BESA appoints Jill Nicholls to lead competence and compliance as Helen Yeulet shifts to strategic consultancy

The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has made a significant leadership change by appointing Jill Nicholls as director of competence and compliance. Nicholls steps up from her previous role as head of service development, where she was instrumental in improving skills and training standards within BESA’s membership. Having joined BESA last year, Nicholls brings with her valuable expertise from her seven-year tenure at the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, where she advanced to become head of construction and transport. Before that, she was employed by the Education Development Trust, adding further weight to her background in education and skills development.

Her appointment coincides with a shift for Helen Yeulet, who takes on a new position as strategic consultant within BESA. In this role, Yeulet will focus on larger industry-wide projects and government skills policy, aiming to boost the profile of building services in national skills strategies. She will also be responsible for securing grant funding and expanding the remit of the industry’s umbrella skills bodies. This transition reflects BESA’s broader ambition to deepen governmental engagement and ensure that building services remain pivotal in shaping the future workforce.

Yeulet’s track record in skills and training is well established. Prior to her strategic consultancy role, she served as director of training at BESA’s training arm, having been appointed following Tony Howard’s departure. Her leadership saw a strategic realignment, with BESA Training shifting its focus to apprenticeships in Wales and Scotland, withdrawing from English apprenticeships to adopt a new business strategy there. Yeulet championed BESA Training becoming a ‘bridge’ between employers and training centres in England, fostering employer involvement in course development to ensure training models align closely with sector needs. Additionally, she emphasised investing more resources in short courses and experienced worker programmes to support adult training and sector upskilling.

Yeulet has also been a notable voice on the critical skills shortages in the building retrofit sector, particularly concerned about the impact on the UK’s net-zero carbon targets for 2050. Her involvement in launching an online academy highlights BESA’s commitment to flexible, modern training solutions that encompass learning, assessment, and continuing professional development (CPD). Such initiatives are designed to support individuals, employers, and third-party training providers in navigating the rapidly evolving demands of the building engineering services industry.

The leadership changes at BESA underscore the association’s ongoing dedication to raising standards, enhancing competence, and aligning training with industry needs amidst a challenging skills landscape. By appointing Nicholls to strengthen compliance and skills development and repositioning Yeulet to steer strategic government engagement and policy influence, BESA is adapting its approach to better serve its members and the wider sector. As skills shortages and the drive toward sustainability intensify, these moves come at a critical time for the building engineering services community.