The Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) is reminding the industry that time is almost up for 85,000 Construction Related Occupation (CRO) cards.
CSCS withdrew the CRO card at the end of March this year and all such cards issued since October 2015 will expire on 30 September 2017.
CSCS head of communications Alan O’Neile said: “In early 2015, the Construction Leadership Council announced [via the Industrial Strategy: Construction 2025] that skills certification card schemes carrying the CSCS logo must only certify those occupations with nationally recognised construction-related qualifications, ie NVQs or approved equivalents.
“The CRO card was issued without the requirement to demonstrate the applicant has achieved an appropriate qualification and as such does not meet the expectations of the CLC.”
CRO cardholders should now be developing plans to replace their cards before they expire. Cardholders who do not take the necessary steps to move off the CRO card will be unable to apply for another CSCS card.
What each individual cardholder needs to do next depends on the qualifications they hold and whether their occupation is considered to be construction related.
Many of the 85,000 cardholders will need to register for existing or newly developed qualifications before their cards expire. Other cardholders will be transferred to one of CSCS’s partner card schemes that are more appropriate for their occupations.
For some, where their occupation is not construction related or no suitable qualification exists, a CSCS card will no longer be issued.
CSCS chief executive Graham Wren added: “The withdrawal of the CRO card is a practical step towards achieving the CLC’s requirement of ensuring nationally recognised qualifications are in place for all occupations.
“The 30 September deadline is fast approaching, however, together with our industry stakeholders, we have been preparing for the withdrawal of the CRO card since 2015. A lot of work has taken place to ensure CRO card holders know which qualifications are available and to make the transition to appropriate alternative arrangements as straightforward as possible.”
More information at www.cscs.uk.com/cro
