BEDFORDSHIRE: The Institute of Builders' Merchants has arranged to provide the BMF Campus online product knowledge portal as a free benefit to its members. 

Institute president Andrew Pine said: "On the exclusive-to-members section of the Institute's website – www.iobm.co.uk – and thanks to excellent support from the Builders' Merchants Federation, our members can now access all 100 plus industry-standard courses on everything from chipboard to solar heating  at no additional cost. This, we believe, will make membership subscription a great investment in personal development."

In addition, the Institute website now features a Forum service, where members can post comments and take part in debates on industry-relevant subjects.

"This has generated particularly keen interest from supplier partners seeking to engage in direct dialogue with individuals," Mr Pine observed.

The website is viewed by the Institute as an important route to encouraging new membership as well as for directly re-engaging existing members.

"We are keen to hear our members' views on how they would like to see the website progress and what additional member benefits they would like us to develop on their behalf," Mr Pine stated.