Carpentry NVQ

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, so this fast-track assessment route can be well worth the time and money investment. 

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 01274 682199, or to send us an email. 

Every year, of course, is an opportunity for new beginnings, but it’s also undeniable that 2021 began in an especially grim way for many of us. The combination of a fresh coronavirus lockdown and the long and dark nights of January and February was not how most of us would have wished to start the year. 

Now, though, there is hope: the spring is here, the skies are lighter for longer, and COVID-19 cases aren’t as high as they were. You might, then, be feeling slightly more inclined right now to investigate ways of upgrading your career, such as our own carpentry & joinery NVQ Level 2 courses here at YTA. 

In this particular blog post, we’re not focusing on a ‘course’ as such, but instead on an assessment route for those who already possess considerable carpentry experience. 

What we’re referring to, is the Experienced Worker Practical Assessment (EWPA). This is an option for joiners who have spent five or more years in this profession, and – when passed – results in the award of an NVQ Level 2 carpentry diploma. 

Why would you wish to take on this assessment route? 

If you are already an experienced tradesperson, it won’t necessarily make much sense for you to take on a complete training course, just to obtain your NVQ Level 2 qualification in your chosen trade. Indeed, you may have the required skills and knowledge already – in which case, the EWPA route gives you the perfect opportunity to demonstrate them, and enhance your longer-term career prospects in the process. 

This is a fast-track assessment route, only typically taking about one day – or two days, if needed – at our Yorkshire training and assessment centre. 

The qualification that those satisfying the EWPA requirements then receive – the Cskills Awards NVQ Level 2 Carpentry Diploma in Wood Occupations (Construction) – is the one required in order to attain the blue skilled worker CSCS card. That card, in turn, is the one that will enable you to gain site work as a skilled carpenter. 

A straightforward process that could end with an invaluable qualification 

In these times of prospective economic recovery, it’s well worth doing everything you can to boost your employability as a tradesperson. Undertaking our carpentry EWPA could be the ideal way to do exactly that, as long as your existing experience and knowledge satisfy the requirements. 

To learn more about the carpentry EWPA, including the units included in it and the witness testimonies, practical assessment, professional discussion and direct questioning required for you to pass it, simply visit our relevant course page on our website. 

Then, call YTA on 01274 682199, for an initial discussion with us about the process. If, as a result of this discussion, the EWPA route seems like it could be suitable for you, we’ll put you in touch with our NVQ carpentry assessor, who will be able to complete a ‘skills scan’ and help ensure you are making the right decision in pursuing the EWPA. 

You’ll be in extremely safe hands when you choose to advance your career as a carpenter with the help of YTA, which is one of the UK’s most trusted providers of carpentry & joinery NVQ Level 2 courses!