Plant operations across England are continuous and important and require a specific level of expertise in order to become a plant operative. Working on-site at a plant operation provides you with many options and different career paths that you can specialise in.
A plant NVQ is essentially a nationally recognised qualification that highlights your skill and competency level to operate certain machinery and perform certain tasks at a plant site. An NVQ is a vocational certification, this assessment type is tailored specifically for employment, allowing for no-written work examinations. Vocational assessments allow individuals to pass them based on experience and skill in the workplace.
Therefore, you can progress in your career and level up your certifications by showing greater work experience and competency.
Level 2 Plant NVQs
You can obtain an NVQ level 2 in plant operations after holding a Red CPCS (or NPORS) card. The importance of taking the level 2 NVQ assessment is that you will then be qualified to upgrade to a blue card.
Having a blue card as a plant operative will demonstrate to employers and contractors that you have a certain level of competency and skill to be able to undertake the field you specialised in.
Benefits of a Blue Card
If you achieve your level 2 NVQ and obtain your blue CSCS card, you will no longer be required to take practical and theoretical tests that were needed for the red card.
This blue competency card demonstrates a higher level of skill to potential employers and can lead to higher salaries in new job positions.
Your Blue CSCS card is just one step of many different levels of competency and skill that you can undertake. We recommend taking your NVQ level 2 as soon as you are ready, in order to keep progressing through your career path.
What’s Next?
After you receive your Diploma in Plant Operations Level 2 NVQ you will then be able to access greater areas of a plant site, gaining relevant experience in a variety of skills and machinery. Some areas you can improve on are roadworks, destruction sites, quarries, civil engineering and more.
As you continuously work and gain more experience, you will become closer to eligibility for a supervisor role, where you can begin to apply yourself toward a Level 3 NVQ. From supervision, you can also hone down on a craft that you wish to specialise in, before finally applying for managerial roles at higher NVQs, level 6 or 7.
List of Plant Operation NVQs
At Think Construction Skills, we can provide numerous plant NVQ assessments to help your career, no matter the stage you are at. Some of the diplomas we offer are:
- Level 2 NVQ Certificate in Plant Operations: Compacting
- Level 2 NVQ Certificate in Plant Operations: Cranes & Specialist Lifting
- Level 2 NVQ Certificate in Plant Operations: Excavating
- Level 2 NVQ Certificate in Plant Operations: Extracting
- Level 2 NVQ Certificate in Plant Operations: Fork-Lift Trucks
- Level 2 NVQ Certificate in Plant Operations: Road/Rail
- Level 3 NVQ Certificate in Plant Installations: Hoists
- Level 3 NVQ Certificate in Plant Maintenance
- Level 4 NVQ Certificate in Controlling Lifting Operations: Supervising Lifts
- Level 5 NVQ Certificate in Controlling Lifting Operations: Planning Lifts