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(a) New entrant trainees – such
as Modern Apprentices and Advanced Modern
Apprentices – who are pursuing a programme of training
leading to NVQ/SVQ Level 2 or 3 appropriate to their occupation
and who have not yet reached NVQ/SVQ Level 2; (b) Adult Trainees who do not have directly relevant experience, but who have experience of similar work in other industrial sectors, which their employer believes suits them for training for employment in the heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigeration sector and who are registered for an NVQ/SVQ Level 2 or 3 (but who have not yet achieved the qualification); or (c) Student Engineers training to be Project Engineers/Project Managers. Trainee cards are valid for five years. However, if you are covered by (a) and (b) above, you are expected to upgrade from a Red card to a Blue card when you achieve NVQ/SVQ Level 2. You should also upgrade to a Gold card when you achieve NVQ/SVQ Level 3 (if Level 3 is available). If you are covered by (c) above, you are expected to upgrade from a Red card to a Gold (Supervisory) card when you have completed your training, to indicate your status as a Junior/Assistant Project Engineer. This is a holding position, until you complete the appropriate qualification enabling you to apply for a Platinum or Black SKILLcard.
If you are neither a Trainee, nor Skilled, nor a Supervisor or Manager, you can apply for a Green SKILLcard. These cards are available if you carry out basic site skills only. If you carry out skilled work you should apply for a Blue or Gold card. Green cards have the words "Mate" or (if you work in the Services and Facilities sector) "Service Assistant" printed on the front. SKILLcards issued on this basis are valid for five years, and may be renewed after that period (subject to renewal rules).
A Blue SKILLcard is available if you are a:
Experienced Workers who work in a skilled capacity but who do not have formal industry qualifications or an approved apprenticeship and who are not able to apply for Industry Accreditation (because the closure date has passed) – refer to Blue (Experienced Worker) card below. SKILLcards issued through these routes of entry are valid for five years, and may be renewed after that period (subject to renewal rules).
This type of card is available if you:
To get a SKILLcard by the Experienced Worker route you will need to register for a relevant NVQ/SVQ Level 2 or 3 and complete an NVQ/SVQ profile with an NVQ/SVQ assessor. It's not as difficult as it may seem! These qualifications are different from those with which you may otherwise be familiar. They don't normally involve examinations or tests. Instead, they give credit for your existing skills, knowledge and experience in your day-to-day job. So achieving them does not involve going back to college or undertaking a great deal of study. In any case – if you are as good at your job as you think – the whole process should be perfectly straightforward. SKILLcards issued on this basis are valid for three years only; they cannot be renewed. They are replaced by a normal five-year SKILLcard when you achieve an NVQ/SVQ Level 2 or 3 in the occupation shown on the card, before the expiry date. To check if your occupation is eligible for this type of card, follow this link to Occupations Available. For full details about obtaining a Blue SKILLcard by the Experienced Worker route, click HERE for the leaflet Your Licence to Work. For a list of approved training organisations which provide Experienced Worker profiling and assessment services, click on the most appropriate to your occupation from the following list: Refrigeration and Air Conditioning
A Gold SKILLcard is available if you are a:
* If you are a skilled Service and Maintenance Technician/Engineer applying for a Gold SKILLcard on the basis of having achieved the relevant NVQ/SVQ Level 3 you must also have two years' post-qualification experience (and this needs to be confirmed in the accompanying employer's endorsement on the relevant application form). SKILLcards issued through these routes of entry are valid for five years, and may be renewed after that period (subject to renewal rules).
This card is available for the following supervisory occupations:
* If you are a Student Engineer training to be a Project Engineer or Project Manager, you are expected to upgrade from a Red card to a Gold (Supervisor) card when you have completed your training, to indicate your status as a Junior/Assistant Project Engineer. This is a holding position, until completion of the appropriate qualification enables you to apply for a Platinum or Black SKILLcard. The card is colour-coded (Gold) on the basis of NVQ/SVQ Level 3. Industry Accreditation For a limited period only – provisionally until 31 October 2009– if you do not have an NVQ or SVQ in a relevant supervisory discipline, you can apply on the basis of Industry Accreditation through an employer's endorsement; this is the principal entry route at the present time. If you apply on this basis, you will need two recommendations in the employer endorsement section of the relevant application form. NVQ/SVQ applicants will need only one recommendation. Click HERE for the statements of competences to be used in industry accreditation of applicants for Gold (Supervisor) SKILLcards. Other rules Gold (Supervisor) SKILLcards are issued only in respect of supervisory competences and qualifications. They do not record trade competences and qualifications. If you want to have your trade competences and qualifications recorded on a SKILLcard, you may additionally apply for the relevant trade-level SKILLcard. All Gold (Supervisor) SKILLcards last for five years. They can be renewed by passing the relevant health and safety test and continued employer recommendation.
