Yes. This is a competence-based NVQ assessed through workplace evidence.

Do I need to be employed?

You need a suitable workplace role (employed or otherwise) where you can generate the required evidence.

Construction Trades and Building Envelope

Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Stonemasonry (Construction)—Banker Masonry

Work-based Level 3 Diploma confirming banker masonry competence in producing complex templates, moulds and worked stone components.

Overview

This qualification confirms the occupational competence of banker masons working at an advanced craft level in the stonemasonry sector of the construction industry. Banker masonry is bench-based and workshop-based stone working: the mason takes rough-sawn or quarry-supplied blocks of limestone, sandstone, granite, marble or slate and works them into finished architectural components that will later be set by fixer masons on a building. The Banker Masonry route sits within a wider stonemasonry qualification that also covers other stone-working occupations, and it is distinguished by its focus on producing components rather than erecting or fixing them.

The competence assessed here is deliberately advanced. Rather than straightforward squared blocks and standard sections, the qualification concentrates on complex work: components that are curved on plan, tracery, ramp and twist, spheres, entablature elements, classical mouldings and finials. It also covers the geometry and preparation that must come first, because a complex component cannot be worked without accurate full-size setting out, bed moulds, face moulds, section templets and reverses. The mason must be able to move confidently between drawn information, template production and the physical working of stone, holding dimensional accuracy across the whole process.

Practical work involves marking out from templates, cutting and dressing by hand and by machine, forming mouldings, arrises, sinkings and recesses, producing surface finishes, forming holes and positions for fixings and lifting, checking finished work against specification, and protecting, stacking and identifying components ready for despatch and setting. Alongside this sits the health protection that defines the trade, particularly control of respirable crystalline silica dust when sawing, grinding and dressing, and safe handling of heavy and awkward stone units.

The qualification is entirely work-based. It does not teach the trade from scratch; it recognises and formally confirms the competence of someone who is already carrying out banker masonry work in a genuine workplace, assessed against national occupational standards for the occupation. For masons, this provides independent confirmation of advanced craft ability. For employers, it provides evidence that a member of the workforce can be relied on to produce complex components to specification, work safely with masonry machinery and dust hazards, and interpret contract information without close supervision.

Structures differ in one significant respect between approved versions. All current structures pair a common group of workplace units with two banker-specific mandatory units. Beyond that, approved versions differ in which additional units they list and in whether those additional units carry credit towards the qualification, so the availability of extra units such as architectural stone enrichments or slinging and signalling should always be checked before registration.

Qualification structures, unit wording and assessment requirements may vary slightly depending on the approved awarding organisation.

Who It's For

The qualification is intended for people already employed in banker masonry who work independently on complex components and who are ready to have that ability formally assessed. It is not an introduction to the trade. Candidates need enough command of setting out, template work and stone working to produce genuinely complex components during the assessment period, and enough workplace freedom to make decisions about method, sequence and resources rather than simply following instructions from a more senior mason.

Banker masons in workshops and masonry yards

The typical candidate works at a banker or bench in a masonry workshop, yard or fabrication facility attached to a stone contractor, quarry, restoration company or heritage estate. Work is produced against architects' details, setting-out drawings and stone schedules, then despatched to site. Candidates should have routine access to hand tools, masonry saws and profiling equipment, template materials and a supply of stone in the types and sizes required for complex work.

Masons carrying advanced craft responsibility

Learners are expected to hold responsibility for the accuracy of their own output. That includes producing and proving templates and moulds, deciding how a component will be worked and in what order, checking dimensions against the specification, recognising defects in stone such as vents, shakes and adverse bedding, and knowing when a problem needs to be escalated rather than worked around.

Employment and workplace access

Because every skills judgement rests on real production work, candidates normally need employment, self-employment or another genuine working arrangement that gives continuing access to banker masonry contracts. A workplace that only produces plain walling stone or simple sawn units is unlikely to generate the complex components the qualification requires, so both the learner and the employer should confirm at the outset that suitable work is scheduled during the assessment period.

Pathways and Endorsements

The wider stonemasonry qualification is built around several occupational pathways, each mapped to a distinct stone trade. Learners take one pathway only, and the pathway determines which occupational units are mandatory. Within the Banker Masonry pathway, competence is further defined by endorsements, which specify the categories of complex component the mason must actually produce. The endorsements are the mechanism that prevents the qualification being achieved on straightforward work alone, and they should be planned against the workload before registration.

Banker masonry

This pathway covers the production of finished architectural stone components from raw or sawn stone, together with the templates, moulds and reverses needed to work them. Its distinguishing activities are full-size geometrical setting out, template and mould production, marking out and working stone to complex profiles, forming fixing and lifting provision, applying surface finishes, and preparing components for handling and despatch. It does not cover setting stone into a structure, which belongs to the stone fixing occupation.

