NRSWA made simple – an easy way to navigate the scheme

All streetworks courses are made up of units. There are nine units for both the supervisors’ and the operatives’ course. Units are based around achieving competence of individual tasks associated with road maintenance and streetworks. 

The operatives units include: location and avoidance of underground apparatus (001), signing, lighting and guarding (002), excavation in the road/highway (003), reinstatement and compaction of backfill materials (004), reinstatement of sub-base and road-base in non-bituminous materials (005), reinstatement of cold-lay bituminous materials (006), reinstatement of hot-lay bituminous materials (007), reinstatement of concrete slabs (008) and reinstatement of modular surfaces and concrete footways (009). 

The supervisor units are: Location and avoidance of underground apparatus (Unit 001), monitoring signing, lighting and guarding (Unit 010), monitoring excavation in the road/highway (Unit 011), monitoring reinstatement and compaction of backfill materials (Unit 012), motoring reinstatement of sub-base and road-base in non-bituminous materials (Unit 013) monitoring reinstatement of bituminous materials (Unit 014), monitoring reinstatement of concrete slabs (Unit 015) and monitoring reinstatement of modular surfaces and concrete footways (Unit 016).

Both the operatives’ and supervisors’ units share the same themes, with a different emphasis. The operatives’ units are focused on how to complete these tasks, while the supervisors units are geared towards overseeing them. While both supervisors and operatives share the 001 unit (Location and avoidance of underground apparatus), the rest are numbered differently to make it clearer. Operative units are number from 001-009 and supervisors’ units 001, 010 -016. 

The key benefit of the unit structure of the streetworks courses is that individuals or companies can pick and chose the specific parts which they need. This is often guided by the need to gain NRSWA qualifications. 

NRSWA qualifications are available for those delegates, who successfully complete the necessary units on one of the streetworks courses. The qualification system works in the following way: 

1. There are six qualifications available for supervisors and six for operatives. 

2. To gain any qualification, delegates must complete the relevant set of units. 

The qualifications available for operatives on the streetworks courses are grouped together in the following ways: 

Operatives can complete units 001, 002 and to gain the 01 excavation in the road/highway qualification. Units 001, 002, 003, 004, 005 and 006 combine as qualification 02 excavation, backfilling and reinstatement – cold lay. Units 001, 002, 006 and 007 combine to make qualification 03 - reinstatement – hot and cold lay bituminous materials. Successful completion of units 001, 002 and 008 combine to make qualification 04 - reinstatement of concrete slabs. Units 001, 002 and 009 combine to make qualification 05 - reinstatement of modular surfaces and concrete footways and finally just completing 002 unit on its own, now entitles the delegate to hold the 06 signing, lighting and guarding qualification. 

The qualifications available for supervisors on the streetworks courses are grouped together in the following ways: 

Units 001, 010 and 011 combine to make the monitor excavation in the road/highway qualification. 001, 010, 011,012,013 and 014 completed successfully will result in the S2 monitor excavation, backfilling and reinstatement - construction layers qualification. The S3 qualification, monitor reinstatement – hot and cold lay bituminous materials is made up of units 001, 010 and 014. monitor reinstatement of concrete slabs, the S4 qualification is made up of 001, 010 and 015. Gaining the S5 monitor reinstatement of modular surfaces and concrete footways qualification, requires units 001, 010 and 016 and qualification S6 monitor signing, lighting and guarding consist of a single unit only – 010.