This is a significant development for the 116-year-old trade body, which has previously only admitted companies and corporate organisations into membership.

BESA said the new associate member category would provide a home for individuals who have wanted to engage with the organisation and gain access to specialist knowledge and share their own expertise, but had no avenue to do so in the past.

They are expected to include consultants, academics, retired engineers, other experts and young engineers including apprentices and trainees. The new category will seek to create communities of like-minded individuals with tailored content covering their area of interest and supporting their personal development goals.

It will give those involved opportunities to network and provide them with insight into the sector and its ‘hot topics’. They will be able to raise their professional profiles through membership of BESA and share ideas, problems and solutions. They will also be given access to training materials via the new online BESA Academy.

For the Association, it will open up new audiences for its expertise and industry guidance and further extend its sphere of influence.

Standard membership will cost £120 per annum, but retired people and apprentices/trainees will be admitted for free. Workers recently made redundant will also have their membership fee waived for the first 12 months or until they are successful in finding employment.

BESA associate members will receive a comprehensive suite of benefits including: an invitation to join relevant BESA specialist groups; the use of a special BESA logo; inclusion in social media groups; the opportunity to contribute to industry research and access to reports; political consultations and articles.

They will also receive discounts on publications and events, including attendance at the BESA National Conference, which this year is being held online on November 4 and 5.

The new grade of membership does not provide access to the comprehensive suite of services enjoyed by ‘full’ company members, such as legal and commercial support, or the Association’s governance. Individual membership also cannot be used for project tendering purposes.