Endorsed categories of complex work

The banker units are endorsed, meaning the learner must demonstrate competence across several specified categories of complex component rather than repeating one type of work. Endorsement lists in current structures draw on work that is shaped curved on plan, tracery, ramp and twist, spheres, entablature, ionic components and finials, with preparation for fixings and lifting also appearing as an endorsement for component production. Several endorsements are normally required for each banker unit, and the exact number and combination should be confirmed against the approved structure being used.

Other pathways in the same qualification

The same qualification title also covers other stone occupations, including stone fixing, memorial masonry and stone cladding, each with its own mandatory occupational units. These are separate routes and are not available within a banker masonry registration. Not every approved version offers every pathway, and some approved versions operate only one or two of them, so anyone whose work spans more than one stone occupation should confirm which pathways are currently offered before committing.

Workplace Requirements

Banker masonry competence cannot be inferred from workshop exercises or sample pieces made for assessment purposes. The qualification requires access to live production work, with the stone, equipment, information and time pressures that apply in normal trading. This section sets out what the workplace realistically has to provide for the evidence to be valid.

Live contracts that include complex components matching the endorsement categories, rather than only plain sawn or squared work
Suitable stone in the types, sizes and quantities the specification requires, including access to blocks large enough for spherical, curved or entablature work
Full-size setting-out facilities and template materials, together with the space to lay out and prove geometry
Hand tools appropriate to the stone being worked, along with masonry saws, profiling and drilling equipment, and their guards and pre-use checks
Dust control provision, including on-tool or fixed extraction, water suppression and face-fitted respiratory protective equipment for silica exposure
Lifting and handling arrangements for heavy components, including slings, lifting accessories and safe stacking and racking
Contract information such as drawings, stone schedules, specifications, method statements and risk assessments
Access to colleagues, supervisors and other occupations so that communication and coordination can be observed in practice

Learning Outcomes

The outcomes below describe what a successful learner can do in the workplace on completion. They are drawn from the occupational purpose of the banker masonry route and from the assessed content of its mandatory units.

Interpret drawings, specifications, stone schedules, method statements, risk assessments and manufacturers' information relating to complex stonemasonry components
Confirm the method of work and sequence for producing components, and communicate it to the people who need it
Assess and organise the resources required for an area of masonry work, and obtain clarification when they are unavailable
Select stone and materials appropriate to the specification, taking account of type, bedding, quality, sustainability, limitations and visible defects
Produce accurate full-size setting out and derive bed moulds, face moulds, section templets and reverses from it
Mark out and work stone to complex profiles, including curved, moulded, traceried, spherical and classical detail
Select, use and maintain hand tools, power tools, masonry machinery, ancillary and safety equipment
Apply health and safety controls relevant to stone working, including dust extraction, respiratory protection, machinery guarding and safe manual and mechanical handling
Form holes, sinkings, recesses and provision for fixings and lifting in accordance with working instructions
Apply surface finishes and check completed components for dimensional accuracy, squareness and compliance with specification
Identify defects in stone and in completed work, and report problems through the correct organisational route
Protect, mark, stack and store finished components so they reach site undamaged and can be identified for setting
Dispose of masonry waste and manage the work area in line with environmental and organisational requirements
Maintain productive working relationships with colleagues, supervisors, customers and other occupations
Complete work within the allocated time and contribute to accurate workplace records

Units

Current structures combine a group of workplace units common to all stonemasonry pathways with two occupational units specific to banker masonry. All units in the mandatory group must be achieved. Some approved versions also list additional units for banker masonry candidates; in certain structures these are genuinely optional extras that do not carry credit towards the qualification, while in others they are presented as supplementary units available alongside it. Additional units should therefore never be assumed to be part of the achievement requirement, and their availability should be confirmed at registration. The two banker units carry endorsements, which means the required range of complex work must be covered within them.

