CSCS PQPs card - september deadline

[chrysalis]

Or without acronyms construction certification skills professionally qualified persons card (http://www.cscs.uk.com/heritagemia).

As I discovered today EH is hoping to make possession of a heritage skills CSCS card compulsory for works on their sites from September 2010. This would be a heritage skills card for site workers or a professionally qualified persons card for surveyors, consultants and general heritage/coservation bods who aren't 100% site based. September this year is incidentally when a useful 'grandfather rights' clause closes... basically grandfather rights are where you get someone to testify that you are a competant person as you have been a competant person for donkey's years already. It would cost you ?47 to get the card via this route whereas after this date the only alternative is to pay a minimum of ?1000 to get a heritage skills NVQ - even if you already have heritage qualifications (they aren't 'on the job' so apparantly don't count). The normal white CSCS archaeologist technician (which I already possess) is apparantly not a heritage skills card. The CSCS folk/EH are also pressuring people who commission architects, buildings surveyors, conservation consultants etc to make it a compulsory requirement (i certainly had my arm twisted to include it in my briefs). It therefore sounds as if it might be good to get in here before the rush. There is a list of approved trade bodies which can testify on your behalf - apparantly the IHBC are in negotiations to become one but the IFA are not. I have just contacted the IFA to ask about this but suggest that it might be a good idea if anyone else interested were to do the same asap if any progress is to be made before september.

Apologies if there are any flaws in this post - I have the CSCS leaflet in front of me and the words from the workshop ringing in my ears but if anyone has more inside knowledge PLEASE say nicely and don't flame like usual. And please don't go off topic about how rubbish the IFA are, I'd just like to know if anyone already has this card, would be interested in getting it or already specifies it as a minimum qualification? Thanks

[BAJR]

LEASE say nicely and don't flame like usual. And please don't go off topic about how rubbish the IFA are

Good sentiment!

And quite a stunning piece of information, that has massive implications for us all... well at least those that may want work on EH sites. We may need to clarify with EH who exactly this will be required of, as the NVQ route is... er... cough... tricky... at the moment.

I note here ( http://www.nhtg.org.uk/employers/qualify...itage.aspx : NAtional Heritage training Group ) that

Having a qualified and carded workforce is more important than ever. English Heritage has endorsed the Heritage Skills NVQ Level 3 and CSCS Heritage Skills Card. They are demanding that all craftspeople undertaking conservation, repair, maintenance and restoration on their 400+ properties and sites will be working towards the CSCS Heritage Skills Card by 2010. It is expected that other heritage bodies and organisations with responsibility for pre-1919 building stock will follow suit.

So am unsure whether this is across the board and only management or grades such as surveyor, buildings archaeologists etc (which of course does affect many of us)

CSCS is working with the NHTG on the validation process and endorsement will be granted by three possible routes:

1. Managed Industry Accreditation: Practitioners supply evidence of their relevant work experience supported by their employer’s endorsement that they continue to carry out this kind of work to a high standard. It is envisaged that this route will be available until September 2010.
   
2. Approved Apprenticeship and Conservation Qualification: Demonstrating achievement of a recognised craft qualification and a recognised conservation qualification.
   
3. Heritage Skills NVQ: Achievement of the Heritage Skills NVQ Level 3
   

The quickest and easiest way to apply for a CSCS card is to use the SkillsDirect service by calling: 0844 248 5262, or organise it yourself and download an application form from the CSCS website (opens new window).


I could only find this in archaeology

http://www.cscs.uk.com/RunScript.asp?sea...\Pg131.asp

The Archaeological Technician as you rightly say

So this does come down to specific jobs.

[Dinosaur]

Aha, some professionally useful posts, good ones guys! :face-approve:

[ken_whittaker]

Chrysalis

Do you have a specific contact point within EH on this matter. It would be useful if EH could clarify whether this is a form of accreditation they are promoting across the heritage conservation sector.

Thanks

Ken

[chrysalis]

EH submitted a MoU to this effect along with the All Party Parliamentary Archaeology group last year.

Regarding the workshop I went to: the presentations were by Seamus Hanna & Simon Holmes (ConstructionSkills), John Edwards (EH - but I suspect he didn't know the nitty gritty of which cards etc), Henry Rumbold (National Heritage Training group - again more big picture stuff) and Sophie Norton(Hamlyn feilden regional heritage skills co-ordinator - Yorks & humber). I suspect Simon Holmes and Sophie Norton (if you're in this region) would be the most practical help. The workshops on "Repair and Miantainance of traditional buildings - demand the right skills" are apparantly being run in other regions too.

[Sith]

I'm about to renew mine before it expires in a couple of months time, and we as a company have been requesting that all our subcontractors have CSCS cards or one of the couple of other similar site safety accreditations.

This is for two reasons: it makes us feel slightly better that everyone has had at least some minimal H&S training and testing to stop them from falling off the scaffold tower into the path of the digger; and because a lot of our clients simply won't allow anyone (from the fencing team to the sparkies and plasterers) on site without one.

[chrysalis]

Apparantly the IFA will be looking into it

[Weegie]

I haven't heard any suggestion that this will apply to archaeologists working on EH sites, and I would have hoped that somebody might have let me know if it did! :I I will ask my architectural colleagues for clarification.

Brian

[Dinosaur]

Our administrator had a long hard look at all the internet sources quoted above (plus a few), read through reams of paperwork, and then filed it all in the bin. As far as she can figure, it doesn't apply to anything other than above-ground architectural stuff, so maybe only building-recorders would be affected from our point of view. The comment was that the actual H&S exam is exactly the same so it's just a pathetic attempt to screw money out of people.......

[chrysalis]

As far as I can see, yes indeed this does mostly affect buildings archaeologists and conservation managers. As previously stated the 'archaeology technician' cscs card covers those who work in below-ground archaeology.

The EH chap who gave the presentation I attended said it was relatively new info to him and had not been widely disseminated internally. The right hand knows not what the left hand doth...