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Qualifications
NVQ
qualifications
An NVQ is assessed on the jobs your people are already doing. There are no classroom weeks and no exam hall — an assessor builds a portfolio of evidence from their actual work, and the qualification confirms they can do competently what they have been doing all along.
[A line or two on how you deliver this course specifically — what makes doing it with you easier than the provider down the road.]
- Levels available
- [Levels 2–7]
- Where
- In the workplace
- Typical duration
- [Months]
- Classroom time
- None
- Assessment
- Portfolio and assessor visits
- Leads to
- Blue, gold or black CSCS card
- Price from
- [£000]
Why NVQs matter commercially
Two reasons, and they are both about cards.
The first is plant. A red trained operator card from CPCS or NPORS lasts two years and cannot be renewed. The only route to the blue competent operator card is the relevant NVQ, completed inside that window. Miss it and the operator starts again.
The second is the CSCS card colour. The skilled, supervisory and managerial cards all require a qualification behind them, and for most people already in the job, the NVQ is that qualification. It is how an experienced supervisor gets a gold card without going back to college.
How assessment actually works
An assessor is allocated, visits the candidate at work, and gathers evidence against the units — observation, questioning, photographs, witness testimony, and documents the candidate already produces. The candidate keeps working throughout. The main thing it costs the business is a little of the candidate's time and some cooperation from their supervisor.
The common mistake
Leaving it until the red card is nearly up. An NVQ takes months rather than weeks, so it needs starting early in the two years, not at the end of them. [Say whether you flag this for clients and how far ahead you recommend starting.]
Which level?
The level follows the role. An experienced operator and the manager who runs their site need very different qualifications.
Operative and plant
For people doing the work on the tools or on the machine. The standard route from a red plant card to a blue one.
- TypicalPlant operations, trades
- Leads toBlue CPCS/NPORS or skilled CSCS card
- AssessedOn your own jobs
Supervision
For gangers, chargehands and supervisors who direct others as well as doing the work.
- TypicalOccupational work supervision
- Leads toGold supervisory CSCS card
- AssessedOn your own jobs
Management
For site managers, contracts managers and senior staff running projects.
- TypicalConstruction site management
- Leads toBlack manager CSCS card
- AssessedOn your own projects
[Confirm which NVQs and levels you actually offer, and which awarding body you register candidates with.]
How the course runs
Your team is the only firm in the room. We arrange the venue, you pick the date, and the whole crew goes through together rather than being split across three different weeks.
[Detail on how NVQs run with you — how assessors are allocated, how often they visit, how evidence is submitted, and realistic timescales.]
Questions we get asked
Answered properly, in plain English. These are marked up so Google can show them directly in search results.
How long does an NVQ take?
[Give a realistic range. This is the first question every time and a vague answer costs you the enquiry.]
Does the candidate have to leave site?
No. NVQs are assessed in the workplace on the work they are already doing. The assessor comes to them.
Will this convert a red plant card to blue?
Yes, where the NVQ matches the categories held. That is exactly what the red card's two-year window is for, and it is the only route to the blue competent operator card.
Can we put several people through at once?
[Answer this — firms often want a whole crew done together and it affects both price and assessor scheduling.]
What does it cost?
[From £X per candidate, by level. Also mention CITB grant here if registered employers can claim against it.]
Get NVQ information and a price
[One or two lines on what happens when someone gets in touch, and how fast.]
Tell us in the message
Which qualification and level, how many candidates, what they do day to day, and whether anyone is working against a red card deadline. That tells us whether the timescale is realistic.