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Construction - level 2 apprenticeship framework

This framework sets out the standards and criteria you must meet to complete the apprenticeship programme and receive your apprenticeship certificate for level two construction. This is the only level 2 training in this skill acceptable for apprenticeshipsni funding.

About this framework

This framework specifies the standards and the criteria for the delivery of a level 2 apprenticeship framework to achieve qualified status within the construction industry.

In some construction occupations to be recognised as fully qualified it is necessary to complete an apprenticeship at Level 3.  These occupations are:

  1. Paint and Decorating
  2. Bricklaying
  3. Carpentry and Joinery
  4. Plant Maintenance
  5. Wall and Floor Tiling
  6. Plastering
  7. Roofing

Mandatory outcomes

Achievement of a level 2 apprenticeship in construction will be assessed by verification through the appropriate awarding body.

You must complete a combination of both a competence and a knowledge-based qualification from one of the pathways, along with the essential skills below.

Mandatory essential skills

The following essential skills are mandatory and are to be completed as part of the apprenticeship: 

  • application of number – level 1
  • communication – level 1
  • information and communication technology (ICT) – level 1

However, any qualifications you already have are assessed against the framework requirements and may result in an exemption from the above.

Competency and knowledge qualifications – pathway options

Apprentices need to complete both a competency-based and a knowledge based qualification in their chosen pathway, from the list below.

Route one: construction building sector

Pathway one: decorative finishing and industrial painting

Competence-based qualification:

  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 NVQ diploma in decorative finishing and industrial painting occupations (construction) 600/7631/8
  • City & Guilds Level 2 NVQ in Decorative Finishing and Industrial Painting Occupations (Construction) 603/7633/8

Knowledge-based qualification:

  • NOCN_Cskills Awards Level 2 Extended Diploma in painting and decorating 603/5802/6
  • NOCN_Cskills Awards Level 2 Diploma in painting and decorating 603/5798/8
  • City & Guilds level 2 diploma in painting and decorating 600/8584/8
  • City & Guilds level 2 Extended diploma in painting and decorating 600/9224/5

Pathway two: maintenance operations

Competence-based qualification:

  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 NVQ diploma in building maintenance multi-trade repair and refurbishment operations (construction) 601/0486/7
  • City & Guilds level 2 NVQ diploma in building maintenance multi-trade repair and refurbishment operations (construction) 601/2468/4

Knowledge-based qualification:

  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 diploma in building maintenance, multi-trade repair and refurbishment operations (construction) 601/0487/9
  • City & Guilds level 2 diploma in maintenance operations (construction) 600/8049/8

Pathway three: trowel occupations

Competence-based qualification:

  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 NVQ diploma in trowel occupations (construction) 603/5460/4
  • City & Guilds level 2 NVQ diploma in trowel occupations (construction)    603/5922/5

Knowledge-based qualification:

  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 diploma in bricklaying (construction)  603/5796/4
  • NOCN_Cskills Awards Level 2 Extended Diploma in Bricklaying 603/5797/6
  • City & Guilds level 2 diploma in bricklaying 600/7913/7
  • City & Guilds level 2 Extended diploma in bricklaying 600/9509/X

Pathway four– wood occupations

Competence-based qualification:

  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 NVQ diploma in wood occupations (construction) 603/5468/9
  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 NVQ certificate in wood occupations (construction)  603/5464/1
  • City & Guilds level 2 NVQ diploma in wood occupations (construction) 603/5981/X

Knowledge-based qualification:

  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 diploma in bench joinery (construction) 600/8616/6
  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 Diploma in site carpentry (construction) 603/5820/8
  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 Diploma in shopfitting bench joinery (construction) 600/8618/X
  • NOCN_Cskills Awards Level 2 Diploma in Carpentry and Joinery 603/5816/6
  • NOCN_Cskills Awards Level 2 Diploma in Architectural Joinery 603/5822/1
  • NOCN_Cskills Awards Level 2 Extended Diploma in Site Carpentry 603/5821/X
  • NOCN_Cskills Awards Level 2 Extended Diploma in Architectural Joinery 603/5823/3
  • City & Guilds level 2 diploma in shopfitting joinery 601/1285/2
  • City & Guilds level 2 diploma in bench joinery 600/8048/6
  • City & Guilds level 2 Diploma in site carpentry 600/8047/4
  • City & Guilds level l 2 Extended diploma in bench joinery 600/9068/6
  • City & Guilds level 2 Extended diploma in site carpentry 600/9067/4

Combined competence-based and knowledge-based qualification:

  • OCN NI Level 2 Diploma in Woodworking Skills 603/7904/2

Pathway five: woodmachining

Competence-based qualification:

  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 NVQ Diploma in Wood Machining (Construction/Sawmilling Extrusion) 600/3665/5

Knowledge-based qualification:

  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 Diploma in Woodmachining (Construction) 600/8629/4

Route two: construction civil engineering sectors

Pathway one: construction operations

Competence-based qualification:

  • NOCN_Cskills Awards Level 2 NVQ Certificate in Construction and Civil Engineering Operations 610/1669/X

Knowledge-based qualification:

  • City & Guilds level 2 certificate in construction operations - general construction 600/8054/1
  • NOCN_Cskills Awards Level 2 Diploma in Construction Operations (Civil Engineering) 603/7520/6

Pathway two: formwork occupations

Competence-based qualification:

  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 NVQ diploma in formwork 600/3510/9
  • City & Guilds level 2 NVQ diploma in formwork (construction) 603/3079/X

Knowledge-based qualification:

  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 diploma in formworking 600/6309/9

