Level 2 NVQ
Qualify on site
Get qualified without leaving the job
This NVQ is built for dry lining fixers who are already doing the work. You don’t sit in a classroom to prove what you do every day — your assessor comes to you and assesses you doing it, and you finish with a nationally recognised NOCN certificate.
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Online question packs
The knowledge element, completed at your own pace from any device.
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On-site assessment
A qualified assessor visits you and observes you working on a live job.
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Portfolio built as you work
Photographs, witness statements and job records gathered on the job, not written up afterwards.
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Independent quality check
A second qualified verifier reviews your portfolio before it goes to the awarding body.
Course details
How to become a qualified Dry Lining Fixer
The Level 2 NVQ in Dry Lining Fixing is nationally recognised proof that you can do the job to the standard the industry expects. Tap any section below to open it.
Course overview
The Level 2 NVQ in Interior Systems – Dry Lining Fixing is for people working in construction who specialise in dry lining and fixing. It lets you demonstrate your skills and knowledge of dry lining systems and plasterboard linings, and prove your competence in the workplace so you can develop within the construction industry.
It has been developed for achievement in a real workplace environment, so you need to be employed to take it. You are assessed on your own live jobs, and the qualification lets you recognise the skills, knowledge and understanding you already have.
Many sites now expect every operative to hold a CSCS card and a recognised qualification for their trade. This NVQ is nationally recognised proof that you install dry lining systems to the required standard. The qualification is delivered by Unyte Academy, a NOCN approved centre based in Willenhall in the West Midlands.
New to the trade? This is a skilled worker route, not a beginner course. Start with the Level 2 Award in Understanding Domestic Retrofit, which needs no experience at all.
Who this course is for
- Dry lining fixers — installing dry lining systems and plasterboard linings.
- Interior systems operatives — who want formal certification for the fixing work they do.
- Operatives going for a CSCS card — the NVQ supports your application once your certificate is issued.
- Employers training a team — group rates apply, and CITB registered employers can claim up to £600 back per learner.
What good dry lining fixing work looks like
Dry lining fixers build the framework and board it, and the quality of the finished wall depends on it being straight, square and properly fixed.
Your assessor will want to see work like this on your own jobs:
- Setting out and installing metal stud, track and furring systems
- Fixing plasterboard at the right centres, with staggered joints
- Direct bonding (dot and dab) boards to masonry walls
- Forming openings, corners and service penetrations
- Using the right board for the job: fire, moisture or sound resistant
Entry requirements
- Aged 18 or over — at the point of registration.
- Currently employed — you must be in work to complete the qualification.
- Existing experience — dry lining and fixing. NVQs are a skilled worker route.
- Access to suitable work — so your assessor has live jobs to observe.
Not sure you qualify? Send your details using the application form and we will confirm your eligibility before you commit.
What's included
- NOCN Level 2 NVQThe Dry Lining Fixing qualification, issued on successful completion.
- All the units5 mandatory units, assessed on your own work.
- Online question packsThe knowledge element, completed at your own pace from any device.
- On-site assessmentA qualified assessor visits you and observes your work on live jobs.
The units you will complete
The full title is the NOCN_Cskills Awards Level 2 NVQ Diploma in Interior Systems (Construction) – Dry Lining Fixing. It is built from the units below.
Five mandatory units
- Conforming to general health, safety and welfare in the workplace
- Conforming to productive working practices in the workplace
- Installing dry lining systems in the workplace
- Installing plasterboard linings in the workplace
- Moving, handling and storing resources in the workplace
How long does the Dry Lining Fixing NVQ take?
It can take as little as 4 weeks. The pace is set by how quickly you work through the question packs and how soon your assessor can get on site to observe you on a live job.
There is no cohort and no start date to wait for: once your eligibility and funding are confirmed, you start.
How it's delivered and assessed
There is no time off site. You complete the knowledge element online, and everything else happens on your own jobs.
Answer the question packs
Work through the knowledge units online, at your own pace, from any device.
Get observed on site
Your assessor visits and observes you working on a live job.
Portfolio sign-off
Your evidence is quality-checked and submitted for your NOCN certificate.
Certification: on successful completion you receive the NOCN accredited Level 2 NVQ in Dry Lining Fixing — nationally recognised proof of occupational competence.
Apply
Start your Dry Lining Fixing NVQ
Send your details and we will confirm your eligibility, your funding and your assessor visit. We reply within one working day.