Extracting and interpreting information from drawings, details, specifications, schedules, method statements, risk assessments and manufacturers' information
Reporting inaccurate information or unsuitable materials through organisational procedures and obtaining authority to rectify them
Complying with health, safety and environmental legislation and official guidance while producing templates and moulds
Using health and safety control equipment correctly, including personal protective equipment, respiratory protective equipment and extraction where cutting operations create dust
Selecting template and mould materials appropriate to the work, and describing their characteristics, uses, limitations and defects
Setting out complex geometry at full size and proving it before templates are produced
Producing bed moulds, face moulds, section templets and reverses to given working instructions
Covering the required endorsed categories, drawn from work such as shaped curved on plan, tracery, ramp and twist, spheres, entablature, ionic components and finials
Transferring lines, faces, beds and reference marks accurately from setting out to template material
Checking templates for accuracy and fit before they are released to the banker
Marking and identifying templates so that they can be traced to the correct component and contract
Protecting the work and work area, keeping the workspace clear, and disposing of waste in accordance with legislation
Completing the work within the agreed timescale and reporting circumstances that will affect it
Maintaining tools and equipment used in template and mould production

Interpreting contract information and complying with instructions derived from risk assessments and method statements
Describing responsibilities for accidents, incidents, health hazards and the environment when working with tools, machinery, materials and lifting operations
Selecting stone appropriate to the specification and identifying type, quality, bedding plane, sustainability, limitations and defects such as vents, shakes and faults
Selecting and maintaining hand tools, power tools, masonry saws, ancillary and safety equipment for the work in hand
Applying dust control when sawing, grinding, drilling and dressing, including extraction, suppression and respiratory protective equipment
Marking out stone from templates, moulds and reverses, and establishing working faces and reference lines
Working stone to complex profiles across the required endorsed categories, including curved, twisted, traceried, spherical and classical detail
Forming mouldings, arrises, sinkings, recesses and holes to given working instructions
Preparing components for fixings and lifting where this endorsement is taken, including dowel, cramp and lifting provision
Producing the surface finishes specified for the component
Checking finished work for dimension, squareness, profile and compliance with the specification, and reporting non-conformity
Arranging the lifting and movement of worked stone in accordance with working instructions
Protecting completed components and the surrounding area, and stacking, racking and storing stone to prevent damage
Marking and recording components so they can be identified for despatch and setting sequence
Disposing of masonry waste safely and in line with environmental and organisational requirements
Completing work within the allocated time and communicating with other occupations involved in the contract

Identifying the work activities in the occupational area and formulating a sequence of work
Assessing the resources required from the available information, including stone, materials, tools, machinery and people
Seeking advice and agreeing alternatives when required resources are unavailable
Assessing progress against project requirements including contract conditions, programme and health and safety obligations
Evaluating external factors that affect progress, such as other occupations, resource availability, working conditions and customer requirements
Determining which work activities influence one another and which make best use of available resources
Describing how the duration of activities is estimated and how the sequence is determined
Explaining zero and low carbon requirements and how choices about work activities and resources affect them
Identifying changed circumstances that require alteration to the work programme
Informing line management or customers of the type and extent of any required change, and justifying the effects to decision makers

Interpreting and extracting information from drawings, specifications, schedules, manufacturers' information, method statements, risk assessments and programmes of work
Summarising project data including quantities, specifications, detailed drawings, timescales, scope of works and health and safety requirements
Collecting additional information from alternative sources when the available project data is insufficient
Examining potential methods of work and determining which make best use of resources
Assessing methods against technical criteria such as access and egress, equipment availability, workforce competence, pollution and waste, and working conditions
Assessing methods against project criteria such as statutory requirements, customer needs, contract time, quantity, quality and environmental considerations
Explaining how different methods of work can contribute to zero or low carbon outcomes
Confirming the selected method and communicating it appropriately to the people who need to act on it

Giving appropriate advice and information to relevant people about the occupational work and associated occupations
Applying the principles of equality and diversity when working and communicating with others
Communicating work activity information at the right level of detail and with appropriate urgency, covering timescales, health and safety requirements and coordination of work
Explaining the consequences of failing to inform relevant people when expected
Offering advice and help on progress, results, occupational problems and opportunities, and encouraging questions and requests for clarification
Discussing and clarifying proposals with relevant people and suggesting workable alternatives
Agreeing work activities that satisfy the people involved and meet the required outcome
Resolving differences of opinion in ways that minimise offence and maintain goodwill, trust and respect

Complying with workplace inductions, briefings, statutory requirements, safety notices and warning signs relevant to the occupation
Using health and safety control equipment safely, including collective protective measures, personal protective equipment, respiratory protective equipment and local exhaust ventilation
Complying with the control measures identified by risk assessments and safe systems of work
Recognising and reporting hazards created by changing circumstances in the workplace
Listing typical hazards associated with the work environment, including equipment, substances, obstructions, storage, services and work activities
Identifying the principal safety and health risks recognised across the construction industry
Contributing to the maintenance of welfare facilities and to discussions and feedback on health and safety
Storing control equipment correctly and disposing of waste and consumables in line with legislation
Stating organisational procedures for accidents, emergencies, evacuation, fire risks and safe exit, and identifying the appropriate types of fire extinguisher
Demonstrating personal responsibility for workplace health, safety and welfare, including recognising when to stop work in the face of serious and imminent danger
Supporting organisational security arrangements during and after the working day

