Changes to the Part P Competent Persons Scheme (CPS)

The deadline has now been extended to 2013, click here for more information. The requirements for the Part P CPS are changing and, as of the 1st January, qualifying candidates will need to have achieved the appropriate Level 3 NVQ Certificate: Installing, Testing and Ensuring Compliance of Electrical Installation Work in Dwellings; for qualified supervisors responsible for electrical work in domestic properties which come under Part P Building Regulations, and the new Diploma in Installing Electrotechnical Systems and Equipment (Building and Structures); for all types of electrical installation. At the moment, the CPS stipulates the completion of 17th edition wiring regulations and demonstration of competence in installation, inspection, testing and certification – for installers without relevant experience, undertaking Part P training will supply this knowledge. Logic4training is urging any installer who wants to join a Part P CPS, but doesn’t have the correct qualifications, to complete them now, before the deadline at the end of December. Candidates who have joined a CPS before January 1st are not required to obtain an NVQ level 3. These changes will probably not be an issue to larger organisations with a nominated qualifying supervisor, however may prove a barrier for sole traders and micro-businesses for whom completing an NVQ level 3 is an impractical and costly task. The two awarding bodies for the appropriate NVQ qualifications are City and Guilds and EAL.