Your qualification is for 'life’ and remains valid for the type of facility it relates to. However, you should be aware that, along with your previous qualification (CoTC), you also need to demonstrate Continuing Competence every two years to remain compliant with the CIWM (WAMITAB) Operator Competence Scheme as approved by environmental regulators. Your Continuing Competence must be relevant to your primary qualification and the type of facility being operated.

Specific qualifications offered by the Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) are equivalent to the NQF and QCF versions of the CIWM (WAMITAB) Level 4 Operator Competence Scheme qualifications. The environmental regulator will accept these as evidence of primary competence where the units achieved reflect the equivalent CIWM (WAMITAB) units required (refer to CIWM (WAMITAB) guidance for recognition of prior learning, exemptions and equivalent units for further information). However, if your Primary Competence certificate is more than two years old, you must also have a relevant Continuing Competence certificate.

Please note: the RQF versions of the Level 4 Operator Competence Scheme qualifications launched in April 2016 are only available from CIWM (WAMITAB).

The environmental regulator will want to see a Primary Competence (e.g., a qualification or EPOC) certificate (or evidence of Deemed Competence or an Environment Agency assessment).

Please note: if your qualification is more than two years old, the environmental regulator will also want to see a current (in date) Continuing Competence certificate for the same type of facility as the Primary Competence certificate or the same kind of facility you were Deemed Competent or agency-assessed for. The Continuing Competence certificate should include both the generic tests and the relevant activity-specific tests.

For new permit applications only, the relevant Primary Competence must be achieved within four weeks of the site becoming operational to access the 12-month grace period. 

Low risk activities

If the application is for a low-risk activity, applicants must provide evidence of booking or registration for one of the following and complete it within four weeks of either the permit issue date or the start of the activity:

• The EPOC

• The relevant low-risk 4-unit qualification

Medium or high-risk activities (excluding landfill)

Applicants for a medium or high-risk activity (except landfill) have two options:

• Complete the EPOC: this provides a 12-month grace period to complete the relevant 6- or 12-unit qualification.

• Complete the four specified units of the relevant 6- or 12-unit qualification within 4 weeks (see the operator competence scheme document). This also grants a 12-month grace period to achieve the remaining units.

Please note: learners are required to complete the full CIWM (WAMITAB) Level 4 Certificate in Waste and Resource Management (VRQ) and provide the certificate as evidence of technical competence before acting as the Technically Competence Manager (TCM) on-site.

No, the 12-month grace period does not apply to landfill permits.

No, the 12-month grace period is only available for new facilities because they do not usually have a site to gain the evidence needed for the assessment until after the permit has been issued. On an existing site, you should ensure that appropriately qualified Technically Competent Persons are on site in the event of holidays, sickness, or staff turnover.