Interpreting drawings, details, models and specifications for enriched and carved stonework
Selecting stone, carving tools and equipment appropriate to the enrichment and the stone type
Applying safe working practices and dust controls during prolonged carving and dressing operations
Setting out and transferring the enrichment design onto the prepared component
Producing enrichment to the endorsed category taken, drawn from foiled, spherical and curved work
Working repeated and relief detail to a consistent standard across a component or run of components
Checking the finished enrichment against the drawn detail, model or existing work being matched
Protecting delicate carved work during finishing, handling and storage
Determining when specialist advice is required and reporting accordingly

Interpreting lifting instructions, lift plans and equipment information
Selecting lifting accessories suited to the weight, shape, finish and fragility of worked stone
Inspecting slings, shackles and accessories before use and rejecting defective equipment
Attaching loads securely, taking account of centre of gravity, protection of arrises and finished faces
Directing lifting operations using recognised hand signals or agreed communication methods
Maintaining exclusion zones and safe positioning of people during lifting
Landing, releasing and stacking stone safely
Reporting faults, near misses and incidents in accordance with organisational procedures

Assessment

Assessment is competence-based and takes place in the workplace, against the performance and knowledge requirements of each unit. There is no examination and no graded outcome; the learner either meets the standard for every mandatory unit or has not yet done so. Evidence is built into a portfolio compiled during normal production work, and the assessor works with the learner to plan when particular components and endorsement categories will be produced so that opportunities are not missed. Assessors must hold current, verifiable industry experience in the occupation and must use a combination of assessment methods rather than relying on any single source of evidence.

Workplace observation

Direct observation of the learner at the banker is the primary source of skills evidence. Observations typically cover setting out and template production, marking out from templates, working stone to a complex profile, machine operations and their controls, finishing, checking against specification, and preparation for lifting or despatch. Because the banker units are endorsed, observations are planned across different categories of complex work rather than concentrated on one.

Work products and workplace records

Physical and documentary outputs generated by the job provide strong supporting evidence. These commonly include the templates, moulds and reverses produced by the learner, setting-out details, marked-up drawings and stone schedules, dimensional checks and quality records, machine pre-use checks, and despatch or component identification records. Photographic evidence of completed components, authenticated by the assessor, is frequently used where stone has already left the workshop.

Professional discussion and questioning

Underpinning knowledge is confirmed through structured discussion and oral or written questioning. This is where the learner explains stone selection and bedding, the geometry behind a mould, the reasoning for a chosen method or sequence, the controls applied to silica dust and machinery, environmental and waste obligations, and the procedures for reporting defects and changed circumstances. Discussion is also used to establish that competence is understood rather than simply reproduced.

Witness testimony

Testimony from a supervisor, foreman mason or other occupationally credible colleague can support evidence of work carried out when the assessor was not present. Witness evidence supplements observation and does not replace it, and the assessor confirms the status and credibility of the witness before accepting it.

Restrictions on simulation

Workplace evidence of skills for the occupational stonemasonry units cannot be simulated. Practice pieces, college exercises, training-centre replicas and work produced solely to be assessed do not satisfy the requirement, because the standard is competence demonstrated in real production conditions on real contracts. This is the single most common reason candidates cannot complete: the work simply has to be available. Knowledge requirements, by contrast, may be confirmed through questioning and discussion where they cannot reasonably be observed.

Consistency and sufficiency of evidence

Competence is established over a period of work rather than on a single occasion. The assessor looks for performance that is repeated across different components, different stone types where applicable, and the full range of endorsements required by the units. Evidence must be valid, authentic, current and sufficient, though a single piece of evidence may satisfy more than one requirement where it genuinely does so.

Recognition of prior learning

Learning and skills acquired through previous employment, training or qualifications may be considered where they are relevant, current and can be properly evidenced. Recognition of prior learning does not remove the requirement to demonstrate competence against the standards; it affects how existing evidence is used, not whether the standards must be met.

Career Progression

Achievement confirms advanced craft competence in banker masonry and is generally treated by the industry as evidence that a mason can be given responsibility for complex work. Progression from here usually runs in one of three directions: deeper craft specialisation, movement into the wider stone trades, or a step towards supervision and technical roles. Progression depends on experience, employer opportunity and, in some cases, further qualification or licensing, and is not automatic on certification.

