Frequently asked questions
General information about the Norwegian Council of Concrete Competence
Norwegian Concrete Association (NB), Norwegian Precast Concrete Association (BEF), Fabeko, the Norwegian Consulting Engineers’ Association (RIF), Norwegian Mining and Quarrying Industries, the Norwegian Contractors’ Association (EBA), the Norwegian Association for Concrete Repair (NFB), Norwegian Public Roads Administration
About competence certificates
Concrete construction; both in-situ work and precast concrete assemblyConcrete repairSprayed concrete for rock supportConcrete productionQuality control of aggregates
The applicable standards on concrete work specify qualification requirements for key personnel. The Council’s competence certificates are based on those requirements. As such, they are a good way of documenting that skills/qualifications meet the joint European standards, and they are accepted by Standards Norway.
The qualification requirements are set out in the national annexes to the relevant European standards (NS-EN).
No, there are no obligatory refresher courses approved by the Council.
Yes. All of the old competence classes are treated as equal to the current classes. If you want, you can upgrade your certificate against an administrative charge.
Complete the relevant personal details and work experience form in conjunction with completing a course, and send them to our admin department. If the work experience and qualifications are satisfactory, we will issue a certificate.
No, there is no direct link between the two of them.
Courses are offered in Norwegian and English. Certain course providers offer courses in other languages using an interpreter.
Yes, generally. If in doubt, you can apply for approval from NOKUT.
No, there isn’t.
Norwegian standards do not require documentation through the Council, but it has become the norm and preferred method in the industry. The Council’s competence certificates have been developed and are administered by the main players in the concrete industry.
Work experience is documented by completing the relevant form, which should be signed by the applicant and their employer. Further documentation may be required in certain cases, for example in the case of work experience and educational qualifications from other countries.
The requirements relating to work experience are specified under the individual competence classes. Work experience requirements vary from nothing to 5 years.
There are 15 different certification courses approved by the Norwegian Council of Concrete Competence. The required courses are listed under the individual competence classes.
The various competence classes have different requirements for educational qualifications and work experience. Where there are relevant trade certificates, such as for concrete work, a trade certificate is required. For the execution of concrete structures/in-situ work, the people who will lead the work must always have relevant vocational training. For execution class 3, a Bachelor of Engineering is generally required, and at least a two-year course at a vocational college.
If you will be carrying out concrete work in accordance with NS-EN 13670 + NA, you need to document your skills/qualifications. The Norwegian Council of Concrete Competence’s competence certificate is the industry’s documentation scheme. Everyone who is required to document their qualifications according to the national annex (NA) in the European standards.