NEC, Birmingham
Wednesday 11th September and Thursday 12 September 2019
Show open from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm each day
WAMITAB's qualifications support competence and compliance in waste and recycling operations.
Established by key stakeholders in the waste industry in 1989, WAMITAB is a specialist awarding organisation and charity that develops qualifications from operative through to management level for those working in resource management and recycling; cleaning and street cleansing; facilities management and parking.
WAMITAB has maintained a clear focus on promoting and supporting environmental sustainability, working with industry leaders to shape and deliver people development to support technical competence. WAMITAB offers 120 regulated qualification pathways, delivered through a network of over 70 quality-assured centres, as well as on-the-job assessment tools and an accreditation service for in-house training schemes to embed a culture of safety and progression.
WAMITAB is sponsoring the Panel Sessions (in Theatre 10) at the event, why not join in the debate?
The panel programme for the two days of the show is shown below - and full details can be found on the show website www.rwmexhibition.com
Wednesday 11th September 2019
11.00 – 12.00 Waste World Equality Panel
12.00 – 12.45 Deposit & Refund: Where Do We Go From Here?
13.00 – 13.45 Legislation Briefing - Understanding Technical Competence Requirements
14.00 – 14.45 UN Sustainable Development Goals…What are they? And where do we stand with them?
15.00 – 15.45 Operations Briefing: Future Skills: Changing Sector and Changing Skills Needs
16.00 – 16.45 Policy Briefing: Impact of Brexit … People, Funding, Skills & Innovation: The Sector Response
Thursday 12th September 2019
11.00 – 12.00 Sector Expansion and Convergence: Multi-skilling
12.00 – 12.45 Effects of Digitisation on People and Business Performance
13.00 – 13.45 Deposit & Refund: Where Do We Go From Here?
14.00 – 14.45 Waste World Equality Panel
15.00 – 15.45 Millennials ... Making Waste a 'Career'
Visit WAMITAB on Stand 67
WAMITAB are looking for self employed assessors and quality assurers to work with us on Apprenticeship End-Point Assessment.
We are looking for occupationally competent people with recent experience of working on varied waste and metal recycling sites. Assessors will need to have a minimum of a level 3 waste related qualification and an assessment qualification plus recent experience of on-site assessment.
Assessors will be expected to work as part of a national team to assess Apprentices. Due to the nature of End-Point Assessment applicants should be able to work efficiently and methodically to tight timescales in order make robust assessment decisions.
Assessors will be expected to attend training and standardisation events and commit to keeping their CPD up to date.
WAMITAB will pay a competitive half day / day rate plus mileage allowance and where possible keep assessors within a 125 mile locality of their home base.
Work will be available from December 2019, with an information webinar on Tuesday 6th August 2019 and a training event on Wednesday 2nd October 2019.
For more information contact epa@ciwmquals.co.uk
WAMITAB is seeking to convene a group of volunteers to explore the barriers to vocational learning in the sector, and opportunities for digital advancement of the core skills, knowledge and competencies needed in the sector. The group will embody a culture of innovation, nurturing of ideas and open-minded thinking.
This is a unique opportunity to be part of a high-impact project at the forefront of waste and resource management skills development!
The EnviroHub project seeks to answer these key questions:
- What are the characteristics and motivations of the sector and its employees?
- What are the barriers to vocational learning in the sector, and specifically for operatives?
- What technologies may overcome barriers and access to vocational learning?
- What are the core skills, knowledge, competencies and behaviours needed to both maintain and transform the sector?
- How can we utilise technology to identify organisational skills gaps and meet them at minimal time and cost?
Volunteers must be able to demonstrate that they have current skills and expertise in the waste and resource management sector, and will need to be available to participate in the following meetings:
- Initial Webinar: 10am, Thursday 18th July 2019
- Meeting: 10am - 2pm, Tuesday 13th August 2019 (WAMITAB Office)
- Findings Webinar: 10am - 12noon, Thursday 29th August 2019
Employers involved in the project will be recognised in various WAMITAB marketing and promotional materials, so applicants are advised to seek the support of their employer in advance.
