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An NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) is a competence-based assessment of the skills, knowledge and experience that you already have.

In a nutshell, you’re telling an assessor how you carry out your role and showing them then evidence (documents, photos, videos) that proves that you can do the job.

NVQs are not about going ‘back to school’. They are about going where you want to go in your career.

All of our assessors are highly experienced, qualified construction professionals who are in a position to add real value to your qualification.

Most of our assessors are Members or Fellows of the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB).

We carefully select a particular assessor for each individual learner to ensure that your workplace experiences are aligned and that the feedback and guidance provided is useful, relevant and rewarding.

Your assessor will provide advice and feedback throughout the process on via phone, Zoom, email and the CADUK ePortfolio system.

No. NVQs aren’t about how good you are at exams, they’re about proving that you can carry out the work safely, competently, and effectively.

NVQs don’t involve tests and trick questions, they are designed for practical people who have learned and developed their skills over time in a real working environment.

No. You could effectively go from having no qualifications at all, to a Level 7 NVQ (the highest competence-based qualification in Construction).

The only caveat being that you need to prove to us first that you are already working at the required level.

Prior to enrolment, we carry out a (free) profiling session with each candidate. This process is designed specifically to make sure that the NVQ is achievable and is the most appropriate to your skills, knowledge, experience and job role.

Initially we’ll ask you to complete a short questionnaire (profile tool) which lists the contents and the evidence requirements of each qualification. You will then send the completed questionnaire back to us with a copy of your CV.

One of our assessors will contact you directly to discuss your responses in the questionnaire and to make 100% sure that the qualification you have applied for is the most appropriate level and is definitely achievable.

This process isn’t designed to ‘catch you out’ or to test you, it is only to confirm that you are actually carrying out your role to the level required in the qualification and that you have access to the necessary documentation (evidence).

Once the assessor has approved you to enrol you can start the process right away.

We have different assessment options to suit your individual requirements.

Most our of our qualifications can be assessed either through written work (via our online ePortfolio system) or via a discussion-based assessment (via Zoom meetings) where you will ‘talk your way’ through the qualification criteria.

The discussion-based assessment is usually recommended for the more experienced candidates who are established in their role and can talk confidently about their work.

Less experienced learners are better suited to the written-work (ePortfolio) assessment where they can work at their own pace, developing themselves along the way with advice and guidance from the assessor.

Prior to enrolment (during the profiling process) the assessor will determine whether you would be best suited to the discussion assessment or the written assessment.

No. The whole assessment can be assessed online. For some of our qualifications the assessor will ask to see videos and photographs from the site, but using technologies such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams the whole assessment can be carried out remotely.

Achievement of an NVQ is really down to you, and how motivated you are to have it completed.

We provide support for 12 months, however these qualifications are realistically achievable within 1–3 months depending on your own commitment.

We also offer ‘fast-track’ assessment options which are suitable for more experienced Supervisors and Managers. the aim of the fast-track assessment is to have the whole qualification completed within 4 weeks or less.

There are no exams, no workshops to attend, no site visits, and no need to take time of work.

Yes, CADUK are a CITB Approved Training Organisation (ATO). CITB registered employers can therefore claim up to £1500 per candidate on achievement of any of our construction-specific qualifications. This includes small employers (i.e. those with a wage bill of less than £80k) who don’t have to pay the levy.

As of 1st April 2023, the amount that CITB registered companies can claim back per NVQ is:

Level 2 NVQ: £600 

Level 3-4 NVQ: £1200

Level 6-7 NVQ: £1500

This grant applies to directly employed staff on the payroll and all subcontractors.

Read our article by clicking here for more information.

To find out if you are eligible to claim the CITB grant please Click Here, or call CITB directly on 0344 994 4455.