New and old competence classes

All competence certificates previously granted are valid indefinitely, even if the contents of the Norwegian standards on concrete have been revised over the years. Competence certificates document that the holder has the necessary technical expertise to satisfy the qualification requirements set out in the standards.

Since the establishment of the Norwegian Council of Concrete Competence (BOR) in the 1990s, competence certificates have been like driver’s licences for the industry. Although the Norwegian standards on concrete have changed over the course of the years, a holder of a certificate for class SLU or UPKU has the same technical skills as someone who is granted the equivalent certificate today.

For example, with the introduction of NS 3465, the term støpeleder (“concreting supervisor”) was changed to produksjonsleder og kontrolleder (“production and quality control manager”). This created a need to change the code structure for the competence classes. For example, SLU became UPKU. The European standard NS-EN 13670+NA changed the term kontrollklasse (“inspection class”, defined by a letter) to utførelsesklasse (“execution class”, defined by a number). This involved introducing numbers into the code structure for the various competence classes. For instance, UPKU became UPK3. These adjustments that have been implemented have absolutely no impact on the legitimacy and period of validity of competence certificates. For example, holders of certificates with the codes SLU, UPKU and UPK3 are all considered equally qualified. In the case of certificates relating to plant production of concrete, sprayed concrete for rock support and concrete repair, most of the changes since the Norwegian Council of Concrete Competence was established have involved replacing letters with numbers.

The individual certificate holder is at all times responsible for staying familiar with the relevant standards and any updates to them. The industry offers refresher courses on various standards. A refresher course on NS EN 13670+NA has been available for some time. A refresher course on NS-EN 206+NA is being developed and will be offered to the industry when it is ready. Both refresher courses are voluntary, and they have no impact on the validity of competence certificates for those who already hold one. If you have an “old” certificate, it was previously possible to update it with the latest competence classes by completing the relevant refresher course.

Since 16 February 2015, the following has applied:
As some main contractors require workers to present a card with the latest competence class, the Norwegian Council of Concrete Competence now issues this against payment of an administrative charge. Since the above date, it has therefore not been necessary to complete a refresher course.

Below you will find details of the various competence classes that came into force on 1 September 2014, as well as previous competence classes that continue to be valid as documentation of your skills and qualifications, regardless of when the certificate was issued.