The CIWM (WAMITAB) Level 4 Certificate in Waste and Resource Management – VRQ, is a taught and tested qualification and is the ideal way of gaining the appropriate qualification, as the Delegate is taught everything they need to know!

It's open to anyone, from those who are new or preparing to work in the industry, such as those in haulage, sales, customer service or compliance teams, and of course new or experienced waste supervisors or managers, who want to achieve technical competence for a permitted waste facility. 

This route doesn't require access to a permitted facility in order to achieve the award, which makes it ideal for those applying for new permits, as well as those who already have an environmental permit in place. 

On completion of this qualification, Delegates can act as the technically competent manager (TCM), of a permitted waste site or apply the knowledge to improve the business in a number of ways from compliance to sales, with the added benefit of having completed an accredited qualification.

The end result is the same - a Level 4 CIWM (WAMITAB) qualification, but by enrolling in the VRQ, you will have confidence, know the laws and regulatory powers, and be able to make important site decisions based on actual knowledge. 

Yes, this qualification is listed in the CIWM / WAMITAB Operator Competence Scheme, as a suitable qualification that will allow the individual on completion, to act as the technically competent manager of a permitted waste management facility. 

We have provided below a condensed list showing the types of permitted activities this qualification could allow you to cover depending on the optional unit(s) selected:

• Non-hazardous treatment (Eg transfer stations, material recovery facilities (MRF) or skip hire companies dealing in non-hazardous or inert waste, carrying out crushing, shredding washing, baling, optical sorting etc).
• Non-hazardous transfer without treatment
• Treatment of waste wood for recovery 
• Use of waste to manufacture timber or construction products 
• Civic amenity (CA) sites or household waste recycling centres dealing in hazardous or non-hazardous waste
• Inert transfer-only sites 
• Mobile plant for treatment of waste to produce soil, soil substitutes and aggregates 
• Treatment of waste to produce soil, soil substitutes and aggregates
• In-house storage of non-hazardous or inert waste 
• Inert Physical Treatment 
• Composting (Open Windrow)
• Composting (Invessel - IVC)
• Anaerobic Digestion 
• On-farm Anaerobic Digestion 
•  Non-hazardous sludge – biological, chemical, and physical treatment
• Contaminated land remediation (CLR)
• Open inert landfill
• Open inert landfill single waste stream
• Closed inert landfill
• Use of waste in a deposit for recovery operation (construction, reclamation, restoration or improvement of land other than by mobile plant)
• Deposit in lagoons of non-hazardous dredging from waterways
• Storage and treatment of dredging for recovery
• Mechanical biological treatment (MBT)
• End-of-life vehicle facilities (vehicle storage, depollution and dismantling)
• Metal recovery site (MRS) (wet scrap e.g. oily metal swarf – free-flowing liquid)
• Metal recovery site (MRS) dry scrap (including separately collected batteries – no free-flowing liquid)
• Storage of electrical insulating oil / Storage of catalytic converters
• Mobile plant for land spreading (land treatment resulting in benefit)
• Mobile plant for land spreading of sewage sludge (land treatment resulting in benefit)
• WEEE Authorised Treatment Facility (ATF)
• WEEE Storage 

The process starts with an in-depth training course, this course will not only provide you with the knowledge and understanding to complete the written projects required, but this will set you up for a career in waste management.

The course material is delivered via PowerPoint presentation; however, this will not be death by PowerPoint, this will be an interactive fun learning process, with real-world stories you will never forget, as well as various exercises, question and answer sessions, and much more!

The course covers the 5 mandatory units of health & safety, legislation, environmental protection, stakeholder communication, and sustainable waste management. 

Each Delegate will then select at least one optional mandatory unit, which will be their specialist subject and is relevant to the permitted waste management facility.

Optional Units Available (Click the below optional unit to find out additional  information):

• VRQ406 – Principles and practices of managing a physical treatment processing facility (Transfer and Treatment of non-hazardous waste) - Suitable for transfer stations, skip hire, HWRC's etc
• VRQ407  –  Principles and practices of managing a biological  treatment processing facility  (Anaerobic Digestion and Composting) - Suitable for Anaerobic Digestion (AD), In-Vessel and Open Windrow Composting
• VRQ408 – Principles and practices of managing a thermal treatment processing facility (Thermal Treatment such as autoclave)
• VRQ409  –  Principles and practices of managing land remediation activities (Contaminated Land Remediation)
• VRQ410 – Principles and practices of managing an inert landfill (Inert Landfill & Deposit for Recovery Operation) 
• VRQ411  –  Principles and practices of managing a mechanical biological treatment facility (Mechanical Biological Treatment - MBT)
• VRQ412 – Principles and practices of managing an end of life vehicle facility (End of Life Vehicles - ELV)
• VRQ413  –  Principles and practices of managing a metals recycling facility (Metal Recycling Facility)
• VRQ414 - Principles and practices of managing a hazardous waste storage facility (Storage of Catalytic converters / Storage of Electrical Insulation Oil)
• VRQ415  -  Principles and practices of managing land spreading activities (Mobile Plant for land spreading to include sewage sludge - Land treatment resulting in benefit
• VRQ416 - Principles and practices of managing a WEEE facility (WEEE ATF physical treatment and storage)

After the course, you will be required to complete and submit a unit question paper for each of the 5 mandatory units and your chosen optional unit(s) in your own time, away from the course. 

