Construction Skills @ SCQF Level 4 (C&G)

If you have previously been or are currently a college academy or full-time student at Dumfries and Galloway College studying construction, achieve a positive learner reference from your personal tutor confirming that you have the ability to successfully complete this course.

or

Achieve 1 National 4 award (or equivalent). If you are currently working towards these grades you may still apply, subject to you passing the required grades.

or

Entry may still be possible particularly for mature students, depending on prior knowledge and construction experience, please note this down in your application details and further discussion can take place at the interview stage.

Applicants must also:

• Display a passion for a career in the construction industry during application and interview.
• Demonstrate the ability to work at SCQF level 4.
• Be motivated and have a good timekeeping and attendance history.
• Current students at the college will also require a positive progressing learner reference.
• Attend an information and interview session should you be offered one on the given date and time.

Prior to the information and interview session, you will be required to research the answers to the preset question detailed in the ‘Information and Interview Session Requirements’ section

During the information and interview session, applicants will have a short interview with a member of staff to reveal their answers to the preset questions and discuss their suitability for the course prior to a decision being made about their application.

Safety footwear, hi-viz vests, and head protection are always compulsory within our workshops, and the college will provide you with all PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) for which you will be responsible to look after and wear. 

Learners should be prepared to be actively involved in looking for an employer who may take them on for work experience, whilst this is not a compulsory part of the course it would be beneficial for progressing onto the next stage, guidance will be available from staff.

Once we have received your application you will be asked to attend an informal information and interview session. This may be on-campus, or either through TEAMS or by phone but remember to tell us all about yourself in your personal statement!

This is a key aspect of the application process. You must confirm your attendance should you be offered an appointment. 

During the information and interview session, we will ensure the entry requirements and your aspirations and career plan are appropriate for the course and the level of course you have applied for. It is therefore important that you prepare well for this.

During your information and interview session, lecturers will be looking for the following criteria:

• How you present yourself at the interview.
• How committed you are to a future career in construction.
• Knowledge of progression routes for your chosen course.
• The level of research and accuracy of responses to the 5 general construction questions below.

You may bring some notes to help you answer your responses. 

• Describe the differences between a terraced, semi-detached, and detached house.
• Describe the system that heats the hot water within your house.
• Describe how you would calculate the area of a feature wall that requires wallpapering.
• Describe how you would calculate the perimeter of a room that requires skirting boards installed.
• What is the length of a common brick?

Units are delivered with a mix of practical and theoretical elements with at least three hours of practical activities in any given college day:

Practical elements of this course cover

• Carpentry and Joinery
• Brickwork
• Plumbing
• Plastering
• Painting and Decorating
• Roofing

As with all courses at the college, this course also aims to develop your abilities to work both independently and as part of a team, encourage entrepreneurial approaches to tasks and also extend your core employability skills of numeracy, IT, and communication.

The following elements are also delivered to allow you to work safely and give you an understanding of basic construction principles.

• Introduction to Health and Safety in Construction
• Introduction to the Construction Industry 
  
  

Practical and written assessments for this course are ongoing throughout the year. There is no final end-of-year exam for this course.

Students successfully completing the course will be awarded a level 4 City and Guilds Construction Skills certificate which would allow direct entry to any of the level 5 trade-specific qualifications (plumbing, joinery, or painting and decorating) or NPA Construction: Multi Trade. Pending a positive progressing learner reference to your chosen course. 

Students showing the correct employability skills at the end of the year can also be recommended for apprenticeships to local employers.

This course in construction can be the start of many career paths from apprenticeship to craft operative (joiner, plumber, painter, etc) to site manager to the architect.

You may be eligible for bursary or EMA funding for this course, please contact a member of the student funding team for details.

46% of all current 1st year Dumfries and Galloway construction apprentices have previously studied a construction-related course within the college highlighting both the fantastic opportunity for progression to apprenticeship and how employers are looking for apprentices who have prior construction knowledge and skills.