Carpentry is one of those professions that it seems will always be around – and why wouldn’t it be? After all, the furniture items such as cabinets, shelves, and drawers that carpenters measure, create, and repair will always be needed.
And if you have spent years as a carpenter yourself, you will be aware of how varied and rewarding a job it can be, beyond the monetary reward – which can be as high as £38,000 or more a year in the case of the most seasoned carpenters.
This, in turn, brings us neatly onto the subject of our Experienced Worker Practical Assessment route, also known as ‘EWPA’.
While we are pleased to make available a variety of carpentry and joinery courses here at YTA, the EWPA is not a course. It is, instead, an assessment process, which can take just one or two days, and enables the already-experienced carpenter to achieve an NVQ Level 2 qualification.
That qualification, in turn, would allow you to gain access to site work as a carpenter with the blue skilled worker CSCS card, so this fast-track assessment route can be well worth the time and money investment. The EWPA (Experienced Worker Practical Assessment) can be seen below.
Use your existing skills and knowledge to upgrade your qualifications as a carpenter
You will need to have at least five years’ carpentry or joinery experience in order to undergo this EWPA. If you do satisfy this requirement and reach out to us about the EWPA, we will arrange a call with our NVQ carpentry assessor, who will complete a ‘skills scan’ with you to assess whether you have the necessary experience and knowledge of the NVQ units.
And what are those NVQ units? Well, in the case of this site carpentry NVQ, there are three main units, covering the crucial subjects of general workplace safety, efficient work practices, and the movement and handling of resources.
Various optional units are also available, and which could help you further strengthen your chances of passing the EWPA and achieving the NVQ qualification. These optional units encompass important aspects of the trade such as the installation of first fixing and second fixing components, the erection of structural carcassing components, and the maintenance of non-structural carpentry work.
If you do decide to do the EWPA, you will need to arrange a date at our Yorkshire training centre. Two weeks prior to that date, pre-printed witness testimonies will be sent to you, and you will need to get them signed by a trade-related co-worker who has seen you carry out this work during the last three years.
The other parts of the EWPA process – the practical assessment, professional discussion, and direct questioning – will take place on the premises when you join us at YTA for the day. Your performance across all these parts will determine whether you achieve the NVQ qualification.
If you are indeed successful, you can expect to be sent your certificate within 14 days. From there, you will be able to apply for the blue skilled worker CSCS card that will enable you to get on-site.
Are you ready to take the next steps towards an enhanced carpentry career?
Would you like to get talking to us about whether taking on the carpentry EWPA could be the right step for you, or whether you might even be better served by one of our other highly regarded carpentry and joinery courses?
If so, it’s a straightforward process to give YTA a call now on 01274682199, or to send us an email.
