Types of SKILLcard

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A Gold SKILLcard is available if you are a:

• Skilled worker with an Apprenticeship Standard/NVQ/SVQ Level 3
• Skilled worker with an indentured apprenticeship
• Skilled worker with an informal apprenticeship and a City and Guilds or SCOTVEC (SQA) advanced craft certificate appropriate to your trade

All applicants must meet the SKILLcard health and safety requirements.

This card is valid for five years.

The card is renewable upon application, subject to SKILLcard renewal rules.

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Engineering Services SKILLcard and the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Industry Board (ACRIB) offer a joint badged construction related occupation ACRIB/SKILLcard designed for registered Operatives competent to handle refrigerants.

Applicants must hold appropriate qualifications, for example:

• City and Guilds 2079 (Cat1)
• BESA FG Cat1
• Appropriate unit of NVQ or 7189 as recognised by DEFRA
• Logic 603/1917/3 (Cat1)

All applicants must meet the SKILLcard health and safety requirements.

Cards can also feature additional refrigeration related qualifications such as those covering brazing, electrical and REAL Zero.

This card is valid for three years. 

Cards are renewable upon application, subject to SKILLcard renewal rules.

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Engineering Services SKILLcard and the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Industry Board (ACRIB) offer a joint badged ACRIB/SKILLcard which incorporates the requirements of the ACRIB Register of Refrigerant Handling Operatives with those of SKILLcard. 

A Blue card is issued if you are a:

• Skilled worker with Apprenticeship Standard NVQ/SVQ Level 2; or
• Skilled worker with an informal apprenticeship and a City and Guilds craft certificate appropriate to your trade

A Gold card is issued if you are a:

• Skilled worker with NVQ/SVQ Level 3; or
• Skilled worker with an indentured apprenticeship; or
• Skilled worker with an informal apprenticeship and a City and Guilds or SCOTVEC (SQA) advanced craft certificate appropriate to your trade

Primary qualifications accepted:

C&G Level 2 NVQ Diploma in Installing and Maintaining Refrigeration Systems (6187)

C&G Level 2 NVQ Diploma in Installing, Testing & Maintaining AC & HP Systems (6187)

C&G Level 2 Diploma in RACHP systems (7189-02)

C&G (VRQ) Level 2 or 3 Diploma in RACHP systems (7189)

C&G Level 2 Diploma in RACHP systems (6090-20)

C&G Level 3 Diploma in RACHP systems (6090-30)

C&G Level 3 NVQ in Installing and Commissioning AC & HP Systems

C&G Level 3 NVQ in Installing and Commissioning Refrigeration Systems (6187)

C&G Level 3 NVQ Certificate in Servicing and Maintaining AC and HP Systems (6187)

C&G Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Servicing and Maintaining Refrigeration Systems (6187)

Applicants must also hold appropriate F-Gas qualifications (if not included in their primary qualification):

• City and Guilds 2079
• BESA FG Cat1
• Appropriate unit of NVQ or 7189 as recognised by DEFRA
• Logic 603/1917/3 (Cat1)
• CITB J11 F Gas Certificates/Cards within validity date (please note CITB no longer offer F Gas assessments or renewals)

All applicants must meet the SKILLcard health and safety requirements.

Cards can also feature additional refrigeration related qualifications such as those covering additional refrigerants, brazing, electrical and REAL Zero.

These cards are valid for five years.

Cards are renewable upon application, subject to SKILLcard renewal rules.

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This card is issued if you are a:

• Modern Apprentice with relevant Apprenticeship Standard/NVQ/SVQ Level 2; or
• Skilled worker with relevant Apprenticeship Standard/NVQ/SVQ Level 2; or
• Skilled worker with an informal apprenticeship and a City and Guilds craft certificate appropriate to your trade

All applicants must meet the SKILLcard health and safety requirements.

This card is valid for five years.

The card is renewable upon application, subject to SKILLcard renewal rules.

apply online here

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This card is issued to those carrying out basic site work only.  It shows that the cardholder has met the SKILLcard health and safety requirements and can carry out basic site skills.

All applicants must meet the SKILLcard health and safety requirements.

This card is valid for five years.

The card is renewable upon application, subject to SKILLcard renewal rules.

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This card is available for the following managerial occupations:

• Contracts Manager
• Commissioning Manager
• Project Engineer
• Project Manager
• Quantity Surveyor
• Service and Maintenance Manager
• Building Services Design Engineer
• Building Services Engineering Site Manager
• Fire Sprinkler Design/Project Engineer
  (Domestic and Residential)

Managers cards are issued to applicants who can provide evidence of having completed an appropriate Level 4 NVQ/SVQ/Apprenticeship Standard/Degree or higher qualification in a building services engineering and/or construction management occupation.​

Plus one of the following H&S requirements:​

• BESA Health Safety and Environment Test for Managers and Supervisors
• CITB Site Management Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS)​
• CITB Managers and Professionals test​
• CCNSG ‘Safety Passport Scheme’ course​
• IOSH ‘Managing Safely’ course ​

All applications must be accompanied by an employer endorsement which confirms that the applicant is working in a building service engineering managerial role in accordance with the managerial criteria as specified in the online application form.

This card is valid for five years.

The card is renewable upon application, subject to SKILLcard renewal rules.

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This card is available to Building Services Engineers who meet the corporate membership standards of SKILLcard approved Professional Bodies.

