Sign-maker NVQ debate rumbles on
In the June edition of Signlink, David Catanach, the director of the British Sign and Graphics Association (BSGA), commented that sign-makers needed CSCS cards to be able to work on construction sites, and need the specific sign-making NVQ in order to get the correct CSCS card. However, David Hammond of Seymour Sign and Print, argued that the NVQ was not that relevant, and that the BSGA seemed to be slightly out of touch with the sign industry.
Tuesday, 12 Sep 2017 16:52 GMT
Sign-makers need a specific CSCS card to allow them onto construction sites, in order to install signage
Catanach spoke to us again here at Signlink, to explain the importance of the sign-making NVQ. In the article, Catanch explained that funding for the NVQ will now only be available to young apprentices, and anyone else who is not an apprentice, would have to pay for the qualification out of their own pocket.
Seymour asked the question to his fellow sign-makers of whether or the not the BSGA seemed out of touch with the modern industry, and highlighted that spending £2,500 for the NVQ, to gain the CSCS card, is not realistic for many sign-makers.
However, Catanach explained that he and the BSGA warned sign-makers that this would happen, and they should have taken the opportunity to complete the NVQ originally. He comments: “The current CSCS card they have has been withdrawn, and the CSCS card that they (the sign-makers) probably had was called the CRO card, a Construction Related Operative card, I believe. They’re saying that this card has been withdrawn and they need to get the specific sign installation NVQ card, and that is what is causing the problem.
From the BSGA’s point of view, we’ve been ringing a bell about this for years, saying that there was a sign-making NVQ, to get a sign-making CSCS card specific to their trade”
“From the BSGA’s point of view, we’ve been ringing a bell about this for years, saying that there was a sign-making NVQ, to get a sign-making CSCS card specific to their trade. What CSCS are doing, is that they’re making sure that anyone who goes onto a construction site is qualified to do the job they are doing, with qualifications specific to that job. You’ll no longer be able to go onsite because you’ve got a general operative card.”
Addressing the issue of older, smaller sign-makers not having the necessary NVQ to gain the CSCS card specific to the sign industry, Catanach can see that it might not be considered fair. He continues: “In one sense I can see the argument of ‘I’ve been in the business for thirty years, I don’t need a qualification’. You may think so, but the people allowing you onto their construction site, don’t know your skill level. They don’t even know who you are.
“This card demonstrates that you have passed the competence necessary to allow you to have access to the construction site to do the job you’re doing. As harsh as that may seem to someone who has been in the business for 30 years, just get a card. Just because you’ve been in the business 30 years, it doesn’t mean you know everything.”
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