Pathway three: plant maintenance

Competence-based qualification:

  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 NVQ diploma in construction plant or machinery maintenance (construction) 601/5491/3
  • IMI level 2 NVQ diploma in construction plant or machinery maintenance (construction) 601/3307/7

Knowledge-based qualification:

  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 diploma in construction plant or machinery maintenance (construction) 601/3114/7
  • IMI level 2 diploma in construction plant or machinery maintenance (construction) (VRQ) 601/3091/X

Pathway four: plant operations

Competence-based qualification:

  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level NVQ diploma in plant operations (construction) 600/3638/2
  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 NVQ certificate in plant operations (construction) 601/4999/1

Knowledge-based qualification:

  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 certificate in plant operations (groundworks) 500/6364/9

Pathway five: roadbuilding and maintenance

Competence-based qualification:

  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 NVQ certificate in roadbuilding and maintenance (construction) 603/3517/8
  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 NVQ diploma in roadbuilding and maintenance (construction) 603/3519/1

Knowledge-based qualification:

  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 diploma in highways maintenance – excavation operations (construction) 600/8628/2

Route three: construction specialist sector

Pathway one: accessing and rigging

Competence-based qualification:

  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 NVQ diploma in accessing operations and rigging (construction) 600/8244/6

Knowledge-based qualification:

  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 diploma in scaffolding 601/3726/5
  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 diploma in steeplejacking (construction) 600/3822/6
  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 diploma in lightning conductor engineering (construction) 600/3821/4

Pathway two: waterproof membrane

Competence-based qualification:

  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 NVQ diploma in waterproof membrane roofing systems (construction) 601/5006/3

Knowledge-based qualification:

  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 diploma in built-up felt roofing 500/4259/2

Pathway three: cladding occupations

Competence-based qualification:

  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 NVQ diploma in cladding occupations (construction) 603/2355/3

Knowledge-based qualification:

  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 diploma in roof sheeting and cladding 500/4239/7

Pathway four: wall and floor tiling

Competence-based qualification:

  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 NVQ certificate in wall and floor tiling (construction) 603/5462/8
  • City & Guilds level 2 NVQ certificate in wall and floor tiling (construction) 603/5921/3

Knowledge-based qualification:

  • City & Guilds level 2 diploma in wall and floor tiling 600/8785/7
  • City & Guilds level 2 extended diploma in wall and floor tiling 600/9225/7

Pathway five: fitted interiors

Competence-based qualification:

  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 NVQ certificate in fitted interiors (construction) 600/3683/7

Knowledge-based qualification:

  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 diploma in fitted interiors (construction) 600/8779/1

Pathway six:  floorcovering

Competence-based qualification:

  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 NVQ diploma in floorcovering occupations (construction) 601/4992/9

Knowledge-based qualification:

  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 diploma in floorcovering – textile and impervious (construction) 600/8627/0

Pathway seven: interior systems

Competence-based qualification:

  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 NVQ certificate in interior systems (construction) 603/0788/2
  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 NVQ diploma in interior systems (construction) 603/0809/6

Knowledge-based qualifications:

  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 diploma in interior systems (construction) 600/8614/2
  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 diploma in dry lining (housing) 603/5551/7
  • City & Guilds level 2 diploma in dry lining 601/3786/1

Pathway eight: mastic asphalting

Competence-based qualification:

  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 NVQ diploma in mastic asphalting (construction) 600/3723/4

Knowledge-based qualification:

  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 diploma in mastic asphalting (Construction) 600/9147/2

Pathway nine: plastering

Competence-based qualification:

  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 NVQ diploma in plastering (construction), pathways - solid plastering, fibrous plastering 603/2368/1
  • City & Guilds level 2 NVQ diploma in plastering (construction) 603/3080/6

Knowledge-based qualification:

  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 diploma in plastering (construction) 603/5813/0
  • NOCN_Cskills Awards Level 2 Extended Diploma in Plastering 603/5814/2
  • City & Guilds level 2 diploma in plastering 600/8051/6
  • City & Guilds level 2 extended diploma in plastering 600/9233/6

Pathway ten: roofing occupations

Competence-based qualification:

  • NOCN_CSkills Awards level 2 NVQ diploma in roofing occupations (construction) 603/2376/0

Knowledge-based qualification:

  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 diploma in roof slating and tiling (construction) 600/8623/3

Pathway eleven: stonemasonry

Competence-based qualification:

  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 NVQ diploma in stonemasonry (construction) 603/3628/6

Knowledge-based qualification:

  • NOCN_Cskills Awards level 2 diploma in stonemasonry - banker (construction) 600/8625/7

Eligibility and entry to the programme

There are no formal eligibility requirements for learners undertaking this apprenticeship. However, employers and training contractors must make sure that learners have the potential and opportunity to gain the apprenticeship successfully.

See also the DfE apprenticeship guidelines and operational requirements

Duration

Apprenticeship duration can vary and will be agreed between the apprentice, training contractor and employer

Related Knowledge

For this framework, you must complete a suitable employee rights and responsibilities (ERR) workbook. Framework certification is issued on confirmation from training contractor that the ERR has been completed.

Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of the training contractor/college to make sure that all components of this framework are delivered in accordance with apprenticeshipsni operational requirements. 

The apprentice must be employed from day one.

Further Information

The content of this framework (Framework Number 08 Issue 23: 02/23) has been agreed by the Department for the Economy and the Construction Industry Training Board Northern Ireland.

For further information, contact:

  • Department for the Economy - Apprenticeships Delivery and Performance Branch
  • CITB NI
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