These qualifications are for those employed in carrying out and monitoring works on the highway and cover a range of skills from those who need to safeguard their work by signing lighting and guarding to carrying out excavation and re-instatement work. They are available for both operators and supervisors.
These qualifications provide routes to registration or re-registration on the Street Works Qualifications Register (SWQR) required under the New Roads and Streetworks Act 1991. Re-registration is required every 5 years.
This replaces the 6156 Street works qualifications.
On 6 April 2017, new regulations come into force in England, The Street Works (Qualifications of Operatives and Supervisors) (England) Regulations 2016.
This has led to a change in certification for the Streetworks Excavation and Reinstatement qualification, where each of the 16 units can now be certificated.
There will now be two “key certificates” for operatives; Location & avoidance of underground apparatus; and Signing, lighting and guarding. As well as two “key certificates” for supervisors; Location & avoidance of underground apparatus; and Monitoring signing, lighting and guarding.
As long as you hold the key certificates, you can choose to hold as many or as few of the other units to suit the work that you do.
Please note, there have been no further changes to the units or assessments at this time. These changes will not affect your existing certificates or street works cards, and they will remain valid until they expire.
For further information please see the guidance document provided by the Department of Transport:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/585274/street-works-qualifications-guidance-for-operatives-and-supervisors.pdf
From 6 April 2017, centres will therefore be required to register candidates on two new pathways to claim the unit certificates; 6157-01 for initial assessments and 6157-02 for reassessments. Centres currently approved to deliver the old 6156 pathways will have been given automatic approval to deliver 6157.
6157-01 initial assessment is suitable for operatives and supervisors who have not worked on the highway before and require registration on the SWQR.
6157-02 re-assessments are suitable for operatives and supervisors who work on highways in England, are already registered on the SWQR and need to renew their registration.