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Concrete Drilling NVQ Level 2
Concrete Drilling NVQ Level 2
Diamond drilling through live structures takes planning, not just power. Prove your coring competence with a work-based NVQ assessed on your own jobs, on the typical route to the Blue Skilled Worker CSCS card. It costs £750 fixed with no VAT, typically takes 4–8 weeks with assessment carried out remotely or on site from your normal work — no exams, no classroom, and leads to the Blue Skilled Worker card.
Qualification Overview
Concrete drillers put clean holes exactly where the structure allows them: coring for M&E services, stitch drilling for openings, anchors and dowels — always with rebar, tendons and hidden services one scan away from an expensive mistake. This NVQ documents the competence that keeps diamond drilling precise and safe, from the jobs you already do.
A CTG assessor visits your sites, watches real rig-ups and coring, and gathers photos, witness statements and professional discussion about scanning, fixing the rig, water and slurry management. No exams, no classroom — assessor visits are included as standard.
You achieve the GQA Level 2 NVQ Diploma in Specialist Concrete Occupations (Construction) — Concrete Drilling and Sawing (qualification code 603/4460/X) through the drilling pathway — the typical qualification route to the Blue Skilled Worker CSCS card.
Qualification Structure
Key information
| Full title | GQA Level 2 NVQ Diploma in Specialist Concrete Occupations (Construction) — Concrete Drilling and Sawing |
| Qualification code | 603/4460/X |
| Pathway | Concrete Drilling |
| Level | 2 |
| Awarding body | GQA |
| Price | £750 — fixed, no VAT |
| Typical completion | 4–8 weeks |
| Assessment | On-site evidence — no exams, no classroom |
| Typical CSCS route | Blue Skilled Worker |
What the Concrete Drilling pathway covers
The drilling pathway covers diamond drilling and coring work in the workplace. Sawing — track, wall, floor and hand sawing — is the separate Concrete Sawing NVQ pathway, and operatives who genuinely do both may suit the combined route on the parent page: Concrete Drilling and Sawing NVQ. One call registers the pathway that matches your work.
Who this NVQ is for
Experienced diamond drilling operatives with specialist drilling contractors. You should be working with minimal supervision. Typical evidence: reviewing permits and scanning for rebar and services, marking out to the drawing, fixing rigs by anchor or vacuum, coring vertically, horizontally and inverted, managing water and slurry with containment, removing cores safely, and inspecting bits and equipment.
Entry requirements
No formal entry qualifications. You must be drilling at work now, on jobs a CTG assessor can attend. Trainee drillers should build experience first — the NVQ assesses existing competence.
CSCS card route
This Level 2 NVQ is the typical qualification for the Blue Skilled Worker CSCS card, together with the relevant CITB Health, Safety & Environment test. CSCS issues the card, not CTG. See our CSCS cards guide.
Units — mandatory and optional
You achieve the GQA Level 2 NVQ Diploma in Specialist Concrete Occupations (Construction) — Concrete Drilling and Sawing, qualification code 603/4460/X. The unit structure below comes from the official GQA specification — your assessor maps your day-to-day work to these units at enrolment.
Mandatory units
- Conforming to General Health, Safety and Welfare in the Workplace
- Conforming to Productive Working Practices in the Workplace
- Moving, Handling and Storing Resources in the Workplace
- Establishing Work Area Protection and Safety in the Workplace
Concrete Drilling pathway units
- Reshaping using Hand Sawing Techniques in the Workplace
- Forming Drill Holes or Core in the Structural Fabric (Diamond core bits) in the Workplace
Do both drilling and sawing? A combined Concrete Drilling and Sawing pathway covers all three specialist units — tell us at enrolment.
Frequently asked questions
How long does the Concrete Drilling NVQ take?
Typically 4–8 weeks — drilling contractors work daily jobs, so evidence builds fast.
Drilling and sawing both — one NVQ or two?
The qualification has a combined pathway for genuine dual-trade operatives. Describe your work and we’ll register drilling, sawing or the combined route honestly.
Do occupied buildings and night works fit assessment?
Yes — our assessors work to your site’s access rules, including hospitals, stations and night possessions.
Can the drilling team enrol together?
Yes — team enrolments on one contractor are routine to schedule.
Rated by the people we qualify
Live Google reviews from CTG candidates and employers across the UK. Read all 52 reviews.
Entry requirements
You are already doing the work day to day, as an employee or self-employed. There are no entry qualifications and no exams — you are assessed on the job you already do.
To start Level 2 qualification you need:
- A relevant job to be assessed in. This is a competence qualification, so you must have access to real work of the right type while you are registered. No workplace, no evidence.
- Proof of identity — a passport, driving licence or similar, as the awarding body requires.
- A National Insurance number, so we can obtain your Unique Learner Number.
- Enough English to explain your work to your assessor and to talk through your evidence.
- A device with a camera — a phone is fine. Evidence is photos and short videos of your own work, uploaded to your e-portfolio.
You do not need: any prior qualification, any classroom attendance, or to sit an exam. Assessment is entirely in your workplace via a remote e-portfolio, nationwide.
Tell us about any support need, disability or learning difficulty when you enrol and we will arrange reasonable adjustments — it does not affect whether you can take the qualification.
The awarding body sets the final entry criteria for each qualification. If you are not sure whether your current role gives you the right evidence, ask us before you book — we would rather tell you honestly than register you for something you cannot complete.
What card does this NVQ lead to?
Leads to the Blue CSCS Skilled Worker card
On completion you can apply for the Blue CSCS Skilled Worker card, proving competence in your trade.
Your NVQ pathway
- Level 2 Skilled
- Level 3 Advanced
- Level 4 Supervisor
- Level 5 Senior Supervisor
- Level 6 Manager
Your current qualification is highlighted. Progress up the pathway as your career develops.
How the e-portfolio assessment works
- Enrol and be assigned a dedicated occupational assessor.
- Gather workplace evidence — photos, videos, witness statements — via our online portal.
- Complete a professional discussion and observations against the 603/4460/X standards.
- Certification, then apply to CSCS for your card.