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Specialist Masonry NVQ Level 2
Specialist Masonry NVQ Level 2
Arches, curved work, feature elements — the masonry that makes people stop and look. Prove your specialist competence with a work-based NVQ assessed on your builds, 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
Specialist masonry is the work that separates a mason from a block-runner: arches turned on formers, curved and battered walls, decorative bonds and feature panels, stone and brick elements that carry the architect’s intent. This NVQ documents that competence from the specialist elements you already build into your jobs.
A CTG assessor visits your work, observes real specialist elements being set out and built, and gathers photos, witness statements and professional discussion. No exams, no classroom — assessor visits are included as standard.
You achieve the GQA Level 2 NVQ Diploma in Trowel Occupations (Construction), qualification code 610/0052/9, with specialist masonry occupational units in your registration — a unit combination within the qualification, and the typical route to the Blue Skilled Worker CSCS card.
Qualification Structure
Key information
| Full title | GQA Level 2 NVQ Diploma in Trowel Occupations (Construction) |
| Qualification code | 610/0052/9 |
| Route | Occupational unit combination — specialist masonry elements |
| 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 |
How specialist masonry fits — and the Level 3 route
Specialist masonry is an occupational unit combination within the Level 2 Trowel Occupations qualification — not a separate formal pathway. Masons whose specialist work is genuinely advanced — architectural and decorative brickwork, complex heritage elements — may meet the full mandatory requirements of the Level 3 Trowel Occupations NVQ instead; we assess which level your evidence honestly supports before registering you.
Who this NVQ is for
Experienced masons building specialist elements on residential, commercial and restoration work. You should be working with minimal supervision. Typical evidence: setting out arches, curves and features from drawings or templates, building decorative bonds and panels, forming battered or serpentine work to line, working stone or special units where your role includes them, and matching and protecting finished feature work.
Entry requirements
No formal entry qualifications. You must be building specialist masonry at work now, on jobs a CTG assessor can attend. Masons without regular specialist elements should start with the Bricklaying NVQ — we’ll advise honestly.
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 Trowel Occupations (Construction), qualification code 610/0052/9. 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
- Erecting Masonry Structures in the Workplace
- Setting out to form Masonry Structures in the Workplace
Your specialist unit
- Installing and forming specialist masonry elements in the workplace
Other optional units (minimum one from this group)
- Erecting Masonry Cladding in the Workplace
- Erect Thin Joint Masonry Structures in the Workplace
- Repairing and Maintaining Masonry Structures in the Workplace
- Installing Drainage in the Workplace
- Placing and compacting concrete in the workplace
Frequently asked questions
How long does the Specialist Masonry NVQ take?
Typically 4–8 weeks — feature work on your jobs sets the pace, and general masonry evidence fills the mandatory units meanwhile.
Is this a heritage qualification?
Heritage elements are valid evidence, but this is the Level 2 route. Genuinely advanced conservation masons may suit Level 3 — we’ll route you honestly.
Stone as well as brick — does it count?
Specialist elements in the materials you genuinely work all evidence the units.
Can our masonry gang enrol together?
Yes — each mason registers the unit combination matching their actual work.
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 610/0052/9 standards.
- Certification, then apply to CSCS for your card.