Attendance will be on a voluntary basis, but all travel and subsistence will be paid for by WAMITAB.
Click on the following link below to see the Terms of Reference for the Group WAMITAB EnviroHub TAG Terms of Reference
To apply to join this forward-facing focus group, click on the link below and then complete the form and submit along with a current CV to: info.admin@ciwmquals.co.uk
WAMITAB EnviroHub Form June 2019
Closing date for receipt of completed forms is 12 noon on Monday 8th July 2019.
The WAMITAB office will be closed from 4.45 pm on Thursday 18th April 2019 and will reopen at 9.00 am on Tuesday 23rd April 2019.
Happy Easter!
WAMITAB awarded major contract by the Ministry of Justice
WAMITAB (Waste Management Industry Training and Advisory Board) is pleased to have been selected by the Ministry of Justice as the exclusive Awarding Organisation for cleaning, facilities management and waste management qualifications across Her Majesty’s Prison Service establishments in England and Wales. Following a transition period from August 2018, the contract officially goes live from Monday 1st April 2019.
Chris James, CEO at WAMITAB said:
"We are delighted our bid was successful. WAMITAB’s work with the prison sector has become a key strand of our activities over the last five years. We are known for supporting learners to make more of their lives; embedding literacy and numeracy skills into our waste management, recycling and cleaning qualifications. There are some 120 prisons in England and Wales, each with a need for waste management and cleaning services. Neither cleaning nor waste management are innate skills, they must be learned. Moreover to do it properly requires structured training, practice and assessment. We take this very seriously. Perhaps more than most and probably this is why our bid was successful."
WAMITAB is working closely with the prison estate to agree national strategies for waste, cleaning and facilities management to not only support delivery of qualifications but also to help establish clear pathways to employment opportunities. In terms of the skills and competencies needed, this starts with working with employers to understand where skills shortages exist, the type of qualifications required and sharing with them the potential benefits of partnership working with the prison service.
Mark Hyde, Commercial Director, who has led on the prison programme for a number of years, explained:
"With recruitment a real challenge in our sectors and, that challenge potentially increasing as the impact of Brexit takes hold, WAMITAB is committed to supporting the links between the prisons and employers.Individuals going through the prison system will achieve relevant vocational qualifications as well as practical experience through the delivery of waste or cleaning services in prison and those who are keen to progress into employment in the sector will be supported every step of the way. We have already had some successes with this model in prisons in the Midlands and see this contract as a great opportunity to roll this out nationally. We have established a team within WAMITAB who can offer employers support to navigate what can be a complex area."
NEWS RELEASE - For Immediate Release - 18 March 2019
The Environment Agency has announced that changes to the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 mean that operators of permitted waste facilities will need to include details of which technical competence scheme they are complying with in their waste returns in future.
For those who subscribe to the CIWM/WAMITAB Operator Competence Scheme this includes the name and date of birth of the Technically Competent Managers (TCM) for the permitted facility on each waste return. This information will allow the Agency to conduct some desk-based regulatory activity prior to planning site visits.
WAMITAB envisage that they will do this in a number of ways:
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- Analysing returns across all permitted sites to determine those who are using the same TCM, and subsequently determining the physical and logistical implications of those multi-site TCM’s to ensure that time-on-site requirements are able to be routinely met;
- Identifying trends that may be present where TCM’s operate across a number of permitted sites;
- Monitoring changes between TCM’s at sites over time, and impacts this may have on site compliance;
- Verifying TCM data by accessing the WAMITAB QuartzWeb database. The database allows Regulators to search for an individual’s Operator Competence data, including name, date of birth, date of registration and date of certification for both primary qualifications and continuing competence. This means that the validity of TCM data provided on returns can be immediately checked in just a few clicks – a tool available at permit application, waste return or any other regulatory intervention.
