they download the application, run through a system check and then book their chosen exam time.

Candidate experience: Feedback received from JIB-PMES learners indicates that they like to deal with a human proctor on exam day, as they feel more supported. Because the remote proctors are employed by TestReach and work within the assessment application it gives a seamless end-to-end service for candidates. This approach also maintains test integrity as it prevents access to external applications, browser windows and AI tools.

“We are delighted to be working in partnership with TestReach to provide the option of an online health, safety and environment test for plumbers and mechanical engineers in England and Wales,” said Kevan Holmes, General Manager, JIB-PMES. “I have no hesitation in recommending the TestReach solution. The interface is modern, there is a seamless process for test-takers to follow, and our learners get a degree of comfort from dealing with a human proctor. This results in an overall positive experience, which has been reflected in the feedback from our applicants. The support services from TestReach are also excellent. Our exam team has been very complimentary about the level of service given and the speed with which the TestReach support team respond to queries.”

If you’re interested in learning more about TestReach remote proctoring for examinations, read more here.

If you’d like to discuss your own online exam requirements, get in touch with our sales team here.