Vocational Qualifications - Guidance for Individuals
This section of the website gives you information on vocational qualifications available to the Finishes and Interiors Sector Workforce. It is not exhaustive and for advice on process or funding for getting yourself or your workforce qualified you can talk to a member of the FIS Team on 0121 707 0077 or email info@thefis.org
Vocational Qualifications (VQs) supporting the Finishes and Interiors Sector
VQs provide a method to assess competence against National Occupational Standards (NOS) which provide a benchmark for competent performance. The NOS underpin vocational training, apprenticeships, frameworks and qualifications across the UK, in all sectors and occupations. Links to the relevant National Occupational Standards are provided in the table of qualifications below.
How are they studied?
VQs can be based in a college, school, or workplace. NVQs test the candidates abilities in the workplace. Candidates will undertake training and the following assessment is used to prove they are capable to conduct relevant work-related tasks:
- Portfolio assessment – where you build up evidence of what you’ve done at work.
- Observation – where an assessor watches you work and checks that you can do the required tasks.
The levels are based on national standards for the particular job you want to do. Assessors sign off units when you’ve met these standards. VQs don’t have to be completed in a specific amount of time. They can be taken by full-time employees or by school and college students who have a work placement or part-time job that enables them to develop the appropriate skills.
Qualifications related to occupational areas in the Finishes and Interiors Sector
Below is a list of vocational qualifications commonly associated with the finishes and interiors sector divided by occupational area. further details of any qualification are available by searching the title on the Register of Regulated Qualifications.
To find a provider contact the FIS on 0121 707 0077 or email info@thefis.org or visit the FIS Training Directory
Drylining
| 1. Drylining, Fixer |
Level 2 VQ Diploma in Interior Systems (Dry Lining Fixing) Pathway 4 Level 3 VQ Diploma in Interior Systems (Install Complex Drylining Systems) |
| 2. Boarder | Level 2 VQ Certificate in Interior Systems (Dry Lining Boarder) Pathway 3 |
| 3. Finishing | Level 2 VQ Certificate in Interior Systems (Dry Lining Finishing) Pathway 2 |
| 4. Drylining, Housebuilding |
Level 2 Diploma in Dry Lining (Housing) |
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Ceiling Fixer
| 4. Ceiling Fixing | Level 2 VQ Certificate in Interior Systems (Ceiling Fixing) Pathway 1 |
| 5. Suspended Ceiling | Level 2 VQ Certificate in Interior Systems (Ceiling Fixing) |
| Level 3 VQ Diploma in Interior Systems (Complex Suspended Ceiling Systems) Pathway 1 | |
| 6. Stretched Ceiling | Level 3 VQ Diploma in Interior Systems (Stretched Ceiling Fixing) Pathway 2 |
| 7. Construction Anchor Installer Tester | Level 3 VQ Diploma in Testing, Inspecting and Thorough Examination Occupations – (Installing Construction Anchors and Site Testing of Construction Fixings) Pathway 4 |
Plastering
| 11. Plastering Solid | Level 2 VQ Diploma in Plastering (Solid) Pathway 1 |
| Level 3 VQ Diploma in Plastering (Solid) Pathway 1 | |
| 12. Plastering Fibrous | Level 2 VQ Diploma in Plastering (Fibrous) Pathway 2 |
| Level 3 VQ Diploma in Plastering (Fibrous) Pathway 2 | |
| 13. Heritage Plastering Solid | Level 2 VQ Diploma in Plastering (Heritage Plastering – Solid) Pathway 3 |
| Level 3 VQ Diploma in Heritage Skills (Plastering Occupations – Solid plastering) Pathway 9 | |
| 14. Heritage Plastering Fibrous | Level 2 VQ Diploma in Plastering (Heritage Plastering – Fibrous) Pathway 4 |
| Level 3 VQ Diploma in Heritage Skills (Plastering Occupations – Fibrous plastering) Pathway 10 |
Partitions Installer
| PARTITIONS INSTALLER | |
| 8. Modular Demountable Partitioning | Level 2 VQ Diploma in Interior Systems (Modular Demountable Partitioning) Pathway 1 |
