SKILLcard has announced that the CRO cards for Vent Hygiene Specialist, Ductwork Cleaning Specialist and Kitchen Grease Extract Operative will close on 1 November 2019. This is the third wave of CRO closures as part of its plan to deliver the Construction Leadership Council’s (CLC) 2025 vision. All card schemes carrying the CSCS logo including SKILLcard, must only certify those occupations with nationally recognised construction related qualifications, i.e. NVQs or approved equivalents.
The project, expected to take a number of years to complete, will manage the phase out of CRO cards and support those affected by identifying paths to an agreed industry qualification for that occupation in order to obtain a skilled worker SKILLcard.
SKILLcard will no longer accept applications for the Vent Hygiene Specialist, Ductwork Cleaning Specialist and Kitchen Grease Extract Operative CRO cards as of November. Applicants can now apply for red, blue or gold SKILLcards for which new qualification routes are now open. Both the new qualification routes and new cards applications are open immediately for applicants.
All existing CRO cards are still valid until the expiration date on the card but from the 1 November, renewal and new applications will have to be made via the new route. Cardholders may of course decide to opt for the new route early and take the newly opened qualification in order to obtain a skilled worker card immediately.
SKILLcard have worked with BESA in order to open up the required qualification routes in order for operatives and technicians to obtain skilled worker and trainee cards. For a red trainee card, you need to be either signed up for or undertaking the appropriate apprenticeship. For blue and gold skilled worker cards, new qualification routes have been agreed and can be completed in just a few days by taking and passing one of four BESA short courses now available at a selection of approved training centres.
These new courses and the qualification routes are now open, so existing CRO cardholders or new operatives into the occupation don’t have to wait but can qualify and apply for a skilled worker card now.
Duncan Sibbald, head of certification at BESA, who operate SKILLcard for the building engineering sector commented: “Vent hygiene is a critical part of any fire risk assessment process and allowing vent hygiene professionals to clearly demonstrate their competence is essential. The new skilled worker cards for this occupation from SKILLcard is warmly welcomed, as is the new Vent Hygiene Elite Scheme.”