Plastering NVQ

The Plastering NVQ is a qualification that proves you have the technical knowledge this occupation demands.  It also demonstrates that you can put your skills into practice in the workplace in an effective and competent manner. The standards for completion of the various levels of NVQ are set by industry-approved authorities on plastering. The Plastering NVQ is instantly recognised as being the gold standard of the plastering industry and is a great way to prove your expertise and boost your career prospects.

NVQs are assessed on the basis of your work on-site, meaning you’ll be able to study towards your qualification while you work. Because the NVQ is a measure of your competence to do the work of a plasterer, the bulk of your assessment revolves around practical rather than theoretical considerations. This also means that you must be working in your chosen field in order to be assessed as you work. You will have an initial interview with your assessor and then they will sign off on the various units of the course based on your progress and proof of competency during their assessments.

In order to work as a plasterer on any UK job-site, you must have a Plasterer CSCS card. This card requires the completion of all Plasterer NVQ modules, meaning that a national qualification is essential. The Plasterer CSCS card comes in different colours, denoting different levels of skill, and different levels of NVQ. The Red Plasterer CSCS Card signifies a Trainee Plasterer. You’ll hold this while you study for your Plasterer NVQ Level 2. Once you have achieved NVQ Level 2 in Plastering, you are eligible for a Blue CSCS Plasterer Card, which will show employers instantly that you are a skilled worker.

CSCS Card Checking: How to do so and why it's important

As we all know, the building site can be a dangerous workplace, one where failure to adhere to health and safety regulations can lead to injury and occasionally even fatalities.  The purpose of the CSCS project is to ensure that construction sites become safer.  Part of this process involves the mandatory checking of CSCS cards that occurs throughout the UK construction industry.

Members of the CSCS are obliged to undergo a CSCS-authorised health and safety test before being issued with a card appropriate to their occupation and skill level. These cards contain a chip much like the one found on a conventional credit or debit card. The chip in the CSCS card is designed to contain the relevant CSCS information pertaining to its holder. With some additional programming, it could also be used to store training information and other relevant data.

This means that an employer seeking trained and CSCS-certified workers can check the validity of each card using the data contained on the chip. The employer need only purchase a simple handheld SmartCard checker to be able to swipe CSCS cards. These cost in the region of £100 + VAT, a sum that your credit card should be able to comfortably bear. By checking the validity of the card, the employer can verify that their contractors are health and safety-aware and that their site will be a cowboy-free zone. It is thus of paramount importance to check that valid CSCS cards are held by all workers, for an employee without the correct CSCS card could prove to be an expensive liability.