CPCS Emergency COVID-19 Card

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NOCN Job Cards is aware that some individuals in the future will have difficulty renewing or updating their CPCS cards due to issues caused by COVID-19.

Difficulties in renewing may take the form of not being able to make HSE tests or CPCS renewal tests as Pearson VUE and many Internet Test Centers are closed. We also know it will be difficult to complete Vocational Qualifications in the next few months.

The industry has welcomed CPCS and NOCN Job Cards’ advice on the relaxation by sites on cards that have expired. On March 16th CPCS recommend to employers that their sites could be more lenient on accepting cards that have expired from mid-March onwards until the Covid-19 situation has been brought more under control. This is, of course, the Employers’ choice and decision. However, some employers require further controls and a longer-term solution to this issue.

Due to this and after strong industry direction CPCS is providing the ability to apply for an Emergency CPCS Card which would be valid for 12 months for those unable to renew cards or upgrade cards due to not being able to renew their HSE test or Renewal Test.

This card will also be available for individuals on a Red card which is expiring and they have been prevented from completing their Vocational Qualification due to the COVID-19 situation. Proof of Qualification Registration is necessary, however, if this is with Cskills Awards/NOCN then we can check this digitally without the applicant needing to provide anything.

This card is to support employers and individuals who do not wish to accept expired cards, giving our beneficiaries choice.

Apply Online or  Download the Form

The cost of this card will be £15

Who should use this card?

Can I renew my card without an in-date HS&E test?
Yes, we will issue an emergency card – please use this form

Can I renew my card without completing the Renewal Test(s)?
Yes, we will issue an emergency card – please use this form

Can I extend my Red card as I am registered for a Vocational Qualification, but my assessment cannot be completed so I can’t finish the qualification?
Yes, we will issue an emergency card – please use this form

I have not recorded sufficient hours in my CPCS logbook but cannot do my On-Site-Assessments (OSA).
CPCS will issue you with an emergency card – please use this form

HS&E Test for tester Card Renewals (MAP Test), A61 Appointed Person (MAP Test) and A62 Crane Supervisor (Supervisors test)
The same rules apply we will issue emergency cards for these occupations – please use this form

I cannot complete my Vocational Qualification “VQ” to upgrade my card to blue.
CPCS will issue you an emergency card to keep you working – please use this form

For any other applications please use the normal card application process

NOCN Coronavirus Update for Customers

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The growing concerns surrounding Coronavirus (COVID-19) are likely to impact CPCS Test Centres and Cardholders, please see the latest updates below:

1. Cancelled / Missed tests

We know that many tests are being cancelled or are not able to be delivered. For this reason we are content for Centres to postpone tests until a time when it is safe to do so. Please email your named contact and they will do this for you. They require the Batch Number of the test being postponed and the date you want to postpone it until. If you don’t know a date, please use 1st September. Once you know the date you want to move the test to please email your named contact with the Batch Number and the correct date. This will not result in you being invoiced twice. If you completely cancel a test you will end up being charged for any replacement/new registration by our automated system.

2. CPCS plan to relax notification rules and be flexible during the Covid 19 period

We will allow late notifications, change of address, potentially allow testing to be done on other sites if a particular area is affected by Covid 19, providing all CPCS test criteria can be met. Although we will allow flexibility, all changes to notifications must still be approved by the sector EQA team. This will allow the use of unused facilities and equipment during any periods of partial shut down.

3. CPCS Advice on accepting recently out of date cards on site

We have been asked by industry to relax the rules over expired cards onsite. Please see this poster that has been sent to industry suggesting this.

4. Pearson VUE Test Centres

Pearson VUE are currently working to 50% capacity to allow safe distances between people whilst they are undertaking tests. Pearson VUE are keeping us updated daily with any change to their services, as soon as we hear anything different we will re-communicated any new information. We are hearing that Pearson VUE centres are actually closed, but we have not been told this officially.

5. Our resilience for the situation

Currently we are all coming into the office, but the NOCN team have tested contingency plans to work from home if necessary; taking calls, replying to emails and processing applications. Our printers are also planning on providing a skeleton crew to continue printing cards through out the period, although we must all follow Government guidelines. Card delivery times could also be affected by how Royal Mail’s ability to adhere to their current operating levels. We therefore feel that we will be able to provide some level of continuous service to the sector, however, there will inevitably be some disruption.

CPCS Banked Categories

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What is a CPCS banked category?

