Qualifications and cards

Safety: gas work must only be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer who is qualified for that type of appliance. Check their ID card or the Gas Safe Register. If you smell gas, leave the property and call the gas emergency number: 0800 111 999 in Great Britain or 0800 002 001 in Northern Ireland.

Safety: use a registered electrician, for example one registered with a competent person scheme such as NICEIC or NAPIT, for electrical installation work. Do not remove covers or open electrical equipment yourself.

Explore qualifications and cards in plain English, with practical context, common distinctions and questions to ask before work starts.

Start with the entries below. They are part of a growing reference library, not an exhaustive technical specification or a substitute for specialist assessment.

18th Edition qualification: An 18th Edition qualification assesses knowledge of the IET Wiring Regulations, BS 7671, within the qualification's stated version. It is not a complete electrician qualification, an installation certificate or automatic competence to inspect every electrical system. Practical training and occupational assessment remain essential.
ACS gas assessment: ACS is the Accredited Certification Scheme used to assess gas-safety competence within specified categories. It is part of a gas-career and registration pathway, not a universal beginner course or the same thing as Gas Safe business registration. The exact core, appliance, fuel and activity scope matter.
Apprenticeship: An apprenticeship combines employment with structured training for an occupation. It is not simply an unpaid trial, a classroom course or a promise to learn whatever jobs happen to arrive. Trade apprenticeships need an employer, relevant work, planned learning and the assessment arrangements for the actual programme.
CERTASS registration: CERTASS registration can provide a competent-person-scheme route for eligible replacement glazing work. Registered installers self-certify specified work through the scheme and relevant building-compliance records follow. The precise scheme and job scope matter; the name is not a universal approval of every installation, repair or service a business offers.
CPCS card: A CPCS card records a defined status and plant category within the Construction Plant Competence Scheme. The red Trained Operator and blue Competent Operator routes are different. Neither is a universal machine licence, a driving entitlement for every road use or a substitute for planning the actual site operation.
CSCS card: A CSCS card is evidence of relevant construction qualifications and training for a stated occupation. It is not a universal licence to carry out every building trade.
ECS card: An ECS card records a person's status within the Electrotechnical Certification Scheme for a defined occupation or route. It is not the same as a business's competent person registration, an electrical installation certificate or a universal licence to undertake every electrical task. Card type and actual competence both matter.
FENSA registration: FENSA registration refers to participation in a competent-person scheme for eligible replacement glazing work. It provides a route for registered installers to self-certify specified work against relevant Building Regulations requirements. It is not planning permission, a universal glazing licence or proof that every service offered by a business falls within the scheme.
G3 unvented qualification: G3 unvented qualification is a common description for assessed hot-water-systems and safety training associated with unvented storage. G3 itself is a Building Regulations requirement, not the name of every awarding-body certificate. The qualification, practical competence and registration for self-certification are separate matters.
HETAS registration: HETAS registration concerns defined services associated with solid fuel, biomass, appliances and related technologies. Installer registration, chimney-sweeping or servicing roles and a training-course pass are different things. A homeowner should verify the actual business and service scope rather than assume every HETAS-associated person can perform every heating task.
IPAF PAL card: An IPAF PAL card records successful training and testing for specified powered-access equipment categories. PAL means Powered Access Licence within the scheme. It is not a government licence for every machine or a complete site-specific work-at-height plan. Check the actual categories, validity and equipment before use.
NAPIT certification: NAPIT certification records a scheme member's assessed status within a defined scope. NAPIT operates several schemes rather than a single generic Part P approval. The business, work category and project documents need checking separately, and a learner's training certificate is not automatically the employer's registration or certification.
NICEIC certification: NICEIC certification assesses a business within particular schemes. It is not a personal electrician qualification or proof that the business has been assessed for every service it advertises. A homeowner should check current status and the actual work scope, while trainees should distinguish their occupational learning from the employer's certification.
NPORS card: An NPORS card records training or competence status for specified plant and equipment categories within the NPORS scheme. NPORS offers different card routes, including its operator and CSCS-associated routes. A card is not unrestricted permission to operate every machine or a substitute for site-specific planning and supervision.
NVQ: An NVQ, or National Vocational Qualification, assesses occupational competence against defined requirements. Level 2 and Level 3 describe qualification levels, not universal permission to carry out every trade task. The full title, occupation, awarding organisation and assessment route matter more than an advertisement promising a quick NVQ.
OFTEC registration: OFTEC registration identifies businesses and technicians within defined heating-work scopes. It is not the same as passing one training assessment or a universal authorisation for every fuel and system. The registered business, individual technician, work category and relevant national compliance route need checking.
PASMA training: PASMA training develops competence for defined prefabricated-access-tower activities. Its Towers for Users course is not the same as powered-access training or competence for every scaffold configuration. The actual course, assessment, equipment and site conditions must match the work rather than relying on the broad phrase PASMA trained.
SMSTS: SMSTS is CITB's Site Management Safety Training Scheme. It develops understanding of health, safety, welfare and environmental responsibilities for people managing site activities. It is not an academic construction-management degree, a craft qualification or a guarantee of competence to manage every project type.
SSSTS: SSSTS is CITB's Site Supervision Safety Training Scheme. It develops health-and-safety understanding for people who have or are about to have site-supervisory responsibilities. It is a training certificate, not a trade qualification, a universal legal licence to supervise any project or automatic appointment to a principal contractor role.

Last editorial check: 8 November 2026.

Need a tradesperson for this? Find local trades and post your job on trustmarktrades.com, the Trustmark Trades directory.