CITB, the body that sets the standards for the construction industry, worked with TunnelSkills, the national specialist training group for the UK tunnelling sector, and the chimney occupations sector to review and introduce the national occupational standards that underpin the National and Scottish Vocational Qualifications (N/SVQs).

It said its partnership approach helped identify the need for additional training support for skills development and advancement, and from a safety perspective.

As a result, CITB focused on updating the training solutions for these areas, including the development of a new Level 3 qualification as a progression route for training from the L2 qualification for the Chimney Occupations sector.

GQA Qualifications is the awarding organisation offering the new range of Level 2 and Level 3 Chimney qualifications.

Chris Simpson, head of quality and standards at CITB, said: “People are centric to the construction industry and the quality of their training and development is paramount to ensure we have a skilled, competent and inclusive workforce.

“It is also vital that these skills include health and safety so that those working in the sector have a real understanding of the importance not only of the technical skills needed for their trade but the softer skills that protect everyone working on site.

“Through forums and conversations, sectors like tunnelling or chimney occupations can really benefit from the work that CITB does.

“At CITB, we welcome all construction professionals to join our working groups to develop standards and qualifications, and I would encourage anyone who is passionate about training and development within our industry to sign up.”

Ian Heath, secretary of TunnelSkills, responsible for sponsoring and leading on the initiative, said: “This project is a brilliant example of the industry’s efficient collaboration with CITB, from identifying a requirement, to gathering industry support and commitment and working with CITB to deliver the new qualification in an extremely short period of time.

“It is testament to the invaluable guidance, commitment, and expertise of the CITB Standards Team that this project has come to fruition in a timescale that works for our industry. We now look forward to seeing the tunnelling industry take up this new accreditation and demonstrating that their workforce can achieve the knowledge and competency which will contribute to ensuring they can work safely.”

Phil Cleaver, director at Chimney Skills Training, said: “We as Chimney Skills Training, the sole NVQ provider, have enjoyed working with the wider industry, CITB and GQA in the development of the Chimney Occupations National Occupational Standards and the subsequent L2 and L3 NVQ qualifications.

“They mark a historic moment for the installer and sweep trades in securing their future and enabling the solid fuel burning sector to raise their standards to meet the ever tighter constraints on emissions.”

CITB works with local enterprise partnerships, regional bodies and national administrations to support training priorities, ensuing that there are standards in place which create a competent workforce and deliver high-quality services to the construction industry.