| 9. Operable Partitioning Systems | Level 2 VQ Diploma in Interior Systems (Operable Partition Systems) Pathway 2 |
| 10. Glass Partitioning and/or Internal Screen | Level 2 VQ Diploma in Interior Systems (Glass Partition/Internal Screen Systems) Pathway 3 |
Flooring Installer
| 15. Access Flooring | Level 2 VQ Diploma in Interior Systems (Access flooring) Pathway 5 |
| 16. Acoustic Floor Installation | Level 2 VQ Diploma in Interior Systems (Acoustic Floor Installation) Pathway 6 |
Steel Frame Systems Erection and Assembly
| 17. Cold Formed Steel Frame Erection |
Level 2 VQ Diploma in Construction Using Off-site Manufactured Assemblies – (Cold Formed Steel Frame – Erection) Pathway 1 |
| 18. Cold Formed Steel Frame Assembly |
Level 2 VQ Certificate in Construction Using Off-site Manufactured Assemblies (Cold Formed Steel Frame – Assembly) Pathway 1 |
| 19. Cold Formed Steel Frame Erection and Assembly |
Level 2 VQ Diploma in Construction Using Off-site Manufactured Assemblies – (Cold Formed Steel Frame – Assembly/Erection) Pathway 2 |
Site Carpentry
| 20. Wood Occupations’ Site Carpentry | Level 2 VQ Diploma in Wood Occupations (Site Carpentry) Pathway 1 |
| Level 3 VQ Diploma in Wood Occupations (Site Carpentry) Pathway 1 | |
| 21. Shopfitting Site | Level 2 VQ Certificate in Wood Occupations (Shopfitting Site Work) Pathway 2 |
| Level 3 VQ Diploma in Wood Occupations (Shopfitting Site Work) Pathway 4 |
Cavity Barrier Installer
| 22. Cavity Barrier Installer | Level 2 VQ Certificate in Interior Systems (Cavity Barrier Installation) Pathway 4 |
Supervision, Technical and Management
| 23. Occupational Work Supervisor (Ganger, Team Leader, Leading Hand or Fore Person) |
Level 3 VQ Diploma in Occupational Work Supervision (Construction) |
| 24. Construction Site Supervision | Level 4 VQ Diploma in Construction Site Supervision (Building and Engineering) Pathway 1 |
| 25. Construction Site Management | Level 6 VQ Diploma in Construction Site Management (Building and Civil Engineering) Pathway 1 |
| 26. Construction Contracting Operations (CCO) | Level 3 VQ Diploma in Construction Contracting Operations |
| 27. CCO Design Coordinator | Level 3 VQ Diploma in Construction Contracting Operations – Design Coordinator |
| 28. CCO Estimating | Level 3 VQ Diploma in Construction Contracting Operations – Estimating |
| 28. CCO General | Level 3 VQ Diploma in Construction Contracting Operations – General |
| 30. CCO Planning | Level 3 VQ Diploma in Construction Contracting Operations – Planning |
| 31. CCO Site Technical Support | Level 3 VQ Diploma in Construction Contracting Operations – Site Technical Support |
| 32. CCO Surveying | Level 3 VQ Diploma in Construction Contracting Operations – Surveying |
| 33. Construction Contracting Operations Management (CCOM) | Level 6 VQ Diploma in Construction Contracting Operations Management |
| 34. CCOM Buying | Level 6 VQ Diploma in Construction Contracting Operations Management – Buying |
| 35. CCOM Estimating | Level 6 VQ Diploma in Construction Contracting Operations Management – Estimating |
| 36. CCOM General | Level 6 VQ Diploma in Construction Contracting Operations Management – General |
| 37. CCOM Planning | Level 6 VQ Diploma in Construction Contracting Operations Management – Planning |
| 38. CCOM Quantity Surveying | Level 6 VQ Diploma in Construction Contracting Operations Management – Quantity Surveying |
Other occupations commonly working in the finishes and interiors Sector
|
39. Passive Fire Protection
|
Level 2 VQ Diploma in Associated Industrial Services Occupations – Passive Fire Protection |
| 40. Building Information Modelling (BIM) | Level 3 Award in Building Information Modelling |
| Level 3 Implementation of Building Information Modelling | |
| Level 3 Fundamentals of Building Information Modelling | |
| Level 3 Diploma in the Built Environment with Building Information Modelling | |
| Level 4 Certificate in Digital Construction with Building Information Modelling | |
