榴莲视屏

Now this is a bit of a wide-ranging question because what it doesn鈥檛 address is what your ambitions are for your professional advancement. It also gets a bit complicated because so many qualifications aren鈥檛 鈥淣痴蚕鈥� but have an 鈥�NVQ Equivalence鈥�! From where we are coming in construction, these 鈥渆quivalencies鈥� include Bachelor鈥檚 Degrees and CSCS Cards above a certain level, along with the entry courses for professional bodies such as the CIOB.

For those who don鈥檛 know…an NVQ 5 is equivalent to a Bachelor鈥檚 Degree and an NVQ 7 to a Master鈥檚 Degree.NVQ 1 to 4 are, in principle, what you will probably already have done as a part of trade skill development so, what we鈥檒l have a discussion about is the NVQ 5. We鈥檒l also assume that you are either already in construction management or want to move there from working with the tools.

To get an NVQ in Construction Management you鈥檒l have to complete a Course. These, unfortunately, will set you back a fair few 拢拢拢鈥檚 and take up some of your days or evenings.

Now don鈥檛 be put off by that! I can tell you from personal experience that, if you have worked in construction for a few years, very little, perhaps even nothing about the Course will be new and strange to you! You鈥檒l walk it! In fact, if it was anything like the Course I did 25 years-ago, there鈥檒l be things you know more about than the Lecturer! Being an inquisitive soul he, of course, will pick your brains to add to his own understanding!

So, if you want to move into Construction Management, go for the NVQ! Having that will greatly improve your attractiveness for jobs you apply for. Shows them that you aren鈥檛 just a der-brain with ambitions beyond your abilities! There may be 1,000 applicants for a job in today鈥檚 economic climate. You need to do everything in your power to get short-listed for that interview!

What? You鈥檙e already in Construction management but haven鈥檛 an NVQ? Well, in that case it is a fair guess that you got promoted internally by the company you were already employed by. Bet you didn鈥檛 get much of a salary increase when that happened, did you? Okay, get one now and haggle yourself more money!

“They will realise that with your NVQ you are far more attractive to other outfits so could walk off and leave them in it!”

Now for the sneaky bit! Whether you are working with the tools still, or in the ranks of Construction management, pester your employer and get them to pay for your ! They are usually willing to do that for a couple of reasons. Firstly it works out a lot cheaper for them because it is a tax-deductible expenditure, which it probably isn鈥檛 for you. Secondly, they realise that you are ambitious and, if they don鈥檛 play along, they could well end up losing you once you have your NVQ!

If it comes to the crunch and you are out of work and have to pay for it yourself – like I had to – look on the bright side! Having it will help you get your next job! Not only that, the increased wage it will bring in for you will see the cost of the Course paid for in next to no time!

“The difference it made to me, getting my job with Construction Management qualifications, was from the 拢8.05/hour when my job dried up on me which went up 拢225 a day when I got back to work!”

Go for your NVQ in Construction management!