How it works
Five stages from sign-up to certificate
As little as 4 weeks from start to finish. The pace is set by how quickly you work through the question packs and how soon your assessor can get on site to observe you.
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Step 1
Sign up
We confirm your eligibility and your funding first, register you with the awarding body and set up your learner account.
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Step 2
Answer written question packs
The knowledge element. Work through the question packs online at your own pace, from any device, with no fixed timetable.
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Step 3
Site observation and evidence gathering
Your assessor comes to you and observes you working on a live job. Photographs, witness statements and job records build your portfolio as you work.
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Step 4
Internal Quality Assurance (IQA)
A second qualified verifier independently reviews your portfolio and your assessor's decisions before anything is submitted.
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Step 5
Certificate
Your evidence goes to the awarding body and your NVQ certificate is issued. You can then apply to CSCS for your card.
Outcomes and progression
What the qualification unlocks
- NOCN Level 2 NVQ certificate — nationally recognised proof of occupational competence as a Dry Lining Fixer.
- CSCS card application — supports your route to a Construction Skills Certification Scheme card.
- A route to further qualifications — see where this NVQ can lead below.
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You are here · Level 2
NVQ in Dry Lining Fixing
Prove competence in the fixing work you already do.
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Level 2
NVQ in Dry Lining Finishing
Add the finishing side of dry lined walls and ceilings.
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Level 2
NVQ in Passive Fire Protection
Certify fire resisting walls, linings, ceilings and fire stopping.
Also working in a related trade? See the Level 2 NVQ in Dry Lining Finishing and the Level 2 NVQ in Plastering (Solid), or browse all our NVQ courses.
Spread the cost
Pay in 3 interest-free instalments
Split your course fee into three payments, with no interest and nothing extra to pay.
- Payment one0% interest
- Payment two0% interest
- Payment three0% interest
Funding
CITB registered employers can claim up to £600 back
If your business is registered with CITB, you can claim on completion. Everyone can pay in 3 interest-free instalments.
- Up to £600 back — CITB registered employers only, claimed once the learner completes. If you are not CITB registered, this does not apply.
- We do the paperwork — send us your CITB registration number and we will confirm what you can claim before you commit.
£600
For CITB registered employers
Claimed back on completion. Not registered with CITB? You can still pay in 3 interest-free instalments.
Check Your EligibilityApproved and accredited by
Common questions
Dry Lining Fixing NVQ FAQs
Yes. An NVQ is achieved in a real workplace environment, so you must be employed and already dry lining and fixing. Your competence is assessed on your own live jobs. If you are new to the trade, start with the Level 2 Award in Understanding Domestic Retrofit instead.
No. The knowledge units are online question packs you complete at your own pace, and your assessor comes to you to observe you at work. There is no classroom attendance.
In as little as 4 weeks. The pace is set by how quickly you work through the question packs and how soon your assessor can get on site to observe you on a live job.
Internal Quality Assurance. Before anything is submitted to the awarding body, a second qualified verifier independently reviews your portfolio and your assessor's decisions. It is a required step on every NVQ and it is what makes the qualification stand up.
The qualification supports your application to the Construction Skills Certification Scheme. You apply to CSCS directly once your certificate is issued.
Many sites now expect every operative to hold a CSCS card and a recognised qualification for their trade. This NVQ is nationally recognised proof that you install dry lining systems to the required standard.
Choose the one that matches the work you do every day. Fixing covers installing metal stud, track and furring systems and hanging plasterboard. Finishing covers taping, jointing and finishing the boards. If you do both, you can take the Dry Lining Finishing NVQ as well.
A Level 2 NVQ is the qualification the CSCS Blue Skilled Worker card asks for. Once your certificate is issued you apply to CSCS directly, and you will also need to have passed the CITB Health, Safety and Environment test.
Yes. You are assessed on your own live jobs, whether that is new build, commercial fit-out or domestic work, as long as your assessor can observe you working.
If your employer is registered with CITB, they can claim up to £600 back once you complete. That is the only route the £600 applies to — it is not available to individuals or to businesses that are not CITB registered. Everyone can pay in 3 interest-free instalments. Send us your details and we will confirm what applies to you before you commit.
Yes. Group rates apply when you enrol several operatives on one agreement, and we handle the CITB paperwork with you. Use the form below and tell us how many learners you have.
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