WAMITAB welcomes this evolution of waste regulation, and can foresee that this has the potential to become a powerful tool in the Agency’s plans to ensure focussed, effective and risk-based regulation. We have worked with the Agency to ensure that a key aspect of this regulatory control, the ability to check the validity of qualifications and continuing competence achievements, is available to enforcement officers nationally at any time.
Katie Cockburn, Head of Qualifications at WAMITAB said:
‘We strongly believe that the qualifications which underpin the Operator Competence Scheme offer opportunities to professionalise, strengthen and protect the industry and its many employees; and working alongside the Regulators in both England and Wales to ensure that these qualifications and certificates are not subject to fraudulent activity has been a key focus for us in recent months. This has included the provision of QuartzWeb access to more Agency enforcement officers than ever before, the introduction of QR codes on WAMITAB certificates which link directly to WAMITAB learner records and plans for training sessions with regulatory personnel to ensure that the Operator Competence Scheme is applied consistently.’
Chris James, WAMITAB CEO, concluded:
‘It is WAMITAB’s business to provide high-quality qualifications to the waste and resource management industry; it is the business of the Environment Agency to enforce these Operator Competence requirements; but it is the business of every permitted waste facility to ensure the safety and health of their employees and their environment, and we can only do this by working together to achieve a positive and common goal.’
Representatives from WAMITAB will be available on the three days of The Cleaning Show at Excel, London.
Find us on the British Cleaning Council Stand - C40.
To pre-register for entrance tickets to the show click here.
Information about how to get Excel here.
We look forward to seeing you there.
Forthcoming changes to the Continuing Competence Test
We have made some minor changes to the syllabus for Continuing Competence, and the new syllabus is available on the Continuing Competence page of the website - click on the Revision button and scroll down the page.
There will also be a new question bank, which will go live at the Pearson VUE Test Centres from Friday 1st March 2019. If your test is booked on or after 1st March 2019, then it is important that your revision preparation is based on the new syllabus.
If you already have the copies of 2016-2018 Revision Guides, then you will see only minor changes in the topics covered so you will not need to buy copies of the new 2019-2021 Revision Guides; instead please use the free downloadable Update Sheets which capture these changes. However, please note that there have been extensive changes to the structure of Landfill Closed so we recommend purchasing the new edition of the Revision Guide to that topic.
Please note if your test is scheduled on or before 28th February 2019 then you need to base your preparations on the 2016-2018 syllabus and the 2016-2018 edition of the Revision Guides.
However for those with tests booked on or after 1st March 2019, the new Revision Guides for 2019-2021 are now available to purchase on the website.
Background to the changes: we review the Continuing Competence syllabus every two years to ensure it reflects current legislation and practice. This latest review is an interim update; and a more comprehensive review is planned for the next Continuing Competence Test effective for 2021-2023, which will take into account potential changes that are introduced after Brexit is fully implemented.
The rolling two year programme will remain in place; the expiry date will be clearly shown on your Continuing Competence certificate, eg, if you passed on 5th March 2019 then the certificate will state an expiry date of 5th March 2021.
Please note that effective from 7 January 2019, the Continuing Competence test fee is £139.
Planning for the Christmas and New Year period.
The WAMITAB office will close at 3.00 pm on Friday 21st December 2018, and re-open at 9.00 am on Wednesday 2nd January 2019.
Revision Guide Orders
- All orders received by 12 noon on Friday 21st December 2019 will be processed and despatched that day; orders received after this time will not be processed until the office re-opens on Wednesday 2nd January 2019.
QuartzWeb
- The system will be available to users during the Christmas/New Year office closure but we are unable to offer any user support during that period; normal service will resume when the office re-opens on Wednesday 2nd January 2019. Please note all certificate and results processing times will begin when the office re-opens on 2nd January 2019.
We would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a happy and successful New Year.
WAMITAB is pleased to announce that they have been accepted onto the Register of Approved End-Point Assessment Organisations to deliver end-point assessment for the Metal Recycling General Operative Standard. “WAMITAB Assessment” will operate as a service of WAMITAB, separate from its activities as an Awarding Organisation.
