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How to Get a GQA Gold Skilled Worker CSCS Card
The Gold card for glazing, fenestration and glass related trades comes through GQA. Advanced Craft and Supervisor are two different cards with two different qualifications and, importantly, two different HS&E tests.
The route
Gold is a level up, and the test changes with it
1. Hold a Level 3 qualification
A Level 3 NVQ or SVQ in your glazing, fenestration or glass related occupation for an Advanced Craft card, or a Level 3 or 4 supervisory qualification for a Supervisor card.
2. Pass the right HS&E test
Within the last two years. Advanced Craft usually takes the operatives version; Supervisor takes the specialist supervisory version, and that catches people out.
3. Apply to GQA
With the qualification and the test pass in place. The card runs for five years.
Which gold card
Advanced Craft and Supervisor are two different cards
Both are gold and people use the word interchangeably, which causes a lot of wasted applications. The Advanced Craft card recognises a higher level of craft skill in your trade. The Supervisor card recognises that you supervise other people.
They need different qualifications and, importantly, different HS&E tests. A supervisor card application backed by an operatives test pass will not go through, and the test is not refundable once sat.
- Advanced Craft: a Level 3 qualification in the trade itself
- Supervisor: a Level 3 or 4 supervisory qualification
- Advanced Craft usually needs the operatives test
- Supervisor needs the specialist supervisory test
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, with no alternatives considered. GQA’s Q-Card is one of those partner schemes and covers glazing, fenestration and glass related occupations exclusively.
So a glazier or fenestration installer holding a Level 3 qualification applies through GQA rather than CSCS directly. The card carries the CSCS logo and is checked on site the same way.
- Q-Card covers glazing, fenestration and glass related occupations
- Carries the CSCS logo and is accepted as a CSCS card
- Valid for five years
- Requires the occupational qualification plus a current HS&E test pass
Where to start
If you do not hold the Level 3 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 an HS&E test pass taken within the previous two years. For a Gold Supervisor card that means the specialist supervisory version specifically.
We are an approved test centre, so you can book the test with us and sit it here. Tell us which card you are going for and we will make sure you are registered for the right version.
- The pass must be less than two years old when you apply
- Supervisor cards need the specialist supervisory test
- You find out whether you passed before you leave
- Sessions run every fortnight at our Stoke centre
GQA Gold Skilled Worker card, answered
Advanced Craft recognises a higher level of craft skill in your own trade and normally requires a Level 3 NVQ or SVQ in that occupation. Supervisor recognises that you supervise other people and requires a Level 3 or 4 supervisory qualification. They also need different HS&E tests.
Hold the relevant Level 3 or higher occupational or supervisory qualification, pass the right version of the Health, Safety and Environment test within the previous two years, then apply to GQA. The card is issued for five years.
Advanced Craft usually takes the operatives version. Gold Supervisor takes the specialist supervisory version. Sitting the operatives test and then applying for a supervisor card is a common and expensive mistake, because the test is not refundable.
You do not upgrade the card itself; you apply for the Gold card once you hold the qualification that supports it. If you are already working at that level, a Level 3 NVQ assessed in your own workplace is usually the route, and it recognises what you already do.
Five years from issue. The HS&E test pass behind it only has to be current at the point of application.
The CSCS Smart Check app reads the card directly, or use the GQA card checker. Start the renewal a couple of months out rather than at a site gate.
Not sure which Gold card you are eligible for?
Tell us your trade, what you hold, and whether you supervise anybody. We will tell you which GQA card fits, which qualification you need and which version of the test to book.