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How to Get a GQA Blue Skilled Worker CSCS Card
The Blue Skilled Worker card for glazing, fenestration and glass related trades comes through GQA rather than CSCS directly. Two things get you there: the occupational qualification, and a current HS&E test pass.
The route
Three things stand between you and a GQA Blue card
1. Hold the right qualification
A Level 2 NVQ or SVQ in your glazing, fenestration or glass related occupation. GQA is the awarding organisation for those trades and the Q-Card is the card that goes with them.
2. Pass the HS&E test
Within the last two years. Usually the operatives version, but check against the card you are applying for before you book.
3. Apply to GQA
With the qualification and the test pass in place. The card is valid for five years.
Why GQA
GQA holds the glazing and fenestration trades
In January 2015 the Construction Leadership Council endorsed card schemes carrying the CSCS logo across every sector of the industry, with no alternatives considered. GQA’s Q-Card is one of those partner schemes, and it covers the glazing, fenestration and glass related occupations exclusively.
So a glazier, a fenestration installer or a glass processor holding a Level 2 qualification applies through GQA rather than through CSCS directly. The card carries the CSCS logo and is accepted on site the same way, which is the point of the partner arrangement.
- Q-Card covers glazing, fenestration and glass related occupations
- Carries the CSCS logo and is accepted on site as a CSCS card
- Valid for five years
- Requires an occupational qualification plus a current HS&E test pass
Where to start
If you do not hold the qualification yet
The test
You need a current HS&E test pass before you apply
Every card application in the CSCS family, GQA included, has to be backed by a Health, Safety and Environment test pass taken within the previous two years. Sit it early and the card application follows; leave it and the pass expires while you are still assembling the qualification.
We are an approved test centre, so you can book the test with us and sit it here. Which version you need depends on the card you are applying for, and picking the wrong one is the single most common reason an application stalls.
- The pass must be less than two years old when you apply
- Operatives, managers and specialist versions are not interchangeable
- You find out whether you passed before you leave
- Sessions run every fortnight at our Stoke centre
GQA Blue Skilled Worker card, answered
It is the CSCS partner card scheme for the glazing, fenestration and glass related industries. GQA Qualifications is the awarding organisation for those trades, and the Q-Card carries the CSCS logo and is accepted on site in the same way as a CSCS card.
You need the relevant occupational qualification, normally a Level 2 NVQ or SVQ in your trade, and a Health, Safety and Environment test pass from within the last two years. With both in place you apply to GQA and the card is issued for five years.
Five years from issue. The HS&E test pass behind it only needs to be current at the point of application, not for the life of the card.
Usually the operatives version for a Blue Skilled Worker card, but it depends on the exact occupation. Sitting the wrong version is the commonest cause of a stalled application, so check before you book or ring us and we will tell you.
The qualification comes first. For glazing, fenestration and glass related trades that is normally a Level 2 NVQ assessed in your own workplace, which recognises what you already do rather than teaching you the trade again. Talk to us about the assessment route.
Download the CSCS Smart Check app, which reads the card directly, or use the GQA card checker. Give yourself a couple of months before expiry rather than discovering it at a site gate.
Not sure which card or which test?
Tell us your trade and the qualification you hold or are working towards, and we will tell you which GQA card you are eligible for and which version of the test goes with it.