Qualifications as well as skills

Most apprentices follow a Traditional Apprenticeship route, which combines college (or training provider) attendance with learning on site.

Recently, though, CITB-ConstructionSkills has also developed a lot of Specialist Apprenticeship Programmes which include training by a corporate manufacturer or trade association instead of college.

As part of your apprenticeship, you will achieve an NVQ or SVQ which is the main qualification to show you can do your job. You can also use this to qualify for one of the industry card schemes, which are essential for getting on site.

The following qualifications will also be part of your apprenticeship:

• England - NVQ Diploma, Functional or Key Skills and Employment Rights and Responsibilities
• Wales - NVQ Diploma, Diploma, Essential Skills and Employment Rights and Responsibilities
• Scotland - Industry Approved Qualification

If you want to check out full details of all the qualifications and skills for each Traditional Construction Apprenticeship then click the links below.

English Apprenticeships

Intermediate (Level 2) and Advanced (Level 3) Apprenticeships for:

• Construction Building FR00216
• Construction Civil Engineering FR00218
• Construction Specialist FR00220
• Construction Technical, Supervision and Management FR00222

Welsh Apprenticeships

The Foundation (Level 2) Apprenticeship (Level 3) Higher (Level 4 and above) for:

• Construction Building FR00294
• Construction Civil Engineering FR00423
• Construction Specialist FR00228
• Construction Technical, Supervision and Management FR00230

More information about apprenticeship frameworks that meet the national standards for England and Wales can be found at Apprenticeships Frameworks Online.

Scottish Apprenticeships 

Construction Modern Apprenticeships for Scotland can be viewed and downloaded from www.alliancescotland.org under Modern Apprenticeships.

Specialist Apprenticeship Programmes

CITB-ConstructionSkills' Specialist Apprenticeships have been designed with trade associations and independent training groups. They provide training for those sectors and employers that can't access specialist apprenticeships through local colleges or training providers.

People working in specialist trades need to be very flexible with learning, so Specialist Apprentice Programmes allow apprentices to learn mostly while on the job. There is still a structure to what you learn though, which makes sure you get all the knowledge and skills you need to earn a recognised N/SVQ qualification.

Typically, a Specialist Apprenticeship lasts for two years with the learning delivered by industry experts and supported by CITB-ConstructionSkills' own staff.