These are submitted to us electronically or through the post for marking. 

If they reach the required standard, we will store them until all of your unit question papers have met the standard. 

Any unit question paper(s) that do not meet the standard will be returned to you, along with feedback from the marker.

This will allow you to review the feedback provided by the marker while continuing to research and learn prior to making the required amendments to your question(s).

Once amended, they are sent back to us for marking. When all your unit question papers have met the standard, they will go through an internal and external moderation process. 

After this point, we can then claim your award!

We offer three different packages, eco, standard, and premium, which we have explained below. 

Eco Package

£2000.00 + VAT Per Learner

The Eco package is designed for those who wish to reduce any environmental impact and all materials provided are purely digital. This option also comes with a reduced number of overall submissions. 

Includes:

• Training Course Covering the 5 Mandatory Units and 1 Optional Unit.
• CIWM (WAMITAB) Registration for the 5 Mandatory Units and 1 Optional Unit
• Up to 18 Submissions of your question papers for marking
• E-Portfolio to allow you to complete your knowledge questions, here you can also access knowledge videos and guidance, as well as a digital copy of your training materials. 

Standard Package (Most popular option)

£2195.00 + VAT Per Learner

The standard package comes with printed hard copies of the training materials and supporting information, which allow you to make notes and highlight important information. This will be useful when doing research to complete your written question paper assignments. It also has an increased number of submissions compared to the eco package and it also includes tablet, which provides access to guidance and videos. 

Includes:

• Training Course Covering the 5 Mandatory Units and 1 Optional Unit.
• CIWM (WAMITAB) Registration for the 5 Mandatory Units and 1 Optional Unit
• Up to 24 Submissions of your question papers for marking
• Hard copy training slides to make notes as you progress through the course as well as note pads, pens etc
• Electronic Tablet providing access to hundreds of pieces of guidance as well as knowledge videos, which is yours to keep and can be used out on site for a range of additional uses. 
• E-Portfolio to allow you to complete your knowledge questions, this will also allow you to access guidance documents and knowledge videos, which we have also made accessible via your tablet. 

Premium Package 

£2595.00 + VAT Per Learner

The premium package contains the same aspects as the standard package, but we provide you with a laptop instead of a tablet. This is suitable for those in small or large organisations, who don't have access to a laptop or computer. 

Includes:

• Training Course Covering the 5 Mandatory Units and 1 Optional Unit.
• CIWM (WAMITAB) Registration for the 5 Mandatory Units and 1 Optional Unit
• Up to 24 Submissions of your question papers for marking
• Hard copy training slides to make notes as you progress through the course as well as note pads, pens etc
• Laptop with built-in camera, keyboard and mouse, allowing you to join the training, as well as carrying out other business functions. 
• The e-Portfolio will allow you to complete your knowledge questions and provide access to hundreds of guidance and knowledge videos.
• Headset with microphone

Additional Charges:

£500 + VAT - Per additional optional unit 

This is only required for those wanting to achieve multiple units such as consultants or if it's required because you manage multiple environmental permits. 

A common combination is those who require VRQ406 transfer and treatment of non-hazardous, which is included within the cost of the award but also require VRQ410 - Inert Landfill. There may be additional charges for additional marking and re-registration if required. 

Predicted Schedule (Depending upon the course content, the instructor may require the course to start and finish at different times on subsequent course days depending on the number of Delegates and number of activity-specific tests required). 

Day 1 

09:00 – 09:20 – Registration / Induction  

• Introduction

• The Continuing Competence Test

09:30 – 12:00 – Legislation – Generic 

• Waste acceptance, classification and coding 

• Waste Hierarchy and the Duty of Care, Waste Carrier requirements. 

• Record keeping, Transfer & Consignment Notes 

• Environmental Permitting 

• Enforcement options 

12:00 – 12:30 – Lunch Break 

12:30 – 14:00 – Health & Safety – Generic 

• Legislative requirements to include RIDDOR, LOLER, COSHH

• Noise, Vibration and Asbestos 

• Risk assessment – Hazards, risk and control measures 

• Use of personal protective equipment 

• Managing people on site 

• Traffic management plans to include signage 

• Permit to work requirements 

• Manual handling          

• Hygiene 

14:00 – 16:00 – Environmental Protection – Generic 

• Environmental risk assessment and SPR linkages 

• Control of Emissions such as mud, dust, litter, pests and noise. 