| Level 4 Certificate in Collaboration in Building Information Modelling/Management | |
| 41. Shopfitting Bench | Level 2 VQ Certificate in Wood Occupations (Shopfitting Bench Work) Pathway 3 |
| Level 3 VQ Diploma in Wood Occupations (Shopfitting Bench Work) Pathway 5 | |
| 42. Architectural Joiner | Level 2 VQ Diploma in Wood Occupations (Architectural Joinery) Pathway 2 |
| Level 3 VQ Diploma in Wood Occupations (Architectural Joinery) Pathway 2 | |
| 43. Floorcovering | Level 2 VQ Diploma in Floorcovering Occupations |
| Level 3 VQ Diploma in Floorcovering Occupations | |
| 44. Insulation | Level 2 VQ Certificate in Insulation and Building Treatments (External Wall Insulation – Boarder) Pathway 1 |
| Level 2 VQ Certificate in Insulation and Building Treatments (External Wall Insulation – Finisher) Pathway 7 | |
| Level 2 VQ Certificate in Insulation and Building Treatments (Insulate Framed Sections of Buildings) Pathway 6 | |
| Level 2 VQ Diploma in Insulation and Building Treatments (External Wall Insulation- Boarder/Finisher) Pathway 3 | |
| 45. Wall and Floor Tiling | Level 2 VQ Diploma in Wall and Floor Tiling |
| Level 3 VQ Diploma in Wall and Floor Tiling | |
| 46. Specialist Installation PVC Hygienic Wall Installer | Level 2 VQ Certificate in Specialist Installation Occupations (Fabric and Membrane Cladding) Pathway 15 |
| 47. Senior Craft (Sole Trader) | Level 4 VQ Diploma in Senior Crafts (Plastering) Pathway 2 |
| Level 4 VQ Diploma in Senior Crafts (Joinery) Pathway 2 | |
| Level 4 VQ Diploma in Senior Crafts (Wall and Floor Tiling) Pathway 9 | |
| 48. Specialist Concrete Occupations – Screeding | Level 2 VQ Diploma in Specialist Concrete Occupations In Situ Flooring Screed) Pathway 7 |
| 49. Building Refurbishment | Level 2 VQ in Building Maintenance Multi-trade Repair and Refurbishment Operations |
| Group B Maintenance Carpentry and Joinery | |
| Group E Maintenance Plastering | |
| Level 3 VQ in Building Maintenance Multi-trade Repair and Refurbishment Operations | |
| 50. Fitted Interiors: | Level 2 VQ Certificate in Fitted Interiors |
| 51. Kitchen | Level 2 VQ Certificate in Fitted Interiors |
| 52. Bedroom | Level 2 VQ Certificate in Fitted Interiors |
| 53. Bathroom | Level 2 VQ Certificate in Fitted Interiors |
Health and Safety, Training and Assessment within the finishes and interiors sector
| Occupation | Qualification |
| 54. Health and Safety | Level 2 VQ Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety |
| Level 3 VQ Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety | |
| Level 4 VQ Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety Practice | |
| Level 5 VQ Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety Practice | |
| Level 6 VQ Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety Management | |
| 55. Education and Training | Level 3 BTEC Award in Education and Training |
| Level 4 VQ Certificate in Education and Training | |
| Level 5 VQ Diploma in Education and Training | |
| 56. Vocational Assessor | Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement |
| 57. End Point Assessor | Level 4 Assessor Coach End Point Assessment |
| 58. Training Instructor | Level 3 Training and Development |
| Level 3 VQ in Direct Training and Support | |
| Level 4 Training and Development (Learning and Development) | |
| Level 5 Diploma in Education and training | |
| Level 5 Training and Development Strategy | |
To find a provider of any of the above training courses, visit
the FIS Training Directory.
For any clarification or questions on content, provision or funding available don’t hesitate to contact the FIS on 0121 707 0077 or email info@thefis.org
You can download an example template for the Career and Competency Pathway for Drylining occupations here
You can download an example template for the Career and Competency Pathway for Ceiling Fixing occupations here
Futher pathways are currently being developed through the work of the FIS Skills Board and core FIS Working Groups