Chris James, Chief Executive Officer for WAMITAB, said: “WAMITAB looks forward to working further with partners in the metals recycling sector whose operatives will benefit from a first class apprenticeship assessed by the industry professionals at WAMITAB.”
The Apprenticeship Standard
The Metal Recycling General Operative is set a level 2 and is aimed at those entering the industry working at a General Operative level.
Developed by employers and suitable for use in organisations of all sizes, the Metal Recycling General Operative Apprenticeship will see apprentices taking on a wide range of different tasks and responsibilities.
Apprentices will learn:
- Environmental policies, health and safety legislation, handling and sorting requirements
- Teamwork and communication skills
- Safe working practices to operate equipment
In addition to these core competencies, apprentices will choose a specialism:
- End-of-Life Vehicles
- Weighbridge Operations
- Material Handler
- Material Classification
- Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)
The End-Point Assessment
End-Point Assessment is the final testing phase of a Trailblazer Apprenticeship standard which must be carried out by an approved Assessment Organisation.
The End-Point Assessment for the Metal Recycling General Operative is:
Multiple Choice Question Test
- 100 multiple choice questions
- 90 minutes to complete
Professional Discussions
- 3 professional discussions
- 40 minutes each
Observations / Simulations
- 3 Workplace observations / Simulations
- 40 minutes each
WAMITAB Assessment is available to speak with employers who wish to find out more about the Metal Recycling General Operative Apprenticeship end-point assessment. We will work with employers to ensure we tailor end-point assessment to each organisation and our tariffs will reflect this. WAMITAB Assessment will offer support and guidance resources to employers, training providers and apprentices throughout the apprenticeship process.
Additionally WAMITAB intends to submit applications to offer end-point assessment for the following related Apprenticeship Standards:
- Waste Resource Operative – Level 2
- H.E. Technician – Level 3
- Facilities Management Supervisor – Level 3
For an informal discussion about the Metal Recycling General Operative apprenticeship, any other of the above apprenticeships or to discuss apprenticeships in general please email: epa@ciwmquals.co.uk
- Ends -
For more information call WAMITAB on 01604 231950, email info.admin@ciwmquals.co.uk or visit www.ciwmquals.co.uk Twitter: @WAMITAB
Notes to editors
About WAMITAB
WAMITAB is a specialist awarding organisation and charity that works directly with industry to shape and deliver employer-led qualifications for those working in cleaning, street cleansing, facilities management, resource management and recycling and parking from operative through to management level. With over 120 qualification pathways and 70 quality assured centres, WAMITAB offers an unrivalled specialist network to support employee development and is dedicated to delivering industry-relevant qualifications and support.
Contact: Sharon Simpson T: 01604 231950 E: sharon.simpson@ciwmquals.co.uk
About apprenticeships
An apprenticeship is a training programme that allows the learner to gain new skills and a nationally recognised qualification while working and earning. They take one to four years to complete depending on their level. The work-based training programmes are designed around the needs of employers to facilitate the development of practical, job specific skills by allowing inexperienced individuals to work alongside more experienced staff. The Apprenticeship Levy came into force in April 2017. All UK employers (public, private, and third sector) with an annual pay bill of more than £3 million are required to pay the levy. The levy is set at 0.5% of an employer’s annual wage bill and is collected by HMRC alongside income tax and National Insurance. Each employer will receive an allowance of £15,000 per year to offset against the levy. This means that although the levy applies to all employers, only those with a pay bill of over £3 million will pay it. The Apprenticeship Levy is UK-wide, apprenticeship provision is a devolved policy area in the UK and each nation has different administrative arrangements for the funding and delivery of apprenticeships; this means that authorities in each of the UK nations manage their own apprenticeship programmes, including how funding is spent on apprenticeship training. Employers with operations in Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales can access information about apprenticeships via the following websites:
- Northern Ireland - www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/content/apprenticeships-employers
- Scotland - apprenticeships.scot
- Wales - businesswales.gov.wales/skillsgateway/apprenticeships