Industry Accreditation ‘Grandfather Rights’ withdrawal

CPCS is required to phase out blue Competent Operator cards gained through ‘Grandfather Rights’ from 1 January 2020, and any cards issued through Grandfather Rights will be completely removed by 31 December 2024.

The requirement to do this has been set by the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) who have said that the minimum standard for skilled operators is a Level 2 Vocational Qualification (VQ) relevant to their occupation. You can find the CLC requirements to the industry here: http://www.constructionleadershipcouncil.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/CLC-decision-on-card-scheme-logo-22.11.17.pdf

This requirement stretches across our whole industry and every recognised card scheme.

Grandfather Rights or Industry Accreditation in the past allowed workers to get CPCS blue cards based on industry knowledge and employer recommendation rather than the achievement of a recognised qualification.

This route was closed to new card applicants in 2003 when a Level 2 (VQ) relevant to the categories held was required, but those already holding a blue card were still able to renew under the old rules.

From 1 January 2020 all cards renewed under Industry Accreditation will expire on 31 December 2024 and we will stop issuing these cards from 30 June 2024.