What is the Group Competence Scheme?

What is the Group Competence Scheme?

With the arrival of a new training initiative for gas engineers, now is an appropriate time to distinguish between the different options available to businesses and resolve any confusion that might exist.

What is Group Competence Scheme?

The Group Competence Scheme (GCS) is an alternative training model to the Accredited Certification Scheme (ACS) which is designed to offer large employers with several hundred staff cost savings when it comes to training needs.

The new scheme, owned by Energy & Utility Skills , has been endorsed by the Industry Standards Setting Body and is supported by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) and the Health and Safety Executive. It covers the same ground in terms of gas safety as ACS and is certificated by a UKAS-accredited Certification Body. The difference is it enables employers of large volumes of staff to organise their own training, briefings and assessments for their workforce according to their specific business needs.

Engineers will still be required to meet the same competence criteria and the GCS scheme will not be any easier to pass. However, assessment will take place internally within the business and by company staff such as those in a supervisory role or line managers.

Businesses using the GCS system will need to set up their own in-house assessment processes and assessment centre and employ work-based assessors and verifiers to provide an ongoing competence monitoring service of the workforce.

Importantly, GCS has not been set up to replace ACS. ACS remains the main route for gas engineers to enter the industry and prove their competence levels in gas safety as well as achieve registration with the Gas Safe Register.

ACS remains the scheme we operate here at the Gas Training and Assessment Centre. It is an industry-recognised qualification and allows trainee gas engineers to achieve certification in a variety of domestic gas work including LPG, commercial heating, boiler repair and installation and meter installation.

It is particularly suited to small businesses and sole traders, providing employees with a one-off assessment event held independently and remotely from the business, every five years.

The GCS scheme covers the re-assessment of expiring gas qualifications needed by Gas Safe Register to enable an engineer to continue working legally. Any engineer who wants to broaden their competence certification will need to carry out further ACS assessments.

If you would like more information about the ACS scheme we operate, please contact us today on 01268 727797.