This card is available for the following managerial occupations:
The card is colour-coded (Platinum) on the basis of NVQ/SVQ Level 4. Industry Accreditation For a limited period only – provisionally
until 31 October 2009– if you do not have an NVQ or SVQ
in a relevant managerial discipline, you can apply on the
basis
of Industry Accreditation
through an employer's endorsement; this is the principal entry
route at the present time. If
you apply on this basis, you will need two recommendations
in the
employer endorsement section of the relevant application form.
NVQ/SVQ applicants will need only one recommendation. Other rules Management SKILLcards are issued only in respect of managerial competences and qualifications. They do not record trade competences and qualifications. If you want to have your trade competences and qualifications recorded on a SKILLcard, you may additionally apply for the relevant trade-level SKILLcard. All Management SKILLcards last for five years. They can be renewed by passing the relevant health and safety test and continued employer recommendation.
This card is available for Contracts Managers
only. Industry Accreditation For a limited period only – provisionally until 31 October 2009– if you do not have an NVQ or SVQ as a Contracts Manager, you can apply on the basis of Industry Accreditation through an employer's endorsement; this is the principal entry route at the present time. If you apply on this basis, you will need two recommendations in the employer endorsement section of the relevant application form. NVQ/SVQ applicants will need only one recommendation. Other rules Black (Senior Manager) SKILLcards are issued
only in respect of relevant managerial competences and qualifications.
These SKILLcards last for five years. They can be renewed by passing
the relevant health and safety test and continued employer recommendation.
Two types of Visitors cards are available. They provide an aid to controlling access to sites for regular and occasional visitors, whose occupations are not covered by other cards issued by Engineering Services SKILLcard. Regular Site Visitor cards (Yellow) are intended for issue to those personnel who, while being regular visitors to construction sites, do not themselves undertake, or are not directly involved in, construction, maintenance or planning operational activities on construction sites. Examples include:
Occasional Site Visitor cards are intended as an aid to contractors, in controlling personnel on their sites by clearly identifying visitors. Click HERE to download an order form for Occasional Site Visitor cards. Important note for both Visitor cards: The issue of a regular or occasional visitor card does not exempt the employer and/or site managers from their legal responsibilities to ensure the health, safety and welfare of people visiting their sites.
The basic principle behind Engineering Services SKILLcard is that the occupations for which cards are issued should be underpinned by a recognised National Vocational Qualification or Scottish Vocational Qualification (NVQ/SVQ). However, it is recognised that a number of
ancillary occupations related to the heating, ventilating, air
conditioning
and refrigeration (hvacr) contracting industry include activities
of such a specialist nature that no NVQ or SVQ exists, or where
the personnel concerned are qualified in other specialist fields
and the work they undertake in a construction related context
forms a relatively minor part of their overall job. The competences for each occupation have been selected by a cross-section of employers and are considered relevant to aspects of the occupation concerned. The competences are taken from two Units of related NVQ's/SVQ's – and the cards issued on this basis are sometimes referred to as "NVQ/SVQ unit-based cards". The occupations for which Construction Related Occupation (Dark Green) cards are available are:
Click HERE for the statements of competences to be used in industry accreditation of applicants for Construction Related Occupation – NVQ/SVQ Unit-based cards (Word document).
There are some ancillary occupations related to the heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigeration (hvacr) contracting industry which include activities of such a specialist nature that no full NVQ or SVQ exists, nor are there any identified NVQ/SVQ Units relevant to those occupations. In such cases, SKILLcard will issue a Construction Related Occupation ("Non-Availability") white card. The occupations covered by this card are:
Click HERE to download an application form.
When a SKILLcard is issued on this basis, you will be able to keep your Industry Accreditation membership of SKILLcard for life (subject to renewal rules). SKILLcards issued on this basis are valid for five years. There is a time limit for applying by Industry Accreditation, and the closure dates are shown against individual occupations in Occupations Available. After the end of the period available for Industry Accreditation, applicants without formal industry qualifications will need to apply via the Experienced Worker route – see Blue (Experienced Worker) SKILLcard, above. Industry Accreditation is currently available for:
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