We may be known here at YTA for our beginner and advanced bricklaying courses alike, but it isn’t just training in this crucial trade that we provide; we can also offer a fast-track assessment route to enable you to truly fast-forward your career.
This is – of course – a reference to our Experienced Worker Practical Assessment (EWPA) pathway, whereby already-experienced bricklayers only need to join us at our Yorkshire assessment centre for one full day (or two days at most), in order to achieve an NVQ Level 2 qualification.
We make available the EWPA route for various trades – including wall and floor tiling, site carpentry and plastering, as well as bricklaying.
Whichever pathway one chooses, the broad principle of the EWPA remains the same; through a practical assessment, you can prove that you already have an NVQ Level 2 standard of skills and knowledge, and thereby obtain the blue skilled worker CSCS card that will enable you to gain work on a construction site.
What are the specifics of the bricklaying EWPA, in particular?
If it is the bricklaying EWPA that you are especially interested in – and you would be eligible for this route if you have at least five years’ experience in bricklaying – then the principle of how it works is simple.
When you visit our NVQ centre on the Leeds side of Bradford in West Yorkshire, you will be able to use the skills you have acquired over the years to complete a task, which will then be assessed.
Your skills as a bricklayer will be evaluated by our NVQ assessor, through a combination of the practical assessment itself, witness testimonies, professional discussion, and direct questioning.
The bricklaying EWPA is made up of five mandatory units, covering such matters as conforming to general workplace safety, conforming to efficient work practices, the movement and handling of resources, and the erection and setting out of masonry structures.
You can further support your bid for this EWPA by picking out an optional unit from a long list, encompassing aspects such as erecting masonry cladding in the workplace, the maintenance of slate and tile roofing, and the installation of drainage, to name just a few.
If, as a consequence of going through the EWPA process, you show that you have reached the standards of the NVQ Level 2 qualification, you will be told of this by the assessor at the end of the day. As a successful candidate, you will gain the Cskills Awards Level 2 NVQ Diploma in Trowel Occupations (Construction) QUA813.
Would you like to find out more about this pathway for rapidly upgrading your career?
There aren’t too many training or assessment routes out there that could have such a profound impact on your employability, as this one. So, why not reach out to the YTA team to learn more about what is involved if you take on the bricklaying EWPA, and whether it could be a suitable choice for you?
Don’t forget that we also offer a variety of other novice and advanced bricklaying courses to help the development of your career. We are one of the most trusted accredited construction training centres in the UK here at YTA, and for good reason.