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Reinforced Bitumen Membrane Roofing NVQ Level 2
Reinforced Bitumen Membrane Roofing NVQ Level 2
Built-up felt done right outlives its guarantee — torch, laps and details all telling the same story. Prove your RBM competence with a work-based NVQ assessed on your roofs, 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
Reinforced bitumen membranes — built-up felt to most of the trade — remain the backbone of UK flat roofing: multi-layer systems, torch-applied or pour-and-roll, living or dying on lap discipline and detail work at upstands, outlets and penetrations. Hot works make the stakes higher still. This NVQ documents your RBM competence from the roofs you already lay.
A CTG assessor visits your jobs, observes real laying and detailing, and gathers photos, witness statements and professional discussion covering hot-works control and system build-ups. No exams, no classroom — assessor visits are included as standard.
You achieve the GQA Level 2 NVQ Diploma in Waterproof Membrane Roofing Systems (Construction), qualification code 610/4826/4, through the Reinforced Bitumen Membrane pathway — the typical qualification route to the Blue Skilled Worker CSCS card.
Qualification Structure
Key information
| Full title | GQA Level 2 NVQ Diploma in Waterproof Membrane Roofing Systems (Construction) |
| Qualification code | 610/4826/4 |
| Pathway | Reinforced Bitumen Membrane Roofing |
| 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 RBM pathway covers
The pathway covers installing reinforced bitumen membrane roofing systems in the workplace. Single-ply and liquid systems are the qualification’s other pathways — see the Single-Ply Membrane Roofing NVQ and Liquid Membrane Roofing NVQ. This qualification covers flat/membrane roofing only — pitched slating and tiling are a different trade. We’ll register the pathway that matches your systems.
Who this NVQ is for
Experienced felt roofers on new-build and refurbishment flat roofing. You should be laying with minimal supervision. Typical evidence: substrate and fall checks, hot-works permits and fire watch discipline, laying vapour control, insulation and cap sheets to the system build-up, torching laps to a consistent bleed, detailing upstands, outlets, rooflights and penetrations, and end-of-day weatherproofing.
Entry requirements
No formal entry qualifications. You must be laying RBM systems at work now, on roofs a CTG assessor can attend. Labourers and improvers should build trade 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 Waterproof Membrane Roofing Systems (Construction), qualification code 610/4826/4. 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
- Preparing surfaces for membrane roofing systems in the workplace
- Repairing membrane roofing systems in the workplace
Reinforced Bitumen Membrane pathway unit
- Applying reinforced bitumen membrane systems in the workplace
Frequently asked questions
How long does the RBM Roofing NVQ take?
Typically 4–8 weeks — flat roofing gangs lay in most weather windows, so evidence builds steadily.
Torch-on and pour-and-roll — both valid?
Yes, application methods you genuinely use all evidence the pathway.
I also lay single-ply some months — one pathway or two?
They’re separate pathways. Tell us your genuine mix and we’ll register what reflects your trade — see the Single-Ply NVQ.
Can the roofing gang enrol together?
Yes — gang 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 610/4826/4 standards.
- Certification, then apply to CSCS for your card.