The new higher hurdle for acquiring a labourer’s green card has been welcomed by the industry, but the jury was still out on the value of the new Academically Qualified Person’s card.
Paul Bogle, policy manager at the National Federation of Builders, said that the tightening of green card criteria was a positive move for the industry. “Essentially what they’re doing is closing a loophole that allowed people to get on site using the wrong card.
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“We haven’t taken the temperature of the membership yet [on the cost of training and assessment] but when you introduce a minimum qualification level, as we saw with the Green Deal, it’s more about the application and assessment process than the training. Contractors will probably find that a lot of people are already qualified – it’s an administrative hurdle but not an educational one.”
He linked the new AQP card, and the wider variety of non-vocational qualifications CSCS now recognises, to the overall “image of the industry” agenda set out in the Industrial Strategy for Construction.
“A key pillar of that is communicating that we are a professional industry, it helps us attract new talent and give clients confidence. The new card all goes to build that confidence.”
But other commentators were concerned that an “academic” card would carry little real weight on site, and undermines the concept that CSCS cards should be linked to job roles, not qualifications.
“If someone with an HND working as an assistant site manager shows this card, what does it suggest?” said an industry source who preferred not to named. “It seems pointless – it doesn’t tell you anything about the person. There is already confusion about the number of cards out there, and introducing a new one is likely to add more.”
Existing cards include: a red graduate card for technical, supervisory and management roles; a red trainee card, for technical, supervisory and management roles; and a red experienced worker card.
Chartered CIOB members can hold a Professionally Qualified Person’s card, but have to pass an NVQ 6 or a CIOB Level 4 Site Management qualification in order to hold a black CSCS site manager’s card.
Further details on the exact qualifications that will entitle an applicant to the new AQP card will be published on the CSCS website later this week.
Duncan Bullimore, director at Hays Construction, commented: “Holding a CSCS card is a demonstration of a worker’s commitment to health and safety and it is entirely appropriate for there to be a greater range of cards that reflect a worker’s level of competence.
“It is important, however, that workers are given the appropriate support to secure the right CSCS card under the new system. Without this support, it may lead to a shortage of construction workers who are eligible to work on site, which will have a knock-on effect on the industry as a whole.”
Meanwhile, the new Level 1 NVQ that will become a requirement for Green card applicants does not yet exist: CSCS has invited Edexcel, CSkills Awards (part of CITB) and City & Guilds to put forward their proposals for the content of the new NVQ and ideas for how it should be delivered.
Graham Wren predicted that it might cost £25-£30 to assess an individual, while the cost of the pre-assessment training would depend on their existing skills level.
The NVQ would involve “40 notional learning hours” which could be delivered via site assessment, or via employers’ existing training programmes if they meet agreed criteria. For instance, the CITB’s Site Safety Plus course could be “mapped” as an alternative route to the NVQ qualification.
CSCS hopes to pilot the new NVQ later this year and the beginning of 2014, allowing the new Green Card regime to be implemented from July 1 2014.
