Does Your Construction Workforce Have the Right Qualifications and Competence Cards for the Work They Do?

Having a CSCS, CPCS or NPORS card is one thing. Understanding whether it reflects an employee’s current role, responsibilities and work activities is another.

For construction employers, keeping track of workforce competence isn’t always straightforward.

Employees develop experience, take on additional responsibilities, operate different equipment and move between projects. Yet the qualifications and competence cards they hold don’t always develop alongside them.

This can leave employers with gaps in their workforce records that may not become apparent until a client, principal contractor or project requirement brings them to light.

A Valid Card Doesn’t Always Tell the Full Story

Competence cards play an important role in demonstrating qualifications, training and, where applicable, occupational competence.

However, holding a valid card doesn’t necessarily demonstrate competence for every activity an employee undertakes.

For example:

• An experienced operative may hold plant operator cards but not the occupational NVQ relevant to their main trade.
• A supervisor may have progressed into management responsibilities without obtaining a qualification reflecting their current role.
• An employee may hold an appropriate qualification but require a card upgrade or renewal.
• An employer may have experienced workers whose existing qualifications and cards haven’t been reviewed against their current duties.

These situations don’t automatically mean an employee is incompetent or needs to undertake additional training.

They do, however, highlight the importance of reviewing existing evidence of competence against the work employees actually carry out.

Why Workforce Competence Reviews Matter

A structured workforce review helps employers understand what they already have in place and where further attention may be beneficial.

This can include:

• Reviewing existing qualifications and competence cards.
• Identifying potential gaps against occupational roles and responsibilities.
• Highlighting card upgrades, renewals or additional qualification requirements.
• Considering opportunities to recognise existing skills and experience through NVQ assessment.
• Exploring available CITB grant funding where further development is appropriate.

The objective isn’t simply to identify more training.

It’s to help employers make informed decisions about workforce competence, prioritise requirements and avoid unnecessary expenditure.

What Are Workforce Reviews Revealing?

At Workforce Skills Support, we’ve already completed more than 1,300 individual workforce competence checks, helping construction employers gain a clearer understanding of their existing workforce.

In one employer review alone, 381 individual checks identified 282 records requiring further consideration or recommendations.

These findings don’t necessarily indicate that employees lack the skills or experience to carry out their work. They can highlight areas where existing qualifications, competence cards or supporting evidence need to be reviewed.

For employers, having this information provides an opportunity to address requirements proactively rather than reacting when issues arise on site.

Review, Qualify, Card, Train & Maintain

Our five-stage approach helps employers take a structured view of workforce competence:

Review – Understand existing qualifications, cards and potential requirements.

Qualify – Identify appropriate NVQ pathways where occupational qualifications are needed.

Card – Review competence card eligibility, renewals and upgrades.

Train – Address relevant training and development needs.

Maintain – Keep workforce competence records under review as roles and requirements change.

Not every employee will need to progress through every stage. The starting point is understanding what is already in place.

Start With a Free Workforce Competence Review

We’re currently offering construction employers free individual workforce competence checks to help identify existing qualifications, potential gaps and recommended next steps.

There is no obligation to proceed with further qualifications or training.

We’re also running Competence 10, giving employers who complete 10 individual employee checks during the campaign period the opportunity to qualify for our free Management NVQ prize draw.

10 Checks. Zero Cost. One Chance to Win.

REQUEST YOUR FREE WORKFORCE COMPETENCE REVIEWS

Competence 10 eligibility criteria and terms and conditions apply.