Advanced banker masonry roles

Holders typically continue as banker masons on complex architectural and restoration work, taking responsibility for demanding components, for proving setting out, and for checking the output of less experienced masons. In many workshops this also means acting as the point of reference on stone selection, bedding and difficult geometry.

Related craft specialisms

Some masons broaden into adjacent stone occupations, including stone fixing, memorial masonry, stone cladding or heritage and conservation stonework. Each of these is a distinct occupation with its own competence requirements, and moving into one normally means gaining genuine workplace experience in that occupation and, where formal recognition is wanted, taking the qualification route that covers it.

Carving and enrichment work

Where enrichment and carving form part of the workload, masons may develop towards architectural carving, letter cutting or sculptural work. This is a specialism built primarily on sustained practice and portfolio, though the architectural stone enrichments unit provides a formal marker of assessed competence where it is available.

Supervisory and technical routes

With additional experience and, usually, further qualification, banker masons move into workshop supervision, setting-out and technical roles, contract or production coordination, quality control, or training and assessing others in the trade. Supervisory qualifications in construction occupational work supervision, and assessor qualifications for those who want to assess candidates in the workplace, are the routes most commonly taken from this point.

CSCS Card

Achieving a construction-related NVQ at Level 3 in a core construction occupation is the qualification basis on which the Gold Skilled Worker card is issued, and stonemasonry is a core construction occupation carded directly by the scheme rather than by one of the other schemes carrying the same logo. Banker masonry is the occupation this qualification maps to, so it may support an application for the card under the occupation of stonemason.

Holding the qualification does not issue a card and does not guarantee that one will be granted. A separate application must be made, supported by evidence of the qualification. Applicants must also hold a current pass in the industry health, safety and environment test, taken within the previous two years and at the level relevant to the occupation being applied for, since the level required varies between occupations. The card is issued for a fixed period and must be renewed.

Anyone applying should check the card scheme's own Card Finder tool against their exact qualification title and job role before applying, because occupation mappings, accepted qualifications and test requirements are reviewed and can change. Applying with the wrong card type or the wrong test level can result in a refused application or refused site access.

FAQs

The questions below address the points that most often cause uncertainty for masons considering this particular route, especially around the difference between banker and fixing work, the endorsement requirements, and what the workplace has to be able to provide.

Yes. The mandatory occupational units cover producing templates, moulds and finished stone components — the work carried out at the banker or bench. Setting out structures on site, erecting stonework and repairing built masonry belong to the stone fixing route, which is a separate pathway with different mandatory units. A mason who both works and fixes stone should choose the pathway that matches the majority of their responsibility, and should not expect one pathway to cover both.

In practice, yes, or in an equivalent genuine working arrangement such as self-employment on live contracts. The occupational units require evidence generated from real production work, and the centre is expected to confirm at the outset that the learner's role and workplace will actually allow the standards to be met. Without ongoing access to complex banker masonry work, the evidence cannot be produced.

Endorsements specify the categories of complex component that must be produced within the banker units, drawn from work such as shaped curved on plan, tracery, ramp and twist, spheres, entablature, ionic components and finials, with preparation for fixings and lifting also appearing for component production. Several categories are required in each of the two banker units, so the workload needs to include a genuine spread of complex work. The precise number and combination should be confirmed against the approved structure being used.

Both are valid. The standards address the use of hand tools, power tools and masonry machinery, and modern banker masonry routinely combines sawn and profiled preparation with hand finishing. What matters is that the learner selects the appropriate method, controls the associated risks — particularly dust and machinery hazards — and achieves the accuracy and finish the specification requires.

No. Workplace evidence of skills for the stonemasonry units cannot be simulated, so components made purely as exercises, samples or training pieces will not be accepted. Underpinning knowledge is different and can be confirmed through professional discussion and questioning where it cannot reasonably be observed during production.

A training-environment diploma at the same level assesses skills and knowledge under training conditions and does not require employment. This qualification is a competence-based NVQ: it assesses what the mason actually does at work, on live contracts, against national occupational standards. The two serve different purposes, and the NVQ is the route used where confirmation of occupational competence is required.

Where the approved structure offers it, an additional unit covering complex architectural stone enrichments can be taken, endorsed to foiled, spherical or curved work. It is an additional rather than mandatory unit, and in some current structures it does not carry credit towards the qualification itself. Availability should be confirmed before registration if enrichment work is a priority.

It may support an application for the Gold Skilled Worker card under the stonemason occupation, as a construction-related Level 3 NVQ in a core construction occupation. The card is not issued automatically: a separate application is required, together with a current pass in the industry health, safety and environment test at the level relevant to the occupation, taken within the previous two years. Requirements should be confirmed through the scheme's official Card Finder before applying.

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