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Learners found competent against this qualification will be able to install concrete reinforcing or steel structures in a safe, cost effective manner and in compliance with project specifications.

For those who have been in the workplace for a long time, this Qualification can be used in the recognition of prior learning process to assess and recognise workplace skills acquired without the benefit of formal education and training.

For the new entrant, this Qualification describes the learning outcomes required to participate effectively in a structured workplace. For education and training providers, this Qualification provides guidance for the development of appropriate learning programmes and assessment documentation. For employers, this Qualification enables skills gaps to be identified and addressed ensuring that productivity levels are increased and business objectives achieved.

This Qualification has been developed to assist with the advancement of the learner across the Civil Engineering and Construction Industry and is aimed at Construction Concrete Reinforcing practitioners and Structural Steel Erectors in the Industry, ensuring the upliftment of standards in general.

The combination of learning outcomes will provide the qualifying learner with vocational knowledge and skills appropriate to the context of Civil Engineering Construction environment. It will also equip learners with a foundation for further intellectual development, opportunities for gainful employment and reward for contributions to society.

This Qualification will provide the Industry with qualified Construction Concrete Reinforcing practitioners, thereby facilitating social and economic transformation, empowerment and upliftment in the Industry and country in general.

Qualifying learners will be capable of:

• Applying health, safety and environmental requirements during steelwork operations.
• Performing steelwork operation related administration.
• Preparing for the installation of steel structures or concrete reinforcing.

  Rationale:

  This Qualification has been developed for the Construction Steelwork occupational area within the Civil Engineering Construction Industry that focuses on installation of concrete reinforcing and steel structures. It will continue to provide a unit standards based approach for persons who perform construction concrete reinforcing and steel erecting activities on Civil Engineering Construction sites, whether in micro, small, medium or large operations.

  In the past many practitioners in the Civil Engineering and Construction area were denied career advancement and possible professional registration. This National Certificate in Construction: Steelwork will allow learners, both unemployed and employed, to reach their full potential of advancement and will allow for Recognition of Prior Learning. It will also serve to facilitate the development of a professional community of Construction Concrete Reinforcing practitioners.

  The competencies contained in this Qualification are essential for social and economic transformation, empowerment and upliftment within the construction steelwork environment, whilst simultaneously improving the skills base of the country. 

• Communication at NQF Level 2.
• Mathematical literacy at NQF Level 2.

  Recognition of Prior Learning:

• The structure of this Unit Standard based Qualification makes the Recognition of Prior Learning possible, if the learner is able to demonstrate competence at the level of unit standards and exit level outcomes as described.

  Access to the Qualification:

• Access to this qualification is open bearing in mind learning assumed to be in place. 

• All Unit Standards in the Fundamental Component, totaling 36 Credits are compulsory.
• All Unit Standards in the Core Component, totaling 36 credits are compulsory.
• For the Concrete Reinforcing stream all 36 credits and a selection of a minimum of 12 credits from the generic electives must be achieved to acquire a minimum of 120 credits for the award of the qualification.
• For the Structural Steel stream all 24 credits and a selection of a minimum of 24 credits from the generic electives must be achieved to acquire a minimum of 120 credits for the award of the qualification.

  The qualifying learner will select one of the two following clusters of unit standards related to each stream.

  The Concrete Reinforcing Installation stream comprises the following Elective Unit Standards:

• Assemble, tie and install reinforcing cages, NQF Level 2, 12 credits.
• Interpret, read and apply reinforcing drawings, NQF Level 4, 10 credits.
• Operate and maintain a reinforcing bending machine, NQF Level 3, 7 credits.
• Operate and maintain a reinforcing cutting machine, NQF Level 3, 7 credits.

  The Steel Structure Installation stream comprises the following Elective Unit Standards:

• Plan and prepare for the erection of structural steelwork, NQF Level 3, 10 credits.
• Finish off and hand over structural works, NQF Level 3, 6 credits.
• Guide and position loads, NQF Level 3, 6 credits.
• Align a steel structure using a dumpy level, NQF Level 3, 2 credits. 

2. Perform steelwork operation related administration.

3. Prepare for the installation of steel structures or concrete reinforcing. 

1.1 The principles and provisions of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the National Environment Management Act and the Environment Conservation Act are explained in the context of steelwork operations.
1.2 Contribute to the implementation of a Health and Safety Plan for the site of steelwork operations in accordance with legislative requirements.
1.3 Primary emergency life support is demonstrated according to a given steelwork operations scenario, assistance is summoned and a report compiled according to worksite procedures.

Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2:

2.1 A work plan is developed according to the calculated quantities and production rates in relation to a particular structural steel or concrete reinforcing civil engineering project.
2.2 Materials, tools and equipment is procured in relation to a particular structural steel or concrete reinforcing civil engineering project and organisational procedures.
2.3 Time sheets and log sheets are maintained in accordance with organisational and statutory requirements.
2.4 Steelwork operations related documents are completed, recorded and stored according to organisational procedures.

Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3:

3.1 The scope and nature of the construction industry is explained in the South African context.
3.2 Specifications and drawings are interpreted to prepare for site establishment according to organisational procedures.
3.3 Work area is prepared and established for steelwork according to organisational procedures.
3.4 Measures to prevent hazards related to working in confined spaced are implemented according to organisational and statutory requirements.

Integrated Assessment:

Because assessment practices must be open, transparent, fair, valid, and reliable and ensure that no learner is disadvantaged in any way whatsoever, an integrated assessment approach is incorporated into the qualification.