To apply for this card the following must be provided:

Applicants will need to supply proof that they hold current membership of the professional body at a level accepted by SKILLcard, by providing one of the following:

• A membership certificate
• A membership card (if issued)
• A current year letter or email from the professional body

For renewals, applicants must supply a letter or email from the professional body confirming that they are still a member of the organisation.

All applicants must meet the SKILLcard health and safety requirements.

This card is valid for five years. 

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This card is available for the following supervisory occupations: 

1. Team Leader
2. Building Services Engineer Supervisor
3. Building Services Technician 

Supervisor gold cards are issued to applicants who can provide evidence of having completed an appropriate Level 3 qualification or higher in a building service engineering occupation. 

Plus one of the following health and safety requirements: 

• BESA Health Safety and Environment Test for Managers and Supervisors
• CITB Supervisory HSE test
• CITB Managers and Professionals Test
• CITB SSSTS or SMSTS course
• CCNSG ‘Safety Passport Scheme’ course
• IOSH ‘Managing Safely’ course
• NEBOSH Construction Certificate 

Where applicants have completed a ‘generic’ Level 3 supervisory qualification, for example:

• L3 N/SVQ Diploma in Occupational Work Supervision 
• L3 N/SVQ in Construction Site Supervision 

This must also be accompanied by a recognised L3 qualification in an appropriate building service engineering occupation plus one of the health and safety requirements above. 

This card is valid for five years and is renewable upon application, subject to SKILLcard renewal rules.

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This card is available to Building Services Engineers who hold an identified SKILLcard approved academic qualification.

Applicants will need to supply proof that they hold one of the academic qualifications approved by SKILLcard, by providing a copy of the qualification certificate.

All applicants must meet the SKILLcard health and safety requirements.

This card is valid for five years. 

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This card is for new entrant trainees who:

a) Have no prior experience and are registered for a relevant Apprenticeship Standard, NVQ or SVQ; or towards an NC or HNC or Degree but have not yet achieved the qualification.

b) Adult Trainees.

c) Student Engineers training to be Project Engineers/Project Managers who have not yet achieved the relevant NC or higher level qualification.

d) BSE Technician Trainees/Assistants (previously known as Commissioning)

e) HNC and Degree undergraduates or Higher or Degree Apprentices. 

In the case of (a), the employer must sign an endorsement that the Trainee has undertaken basic site safety induction training.

In the case of (b),(c), (d), and (e) applicants will need to demonstrate compliance with the SKILLcard health and safety requirements.

This card is valid for five years and is non-renewable.

Trainees are expected to upgrade to a Blue/Gold SKILLcard when the Apprenticeship Standard/NVQ/SVQ Level 2/3 is achieved.

Student Engineers are expected to upgrade to a Gold (Supervisory) SKILLcard on completion of their training to indicate their status as a Junior/Assistant Project Engineer.

HNC and Degree Apprentices or students are expected to upgrade to the White Academically Qualified Persons (AQP) SKILLcard when their qualification is achieved.

 

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This card is for students who are enrolled onto a qualification or training programme requiring a minimum of 30 days’ work placement including T Levels, Traineeships, Foundation & Progression Qualifications (Wales) and Sandwich Degrees.

All applicants must meet the SKILLcard health and safety requirements .

They must be aged 16 or above.

The card is valid for three years and in non-renewable.

Find out more here.

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This card is issued to those who have no formal industry qualifications and are therefore working towards a relevant NVQ/SVQ L2 or higher.

Upon completion of your qualification, you will be eligible to upgrade to a blue/gold SKILLcard.

This card is valid for three years (reduced to 1 year for non N/SVQ/Standard qualifications) and is non-renewable.

To be eligible to apply for an experienced worker SKILLcard you must:

1. Have at least five years’ experience in one of the following qualifications:

• Building Services Engineering Service & Maintenance Technician/Engineer

• H&V Fitter/Welder/Installer/Pipefitter

• Plumber Domestic or Industrial & Commercial

• Refrigeration/Air conditioning Technician/Engineer

2. Have completed an approved Health and Safety test within the last two years

3. Be in a role equivalent to operating at level 2 or 3

4. Be enrolled/registered with an assessment centre. Contact BESA Skills Advisory Service to be signposted to the relevant training organisation

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Construction Site Visitors cards

Please be aware that SKILLcard are now in the process of withdrawing the Construction Site Visitor Card. Please see below for the timetable of closure dates.

• From 1st December 2020, any Construction Site Visitor cards will only be valid up to the 30th November 2022.
• From 31st April 2022, SKILLcard will stop issuing the visitor card.
• For the avoidance of doubt, visitor cards issued before the 1st December 2020 will remain valid until their expiry date.

Read more.

All applicants must meet the SKILLcard health and safety requirements. 
 
This card is valid for five years. 

The issue of a construction or occasional visitors card does not exempt the employer and/or site managers from their legal responsibilities to ensure health, safety and welfare of people visiting their sites.

This card is intended to cover ancillary occupations related to heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refigeration 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.

There is a list of occupations for which (White) Construction Related Occupation (CRO) cards are available.

All applicants must meet the SKILLcard Health and Safety requirements.

This card is valid for three years.

The card is renewable upon application, subject to SKILLcard renewal rules.

Please note that the CRO card is now in a phased closure programme. Each occupation is under review and as new qualification routes are identified, cards will be closed. For more details please see our dedicated CRO Closures Page.