The development of the Floorcovering Competence Framework aims to establish a structured and standardised approach for ensuring the competencies of Floorlayers in the floorcovering sector.
It provides a comprehensive competency model to guide training providers, employers, installers, and regulatory bodies by aligning the National Occupational Standards (NOS), Apprenticeship standards (Floorlayer- Textile & Resilient ST0504 and Floorlayer – Wood Based ST1498) and integrating industry feedback. The framework will ensure that relevant regulations and standards are met, fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement from installers within the floorcovering trade.
Development Process
The development process involved extensive consultation and collaboration through working group meetings with Contract Flooring Association (CFA), flooring contractors’ employers, manufacturers, and CITB facilitating the development process. The working groups were well attended by a core group and were conducted in a cooperative and open manner with all participating getting the opportunity to contribute to the discussions and development work being completed to produce the final SKEB.
An online survey and webinar opportunities were also made available to present the Competence Framework to the wider flooring industry and offer an opportunity to review the framework contents, provide feedback, support and validate the framework that had been developed.
Thorough analysis of existing competencies and standards, training delivery, qualifications and current working practices were carried out to contribute to the framework and help to identify actions that needed to be addressed at implementation stage.
The NOS served as a foundational reference, confirming their continued alignment with industry needs, while relevant apprenticeship standards were cross-mapped and additional Experience and Behaviour criteria were incorporated to enhance the framework’s scope and meet the requirements as detailed in BS8670-1:2024.
Outcomes and Findings
The following actions have been identified and will be addressed as part of an implementation plan:
To develop short duration training courses or additional NOS units to align to the new SKEB where there are current gaps: These include but not limited to wood sanding and finishing, entrance matting, hygienic wall cladding and stair nosing
Cross map existing short duration training courses and manufacturer led training courses to align to the new SKEB: The flooring sector has a wealth of short duration courses and manufacturer training that if quality assured and standardised could be incorporated into any re-validation of competence in the future
Address the overall lack of appropriate localised apprenticeship provision in the UK: Whilst there is currently good apprenticeship provision in the UK, it is not proportionally spaced across the UK. Scotland and Wales currently only have one provider each which posed long time assurance challenges
Address the complete lack of wood-based floorcovering provision in the UK: Wood-based floorcovering training is currently limited to short duration courses and manufacturer training. A centre of excellence for wood flooring apprenticeships should be established to tackle this
Encourage the take up of the Fire Safety in Buildings training as a competence requirement
Investigate if the flooring industry requires an ‘Experienced Worker Practical Assessment (EWPA) route for assessment and accreditation of experienced Floorlayers
To address the key issues, the following developments are proposed:
30-day wider industry review period followed by a of sector webinar.
Evaluation of any feedback received during the 30-day wider review
Publish the Competence Framework following working group sign off