Learning, teaching and assessment are inextricably lined. Whenever possible, the assessment of knowledge, skills, attitudes and values shown in the unit standards should be integrated.

Assessment of the communication, language, literacy and numeracy should be conducted in conjunction with other aspects and should be assessed in authentic Computer Aided Drawing contexts wherever possible.

A variety of methods must be used in assessment and tools and activities must be appropriate to the context in which the learner is working. Where it is not possible to assess the learner in the workplace or on-the-job, simulations, case studies, role-plays and other similar techniques should be used to provide a context appropriate to the assessment.

The term ‘Integrated Assessment’ implies that theoretical and practical components should be assessed together. During integrated assessments the assessor should make use of formative and summative assessment methods and assess combinations of practical, applied, foundational and reflective competencies.

Assessors and moderators should make use of a range of formative and summative assessment methods. Assessors should assess and give credit for the evidence of learning that has already been acquired through formal, informal and non-formal learning and work experience.

Assessment should ensure that all specific outcomes, embedded knowledge and critical cross-field outcomes are evaluated. The assessment of the critical cross-field outcomes should be integrated with the assessment of specific outcomes and embedded knowledge. 

The criteria for the registration of qualifications and the nature of the South African NQF make such a combined qualification possible, however, no similar examples were found for this international benchmarking exercise. Therefore qualifications dedicated to each of the streams of Reinforced concrete installing and Steel structure erecting were considered.

An example of such a qualification is the offering in the United Kingdom, the Level 2 NVQ in Constructional Steelwork Site Operations (Ref. 100/5885/0) that requires the achievement of 10 mandatory and 4 optional units. In comparison to the South African unit standards, the following units from this qualification were found to reflect similarities in terms of complexity of learning, chunk size of learning, learning duration and learning outcomes:

• Work safely, minimize risk and comply with emergency procedures.
• Identify and deal with hazards in the work environment.
• Position and erect steel structures.
• Erect structural steel sections.
• Dismantle structural steel sections.
• Determine resource requirements to achieve steel erecting.
• Prepare work areas for steel erecting activities.
• Prepare materials required for steel erecting activities.
• Prepare equipment required for steel erecting activities.
• Check that the steel structure is installed to specification.
• Determine technical requirements to achieve steel erecting objectives.

  Another example of such a dedicated qualification is the offering in New Zealand, the National Certificate in Concrete Construction, Level 3 with strands in Sitework, Pre-cast Concrete, and Placing and Finishing.

  The following Core units of this qualification reflect similarities with the South African unit standards, specific outcomes and assessment criteria:

• Manage first aid in emergency situations, Level 3 (6400).
• Provide first aid, Level 2 (6401).
• Provide resuscitation Level 2, Level 1 (6402).
• Demonstrate knowledge of safe working practices on construction sites, Level 3 (12997).
• Carry out safe working practices on construction sites, Level 4 (13036).

  The following units from the sitework strand of the qualification also reflect similarities with the concrete reinforcing elective stream of the National Certificate in Construction: Steelwork:

• Detail, cut and bend reinforcing steel for concrete construction (12026) 5 credits.
• Fix reinforcing steel for concrete (12027) 5 credits.
• Demonstrate knowledge of fabrication and placing of reinforcing steel and steel mesh (13009) 4 credits.

  Conclusion:

  While no qualification was found to compare with the National Certificate in Construction: Steelwork with elective streams in steel structure erecting and reinforced steel installing, some learning units were found to be similar. The detailed comparison above shows the extent of the similarity with qualifications that focus on steel structure erecting and qualifications for reinforced concrete installing. 

Horizontal articulation:

• ID 49016: National Certificate in Construction Concreting, at NQF Level 3.
• ID 22312: National Certificate in Road Construction, at NQF Level 3.

  Vertical articulation:

• ID 21149: Certificate: AutoCAD, at NQF Level 4.
• ID 49053: National Certificate in the Supervision of Construction Process, at NQF Level 4. 

• Assessment of learner achievements takes place at providers accredited by relevant ETQA or any ETQA which has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the relevant ETQA in accordance with ETQA Regulations (RSA, 1998b).
• Anyone assessing a learner or moderating the assessment of a learner against this qualification must be registered as an assessor with the relevant Education, Training, Quality, Assurance (ETQA) Body, or with an ETQA that has a Memorandum of Understanding with the relevant ETQA.
• Any institution offering learning that will enable the achievement of this Qualification must be accredited as a provider with the relevant Education, Training, Quality, Assurance (ETQA) Body, or with an ETQA that has a Memorandum of Understanding with the relevant ETQA.
• Assessment and moderation of assessment will be overseen by the relevant Education, Training, Quality, Assurance (ETQA) Body, or by an ETQA that has a Memorandum of Understanding with the relevant ETQA, according to the ETQA`s policies and guidelines for assessment and moderation.
• Moderation must include both internal and external moderation of assessments at exit points of the Qualification, unless ETQA policies specify otherwise. Moderation should also encompass achievement of the competence described both in individual Unit Standards as well as the integrated competence described in the Qualification.
• Anyone wishing to be assessed against this Qualification may apply to be assessed by any assessment agency, assessor or provider institution that is accredited by the relevant ETQA. 

• To be registered as an assessor with the relevant ETQA.
• To have a similar qualification at one level higher than the level of the qualification and a minimum of three years working experience in the relevant field. 

• ID 49012: National Certificate: Construction: Concrete Reinforcing, Level 3, 120 Credits.
• ID 49015: National Certificate: Construction: Structural Steel Erecting, Level 3, 153 Credits.