cscs cards

[gregers]

ok peeps i have for the last 9 years been working in a school environment part of a dedicated maintenance team covering all aspects of building repairs and projects etc(im a carpenter),as you plumbers and sparkies have to keep on going back to college for refresher courses(because you guys have small brains) as your qualifications are regularly updated and us hatchet mens brains are full of saw dust and(i)ours do not(i obtained mine 20 years ago), is there any reason you can see for me to obtain one of these cards?or is the card purely for site use?.

is the card used purely to prove the holder can show a certain amount of competence in there trade?

 

[breezer]

site use , i believe, never been asked for mine

 

[Zampa]

is the card used purely to prove the holder can show a certain amount of competence in there trade?

No..you can get a site visitors card providing you pass the HS test.

 

[NS215]

there a joke and do nothing to stop cowboys, another money making scheme

 

[jbonding]

there a joke and do nothing to stop cowboys, another money making scheme

have to disagree, whoever has one has past a health and safety test so atleast they have more of a clue about safety.
they come in different colours red, blue, gold, silver and probably a few others, labourers,trainees,skilled worker and tradesman cards.
they show what quals you have so it cant be a bad thing.
things are tight in the building game at the minute and these cards give you a better advantage than not having one
when it gets worse i can see them asking what colour card you have
before they employ you. You can be assesed if you havent got the quals and be given a nvq level 2 to get a skilled workers card, its quite easy phone CITB and pay your money and away you go. A lot of firms will get onto how easy is to get level 2 so they might only take on level 3.

 

[gregers]

nvq level 2-3?(showing my age here )im city&guilds carpentry&joinery plus advanced craft,nvqs were just being launched when i done my training at college.

jbonding,you say when it gets worse,lets hope the government will be screaming when the Olympic site isnt ready in time hopefully by then it wont have pushed the money down to much.

 

[jbonding]

nvq level 2-3?(showing my age here )im city&guilds carpentry&joinery plus advanced craft,nvqs were just being launched when i done my training at college.

jbonding,you say when it gets worse,lets hope the government will be screaming when the Olympic site isnt ready in time hopefully by then it wont have pushed the money down to much.

Im the same as you plastering 20 yrs, c&g plus advanced craft and skilled tested and i think these cards are a good think they list your skills(quals) and at last quals are starting to be recognised.
For thew sake ofabout £30 for H&S test and £30 for the card i dont think they are a bad thing.

 

[holmslaw]

Some show peoples qualifications.
Others do not and just prove that the person has done a health and safety course.

They are basically a method of conning people into believing that any one holding one is skilled.

 

[jbonding]

Some show peoples qualifications.
Others do not and just prove that the person has done a health and safety course.

They are basically a method of conning people into believing that any one holding one is skilled.

Thats the point im making they show if you have quals.

 

[holmslaw]

I have seen one that said "mechanical tradesperson" (or words to that effect) it was held by a so called plumber.

So I rang them up and asked is this bloke a plumber, they said they did'nt know, end of conversation. Gave the bloke a start and sacked him 3 hours later.

Also when these things first came out, you could apply on line and tell them whatever you liked, and you got your card. I believe you now have to attend a course to get one, but do they actually check your qualifications etc.

AFAIC they are a nonsense.

 

[NS215]

there a joke and do nothing to stop cowboys, another money making scheme

have to disagree, whoever has one has past a health and safety test so atleast they have more of a clue about safety.
they come in different colours red, blue, gold, silver and probably a few others, labourers,trainees,skilled worker and tradesman cards.
they show what quals you have so it cant be a bad thing.
things are tight in the building game at the minute and these cards give you a better advantage than not having one
when it gets worse i can see them asking what colour card you have
before they employ you. You can be assesed if you havent got the quals and be given a nvq level 2 to get a skilled workers card, its quite easy phone CITB and pay your money and away you go. A lot of firms will get onto how easy is to get level 2 so they might only take on level 3.

I've worked on lots of jobs where some bricklayers alongside me have had the gold cards and to be honest their work has been nothing short of a disgrace, even to the point of getting the foreman to move them to another part of the job so i didn't get tarred with the same brush. they are a joke in many cases

 

[jbonding]

i agree they dont guarantee your work is spot on or even better than someone with less qualifications but they are a good starting point. The holder has completed a H&S test so thats good, and the holder has x amount of quals so thats good. I would be happier working on site knowing everyone has had a test rather than not having it.

 

[Zampa]

The test itself neds sorting out..it has to be trade specific, I would rather take a painter on who knew about COSHH regs then one who knew about dumper trucks or CDM regs...

 

[jbonding]

zampa they have your qualifications on it if you want a painter who is C&G qualified and it says it on the card what else can you ask for, give them a start if there ****e get rid. Appart from this card there isnt anything else that does this for all trades. ive heard that many stories about cowboy builders and what can we do about it, well this is a start. it proves H&S test was past, shows the quals and they can be checked.
I would rather take a painter on who had quals and the same with any other trade but only in the trade i was after.

 

[Zampa]

I totally agree..but I was only really refering to the H/S angle..im all for a registration system, ..If I was king for a day i'd introduce a system for the building trade like Corgi..you HAVE to be registered, the HAVE to be qualified...and you shouldnt be allowed a CIS card without insurance.

I know the test inside out, deleivering it is part of my job..IMO there are far too many unrelated questions for certain trades I think there should be a section of general core questions and then an emphasis on questions specific to peoples own trade.