Example; I held a CPCS blue competence card which had the following categories;

  • 360 Excavator Tracked
  • Forward Tipping Dumper Wheeled
  • Wheeled loading Shovel

When I last renewed my CPCS card I had not been operating the Wheeled Loading Shovel or the Forward Tipping Dumper, so my employer said I could not renew these categories, therefore my current card only shows;

  • 360 Tracked Excavator

How do I get the categories back on my CPCS Card and what are the CPCS rules?

Categories not applied for at the time of renewal may be ‘banked’ and can be claimed at a later within a 5-year period providing the following rules are met;

  • You hold a valid HS&E test (two years)
  • You Hold a valid Renewal Test for the category grouping, check here.
  • You have recorded 300 hours operating experience (per category or scheme rules in the last 5 years or If you have not recorded sufficient hours detailing operating experience then you can complete a CPCS On Site Assessment (OSA) these can be booked with any test centre in the UK that has accreditation to deliver the specific category please use the Test Centre Search.

 

The Competent Operator Card start date will be the date from the original expiry date of the previous Competent Operator Card, Therefore, it is important to start the renewal process as soon as possible.

More information on specifics can be found in the Scheme Booklet for Operators.

 

Banked categories can only be re-instated within a 5-year period, if categories are older than this these rules do not apply.

New cards, new technology

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CPCS application update

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1. Applications Backlog

Where we have the correct HSE test, photo and CPCS test results that match with CITB/Pearson VUE data. There are still outstanding data issues remaining between CPCS, Pearson VUE and CITB, but these have been significantly reduced with you help and assistance.

2. Notifications Resulted as Achieved through Test Centre Management System

For all notifications where we can match the correct HSE data, photo and CPCS test results, cards are now being dispatched within SLA of 15 working days.

3. Card renewals/applications

We are processing new applications as quickly as possible. All applications that have met scheme requirements have been processed and have been sent to print.

Applications that are incorrect, incomplete, or where an assessment has been failed will receive Rejection letters.  Rejection letters will be sent to the applicant who requested the card. Please check that applications have all the correct information entered. An extra check will save a lot of time waiting and chasing for a card.

4. Test Centres; Carding Without Application

We are processing all Carding Without Applications as soon as possible, providing we can match for all HS&E data with CITB.

CPCS Update – March

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CPCS / NOCN would like to thank you for all your support over the past months of difficulty, since the transfer of CPCS data, and apologise again for the challenges that this has caused you and your customers. 

Card Applications Update

Our team of temporary and permanent staff have been working overtime on evenings and at weekends to put the card processing on track.  We are making good progress and have processed, printed and despatched 13,698 CPCS cards to date (week ending 6th March).

Incorrect cards

Unfortunately, we are still having some problems with incorrect cards, and these are being re-issued as a priority.  SMART data is being updated or turned off where necessary, so Card Checker is corrected immediately.  We have updated the IT system to avoid repeat errors and apologise for the inconvenience that this has caused.

To help us focus on these incorrect cards, we have set up a specific mailbox for all incorrect card enquiries:   incorrectcards@jobcards.org.   CPCS card carrier letters are also being updated with this mail address so that we can quickly resolve any issues.  Please only use this email address if you have any issues with incorrect cards to enable us to resolve any issues as soon as possible – all other queries please email: enquiries@jobcards.org

Card Fraud

Cardholder details are visible on the online Card Checker within a few hours of an application completing the print processing stage.  The new CPCS SMART system protects against card fraud, as a fraudulent card will not link through to the online Card Checker. You may encounter issues around tapping the card with your NFC devices, if the card links to MyTag and you get an error code please also report this to the email address incorrectcards@jobcards.org.  We are aware that the new card designs are already being fraudulently copied. Tapping the card on any NFC enabled device will ensure that the integrity of the system is retained.

Grant Payments

We have been working closely with CITB to enable CITB to pay grants to employers for CPCS theory and practical tests that have been achieved.  Grant payments are now being processed by CITB for these achievements and employers should be receiving automated grant payments and grant remittance forms. All grant queries should go to levy.grant@citb.co.uk.  If employers have missed Grant then they can claim this from CITB via the ‘missed Grant’ process.

Customer Call Volumes

Despite improvements we are still experiencing high customer call volumes, we have implemented a new phone strategy which has reduced customer call time significantly. If you are a test centre we would still advise you to email your dedicated customer coordinator to ask for a call back to save you time.