Some may say :
.. that the certification schemes are a way of controlling the forces
...or are just a money spinner for the governing bodies, that may be right, it may be wrong, but ultimately can you even afford to think about it when you have money to earn and mouths to feed ??.
The old fashioned time served tradesman and the new tradesman who both dislike being forced to stay upto date with what can be regarded as silly and controlling legislation and are happy to to just go do a good days work then go home with wages coming soon, will slowly be squeezed out of work, and that is the ultimate bottom line of the modern day tradesmans working reality with the new CSCS and NVQ system now fully inplace in the construction industry.
Thoughts and debates on CSCS
...on why the certification schemes are so powerful and why they are in place, really is irrelevant when the reality is ... if you don't conform and join the CSCS and NVQ clan you could be easily be barred from working and if you have a family it's not just you who suffers, if you think about it too much it makes your skin crawl but once it's done it's done and you can carry on as normal, in the new system of course.
Why should you have to prove yourself to pen pushers ?
But who is to say it is only the pen pushers who make these changes ? Big changes are made by a wide variety of people from all walks of the construction industry which is a huge part of the base of human civilisation which requires much human imput, thought, ideas and ways to keep everyone safe. Health and safety is a huge part of our everyday working lives nomatter which trade or career path we are on, it can be and very often is over sensitive but we have managed to accept it as we must carry on working.
If you don't join in , even begrudgingly as a certified, safe and skilled tradesperson with experience then someone else will and it's a shame that we may lose out on a lot of old school knowledge. Ultimately, the old fashioned proverb and mentality of , 'water off a ducks back' is the only way to get on and keep working sanely, as after all if you don't do it as you don't agree with it, there is always someone else who can take your place in the workplace and ultimately the 'chopping off of ones nose' only spites one face, and that's your own..
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Take it or leave it ...,
.. you may be your own boss, hard working, knowledgeable and skilled in your trade but without choice, to stay in the construction industry nowadays, you have to follow new rules and guidelines set out by higher governing bodies. Once onsite and working, you are a worker, simple laymans terms but jujst like anyone else you are part of the system that runs on forward motion and won't wait.
Ok, the CSCS is a way of forcing you to show that you have made an effort and proven yourself to google eyed examiners and contractors, that you are capable, responsible enough and socially able to provide the professional service that is expected of you when you go to work, all be it the CSCS test has made you hesitate and then think about what you are really about, mentally, your job, your trade, your way of life and who you really are for the rest of your days, it matters. you matter, your knowledge matters, your keen will to work matters, it all matters. Without sounding like a pen pusher , CSCS is personal , it;s a challenge to move on with the new way and see how it goes, it may work well, it may fail but I doubt it will. A new beginning, a new way forward for a safer environment for all who work with their hands and their heart, for me is a good way to think of the CSCS.
The other side of course is the gaffers control thing that helps to keep people on their toes which can be deemed as unfair to the experienced construction worker being tarred with the same brush as a newbie or irrisponsible tradesman but these issues should not effect your judgement as to why you should or should not take on the CSCS and accept that it is not going to go away. nomatter what you think of it, it, you have to stay in the loop to keep working and earning money.
Unfortunately you can't just apply to the CSCS and wait for your card to come in the post, you will need to take a health and safety test which will cost you around £20. Once you have passed the test it then costs you around £20 to obtain the offical card that will allow you onto sites. You only have to do this once and you are then a CSCS card holder and back in the industry loop until they change the rules for everyone again later down the line.
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CSCS +
Time Served tradesmen ..
... Time served gives common sense, judgement and realistic knowledge of the industry that a quick test cannot teach and what the CSCS touches on, really is basic stuff and is only to show competance, so should be a doddle to anyone experienced in the trades and nothing to worry about apart from your manners. Be careful with your attitude, smile and get it over with, don't make it too painful for yourself as you will only make yourself look like a thick and moody builder. Tradesmen of 30 or even 40 years experience who opt NOT to take the CSCS card option due to maybe feeling patronised by the new system, unfortunately, for better or for worse, CSCS + NVQ legislation and certification is here to stay and if you're NOT keeping upto date, then you will be left out.
If you are not sure how to apply for your CSCS card or what is actually involved to gain it :
 Visit the official CSCS Website
Read more on this article ...
Thoughts on Tradesmans Insurance
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