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Decorating EWPA Qualification Route from Able Skills
Able Skills are aware that there are many time served Painters & Decorators working in the industry who have never had the time or opportunity to obtain trade qualifications.
Changes in construction site laws will eventually mean that anyone looking to work on any site will have to be qualified in their trade to at least NVQ level 2, and will also be required to hold an Experienced Worker CSCS card as evidence of this.
Able Skills are offering you the opportunity to obtain the required Painting & Decorating NVQ level 2 qualifications in a relatively short space of time.
EWPA (Experienced Worker Practical Assessment) is an opportunity provided by City & Guilds and Construction Awards Alliance to provide time served trades people with a route to gaining level 2 qualifications.
If you are keen to gain a Painting & Decorating NVQ qualification, we have all of the required assessment procedures in place: qualified staff, excellent facilities and all of the support and guidance to help you obtain a Painting & Decorating NVQ.
EWPA puts the onus on you to display your skills and ability; the system requires you to prove that you are experienced in the Painting & Decorating Industry and asks that you provide evidence of this. The whole process will not take up too much of your time if you have all of the right evidence in place or if you are able to obtain any evidence requested by Able Skills Painting & Decorating Assessor. The evidence you provide by way of a portfolio will also be supported by the practical task you will be required to undertake at Able Skills Construction Training Centre.
Candidate Criteria
All EWPA candidates include:
- Being site experienced in all the stated skills of the Painting & Decorating NVQ
- Having sufficient experience of the skills of the NVQ, so that planning your working day, problem solving and decision making and working to deadlines (with regard to Painting & Decorating) are a usual day-to-day activity
- An ability to cope with the demands of an intensive practical assessment process
- An ability to work safely at all times
- An ability to discuss your work activities with others
The following mandatory units make up the level 2 NVQ:
VR01: Conform to general workplace safety
VR02: Conform to efficient work practices
VR03: Move and handle resources
VR250F: Erect and dismantle access working platforms
VR332D: Prepare surfaces for painting/decorating
VR333D: Apply paint systems by brush and roller
Additional units are: (Not Compulsory)
VR336: Hang wallcoverings (standard papers)
VR337: Hang wide-width vinyls
VR338: Install coving, centre-pieces and texture products
VR339: Apply coatings by the airless spray method
VR340: Apply coatings by the air spray method
VR341: Produce broken colour work and basic stencilling
VR342: Produce and apply complex stencil designs
This route is available for workers with a minimum of five years experience and who don’t need any further Painting & Decorating training.
The whole process can be completed quite quickly if all evidence is in place and to start, you will undertake a profiling session with our Painting & Decorating assessor who will skill match you to identify your suitability for this NVQ fast track route.
If you are successful at the profiling stage, we will then arrange for you to come back to Able Skills Construction Training Centre whereby you will undertake a practical task as set by Construction Awards Alliance and a recorded Professional Discussion; this can be arranged for weekends if you are unavailable through the week.
You may also be required to obtain additional evidence: Witness testimonies, work records or photographic evidence etc to support the fact that you are an experienced in the Painting & Decorating industry.
All the skills and evidence needed to obtain the Painting & Decorating NVQ are included in the one practical task, this is observed by our approved Painting & Decorating assessor and photographic evidence is built for lasting evidence of the entire procedure.
The 4 Steps of EWPA
Step 1: Upon contacting Able Skills, we will arrange a profiling appointment for you and make recommendations of the kind of information and evidence you may wish to bring along to support your application as an experienced Painter & Decorator.
Step 2: At your profiling appointment our Painting & Decorating assessor will introduce you to the process and make an initial assessment to ensure you are suitable to qualify through this method. They will look over any items of ‘evidence’ you may have with you, evidence you provide can be in a written form, such as witness statements from customers or supervisors worked with in the past, or it can take the form of photographs of your work, site plans, qualifications or proof of employment. If there is insufficient evidence but it is clear that you are a competent Painter & Decorator, you will be advised of what additional evidence is required. You will also be required to sit a health & safety test for your CSCS card if you haven’t done so already.
Step 3: Once all of the required portfolio evidence is complete, you will undertake a practical assessment of your skills which will be observed by our Painting & Decorating assessor. This will be followed by a recorded professional discussion to assess your knowledge of Painting & Decorating; we will aim to complete this process over a period of 2 days which can be weekends.
Step 4: If you are successful, you will receive your full, Experienced Worker CSCS card and your NVQ certificate. If you do not pass the assessment all is not lost: the work you have done can still count towards your qualification through OSAT.
Whether you are looking to gain an NVQ for the purposes of obtaining an Experienced Worker CSCS card or if you are considering emigrating and taking your Painting & Decorating skills to another country, this experienced worker fast track option is a fantastic route to gaining that all important qualification. This is an opportunity for you to have the paperwork that is sometimes an official requirement to prove that you are an experienced and skilled Painter/Decorator.
Funding for Painting & Decorating NVQs
There is funding available for anyone looking to undertake their first full level 2 qualification; this is subject to certain criteria being met.
Staff at Able Skills will be happy to establish your eligibility or you can visit: http://www.traintogain.gov.uk/Helping_Your_Business/eligible/ for full details on how train to gain may help you gain the qualification you are lacking.
Able Skills offers a variety of courses for those of you looking to gain entry to the industry, those of you set on gaining DIY skills and also those of you looking to expand on the skills that you already have.
If you have any questions about any of the courses or qualifications we have available, please do not hesitate to contact us.
For more information, help and advice, please phone us on 0808 100 3245
Or for more information please Email us.
For people travelling longer distances Able Skills Ltd can provide their own reasonably priced accommodation on request or at the time of booking.