• Containment and storage to include site infrastructure, such as drainage and bunding

• Fire Prevention 

• Environmental Incidents such as spillage. 

16:00 – 16:10 – Planning  

At this stage, the trainer will plan with you the exact time for your activity-specific competence or competencies for those needing to do more than one activity-specific test. 

On day 2 you will only need to sit through your activity-specific test option, which will be one or more of the following: 

• Landfill Hazardous (LH)

• Landfill Non-Hazardous (LNH)

• Landfill Inert (LIN) 

• Landfill Closed (LC)

• Treatment Hazardous waste (TMH)

• Treatment Non-Hazardous Waste (TMNH)

• Transfer Hazardous (TSH)

• Transfer Non-Hazardous (TSNH)

• Clinical Waste (CW)

• Contaminated Land (CLR)

• Aerobic Composting (AC)

• Metal Recycling Sites (MRS)

• End of Life Vehicles (ELV)

• Anaerobic Digestion (AD)

• Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)

• Land Spreading (LSNHW)  

Day 2 

09:00 – 09:10 – Registration 

09:10 – 12:00 – Activity-Specific Competencies 

12:00 – 12:30 – Lunch Break 

12:30 – 16:00 – Activity-Specific Competencies

Those purchasing our standard or premium packages will have access to additional support through either a tablet or laptop, which is yours to keep after the course.

The device is pre-loaded with 100’s of guidance documents on health and safety, planning, waste management and the environment.

These materials can be used in order to continue to research and learn during and after the course, because we have remote access to the information provided, as we update or add any guidance, videos and other information, you will have direct access to a huge resource of information at your fingertips, which you also use in your daily role either managing or supervising a waste management facility.

We have also added a range of support videos, covering general topics such as health and safety, environmental protection and legislation, as well as activity-specific subjects such as how to do a health and safety risk assessment, and environmental risk assessments to name but a few.

As part of the process, we include a training course covering the 5 mandatory units and your chosen optional unit(s).

We provide a range of course options from intensive courses which run over 5 consecutive days, standard split courses which start with an initial 2 or 3 days of training, and then you will sit the remaining 2 or 3 days some weeks later. 

We also offer extreme split courses, which allow you to complete your training at a slower and more manageable rate! 

Ideal for those who are new or that have an extremely busy schedule, you will sit 1 training day every 3 to 6 weeks, which allows you to focus on completing the work required before the next training session.

In the unlikely event none of our courses fit in with your diary, let us know we regularly work with customers, to develop bespoke course options, using all of the open courses we have available throughout the year at no extra cost!

We can also deliver private courses for small or large groups, with the training being delivered either online or face to face at a suitable facility! 

No, unlike on-site assessment, this qualification does not require you to be assessed in the working environment. 

This also means it can be achieved in advance of any permit application. 

This qualification can also be achieved by those in support roles such as those in customer service, SHE managers, waste carriers, brokers and sales teams who can apply the knowledge to assist with both compliance and customer support, this is of course in addition to any person looking to achieve the award to act as the technically competent manager of a permitted waste site.  

We regularly deliver private courses to customers across the UK, from independent metal recyclers, anaerobic digestion, and composting facilities, those working in utilities, to larger waste management and quarry organisations. 

Courses can be delivered online for those organisations that have employees operating in a range of locations and wish to avoid any unnecessary travel, or we can provide face-to-face courses delivered at a centralised location either at an operational site, head office, or alternative venue. 

The benefit of a private course is the training can be tailored more to your waste sector activity be it utilities, wastewater, and associated anaerobic digestion to metal recycling or more main steam operations, and we will work with you to agree on dates to deliver the training, which fit around your operational requirements. 

Yes, we allow all our Delegates to sit the course again free of charge as many times as they like while on program. 

This could be one unit, multiple units or the entire course, as we appreciate people have good intentions when they enroll, but life gets in the way and you forget things, others sometimes don't understand fully until the second time around and then the penny drops, as there is a lot of information to take on board and every one is unique! 

Included within the cost of the qualification is your initial registration with the awarding organisation CIWM (WAMITAB), for the 5 mandatory units and 1 optional unit. 

Registration will last for a period of 12 months from the date of registration.

However, the average completion time is between 3 and 5 months. It is however down to the Delegate, and we have had Delegates complete their chosen qualification in as quick as a few months, while others may take longer depending on their workload, holidays, and other things going on in their busy lives! 

In the event you don't complete within this time frame, you will need to be re-registered for a further 12 months, any work completed will then carry over.

No, this qualification is open entry which means you don't need to have achieved any other qualification.