The Plastering NVQ is rapidly becoming essential property for any plasterer who wants to work on a UK building site. The NVQs link with the CSCS Card (in addition to a CSCS Health, Safety & Environment Test you also need to achieve a relevant level NVQ in your trade) has made it a qualification you need to achieve.

The NVQ in plastering is seen as evidence of actual on the job ability rather than theoretical know how. That’s why it is demanded by CSCS in order for a plasterer to qualify for the right Card. Achieving a plastering NVQ is the same thing as proving that you have a measurable level of competence in your trade.

Do I Need the NVQ in Plastering Before I Can Start Work?

No. The NVQ in plastering is evidence of your ability but it isn’t a pre-requisite to get work. A City and Guilds qualification in plastering is normally enough to get you a job in the area. The NVQ is there to cement your position and to broaden your future employment prospects.

However, the plaster NVQ’s association with the CSCS Card makes it imperative for long term building work. While you don’t need an NVQ in plastering in order to get an initial CSCS Card, you will need to prove NVQ enrolment – and as some CSCS Cards come with time limits, you can’t sit on your laurels. The plastering NVQ is not a prerequisite for starting work on a building site but you will need one in order to continue to ply your trade.

The Difference Between the City and Guilds and the Plastering NVQ

The City and Guilds qualification doesn’t prove that you are capable of performing on the job: it just shows that you have achieved a good understanding of the technical theory of plastering. The NVQs point is to show that you can take that technical knowledge and apply it in a working environment with effectiveness and skill. As such the plastering NVQ is an on the job qualification – you can’t achieve one until you have work as a plasterer. With the exception of your initial interview, which is conducted without immediate reference to your work, your NVQ in plastering will be done as you work. The City and Guilds qualification is taken at college or a similar construction training centre.

How Does the Plastering NVQ Work?

You’ll be interviewed first, to determine your level of on the job experience. Your Construction NVQ assessor will then help you construct a plan of action, with agreed dates for completing units. You will be assessed in all the relevant practical areas of your work by a qualified person, who will sign off individual NVQ units as they feel you are ready. Your assessor is there to test your knowledge as you work. He or she will give you guidance through each module to hone your skills in the real world environment of the workplace.

Once you have achieved your plastering NVQ, and taken the relevant CSCS Health, Safety & Environment Test (Working at Heights), you will be eligible for your first Skilled CSCS Card.

Introduction to fibrous plastering NVQ

As a plasterer, you are the person who gives that classy, finishing touch to the otherwise coarse floor, wall and ceiling surface. Plastering is achieved through a wide range of substances all depending on the type of finish the property owner or architect had in mind. Plastering is a promising career with over 1000 new qualified plasterers required by the construction industry in the UK every year.  There are two branches of plastering you can go into and that will determine the Level 2 plastering NVQ you pursue – fibrous or solid.

Fibrous plastering NVQ is the ornamental plastering badge

Most people are more familiar with solid plastering as compared to fibrous plastering. Fibrous plastering is the more delicate of the two. If you are to obtain a Level 2 Plastering NVQ in fibrous plastering, you will be assessed on how well you can perform ornamental plastering such as cornices, ceiling roses, architraves and ornamental columns. In fact, fibrous plasterers are also often referred to as ornamental plasterers.

Fibrous plastering has a more artistic feel than solid plastering and you will have to closely work with artists, interior designers and architects. The plastering is achieved using casts and moulds. The artistic element means that as a candidate for a Level 2 fibrous plaster NVQ, you will spend as much time at the workshop making the casts and moulds with your presence at the construction site only being to perform the plastering based on the mould.

Assessment for fibrous plastering NVQ

When you are evaluated for award of the fibrous plastering NVQ Level 2 , the assessor will want to see how competent you are in producing, placing, securing and repairing fibrous plastering components at the construction site. The Plaster NVQ assessor will also check whether you can produce cement castings. You must be ready to demonstrate your commitment to adhere to work efficiency, safety best practice and the management of plastering and non-plastering resources in site.

The Level 2 fibrous Plastering NVQ is further broken down into two options- basic and full. The primary distinction between the two is that the full fibrous plaster NVQ includes assessment on the candidate’s capability to produce fibrous plastering components. As a qualified Level 2 fibrous plastering NVQ, you have a wide range of potential work environments to choose from. You could work anywhere from small scale domestic projects to large commercial construction sites.

Introduction to solid plastering NVQ

Of the two forms of plastering – solid and fibrous – solid plastering is considered the core skill of plastering. Virtually every construction site will require some form of solid plastering but not every building will necessarily need fibrous plastering. Some industry experts consider dry lining to be a third type of plastering but most include dry lining as a sub component of solid plastering.

If you possess a Level 2 solid Plastering NVQ, employers in the construction industry will view you as a skilled crafts person with expertise in interior surface finishing and exterior plaster coating to insulate, strengthen, soundproof and fireproof walls, floors and roofs.

The 3 coats every solid plastering NVQ candidate should know

The assessment for the solid Plastering NVQ Level 2 is quick and takes no more than a day. The plaster NVQ assessor will be looking not just at how well you do your job as a solid plastering expert. Rather, the assessor will want to see your interaction with other workers on site including carpenters, lathers, bricklayers and painters – a solid plasterer relies heavily on the first three in particular.

Depending on the building plan and design, the lathers are the persons responsible for building the lath gypsum board or lath wire meshwork to which the plaster will be applied. During the assessment for the Level 2 plastering NVQ – Solid, you will be expected to show your knowledge of the three coats of plastering.

Where lath board or wire mesh is involved, the assessor will look to see if you can comfortably apply the first coat to the mesh. This first coat is usually referred to as the scratch coat since you will need to scratch if so that the second plaster coat holds fast.

The second coat must be smoothed a little more before you apply the third and final coat. The nature of the third coat will depend on whether you are doing an internal wall or if it is an exterior wall. For an exterior surface, the finishing coat is often heavier – usually sand and white concrete – to handle the effects of the elements. Internal walls can be finished with a less hardy finish such as a white lime mixture.

Other areas of assessment for the solid plastering NVQ

Among the specific units the Plastering NVQ assessor will want to be certain of your skills include plastering background surfaces, application of protective plaster, installation of dry linings, use of mechanically affixed plastering boards and the laying of cement and sand screeds.