Do you want to work in the Netherlands? Great! This is a place where qualified employees are still needed. Stable employment conditions and attractive remuneration are the basic, but not the only advantages that attract foreign workers to the Netherlands. If you are looking for a job on a construction site or in a factory, you probably associate the term “VCA certificate” or “SCC certificate”. You can read here what it is and how to get it. Above all, learn how to check if your VCA document is genuine.
What will you learn from this article?
What is a VCA certificate and what are the types?
What are the differences between VCA and SCC certification?
How to get the VCA Basic certificate?
How to check if the VCA certificate is real?
Why is it worth choosing the VCA course and exam in the Netherlands – at the Bonapi Training Center?
What is a VCA certificate and what are the types?
VCA is a security management system that is in force in the Netherlands and Belgium. This abbreviation comes from the Dutch words Veiligheid, Gezondheid en Milieu Checklist Aannemers. They are translated as Safety, Health, Environment, Subcontractor Checklist. Due the Dutch system, employees and subcontractors must have the appropriate certificates entitling them to perform their tasks. This is particularly important in the case of high-risk professions (e.g. in the construction or petrochemical industries), where there are more dangerous situations than in other positions.
In short, it can be said that the VCA certificate means training in safe work. Its possession testifies to:
- knowledge of the basic principles of safety and health protection during the performance of professional duties,
- acquiring the ability to recognize dangerous and harmful circumstances,
- having competence to prevent risks.
In the Netherlands, more and more employers require a VCA certificate. In many places, it is even a prerequisite for starting work. This document is valid not only in the Benelux countries, but also in other countries of the European Union. The certificate is also valid in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Scandinavia.
There are several VCA certificates:
- Basic VCA – for the workers who perform basic work,
- VOL VCA – for managers and those with their own companies,
- VIL VCU – for employees of recruitment agencies.
What are the differences between VCA and SCC certification?
SCC certificate is the German equivalent of the Dutch VCA. This is an abbreviation of the words Sicherheits Certifikat Contraktoren. They also stand for Safety, Health, Environment, Subcontractor Checklist.
It is a document accredited by the German institute VAZ/DAkkS. It is demanded and accepted by countries such as Germany, Austria and other European Union countries. In industries where high-risk work is carried out. So what is the difference between VCA and SCC certification? And why do employers in the Netherlands often require Dutch entitlements and do not agree to German ones?
First of all, the VCA system has a centralized database, so you can quickly and easily check the authenticity and legality of each VCA certificate. The SCC system does not have such a database. In addition, in January 2022, there was a change in the regulations in the Netherlands. Now it is the employer’s responsibility to verify and accept a non-VCA security diploma. Therefore, business owners are increasingly reluctant to accept the SCC certificate, and only require VCA. And they have the right to do so!
In our training center, the courses available include:
How to get the VCA Basic certificate?
If you want to get the VCA Basic certificate, you must pass the official exam. It is preceded by a one-day course in which issues related to occupational health and safety are discussed. At the end of the training, a computer exam is held, which contains 40 questions. The time to solve the test is 60 minutes. Participation in the training is not obligatory, but our experience shows that the pass rate among its participants is incomparably higher than among people who decided to take the exam immediately, without a course.
In the case of a positive test result (min. 65%, i.e. 26 correct answers), the examinee acquires qualifications. The diploma is entered in the official database of all Dutch VCA certificates. The VCA diploma, bearing the VCA logo, is issued in digital form by an examination institute accredited by SSVV (Stichting Samenwerken voor Veiligheid, in English: Association for Cooperation for Security). It is valid for 10 years. In addition to the diploma, a plastic VCA card is also issued.
How to check if the VCA certificate is real?
Unfortunately, the market for fake VCA and SCC certificates is constantly growing. Especially on the Internet and in the world of social media (Facebook, Instagram), where you can easily find scammers. So make sure your documents are legal. Otherwise, you face a lot of unpleasant consequences, including accusations of scam or loss of job.
We tell you how to check if your VCA diploma is real. Below you will find a list of the most important steps.
Verification
Check the institution or person who offers you the VCA certificate exam. Check the website, student reviews, how long the institution has existed. Check how telephone or e-mail contact works.
Examination
You need to pass the exam (and not just pay someone to issue a certificate). It always takes place in the presence of an examiner representing the Certified Examination Office, only stationary. It is not possible to pass it by mail or online. You must show your ID card, because only confirmation of identity entitles you to take the test.
VCA Certificate
After completing the exam with a positive result, each person receives a VCA certificate with an individual identification number. The certificate can be verified on the www.cdr.ssvv.nl page. After entering your name and date of birth or certificate number, you have access to all relevant information.
Special list
Check if the institution where you want to pass the exam is not on the special list prepared by SSVV, which you will find below. This is a list of places authorized to conduct courses, but not authorized to issue VCA certificates. See the www.vca.nl page for more details.
Source: https://www.vca.nl/home/news/schijnveiligheid-wat-er-aan-de-hand
Why is it worth choosing the VCA/SCC course and exam in the Netherlands – at the Bonapi Training Center?
VCA and SCC courses and exams can take place both abroad and in the Netherlands – in authorized institutions. If you are wondering in which country to apply for training, we suggest that the Netherlands is definitely a better choice. Why? First of all, because of the price. In the Netherlands, prices range from 150 to 250 euro and here you will also pay less for a resit exam. The training program and exams are the same, but higher prices abroad are primarily the cost of attending an SSVV-accredited examiner. So check how the Basic VCA course in the Netherlands looks like with us.
We are a certified training center, so we are authorized to issue certificates and VCA cards and SCC certificates. In Bonapi – in our company in the Dutch Spijkenisse courses and exams VCA Basic, SCC 017, SCC 018 are held in many languages. In case of failure, you can take the resit exam without having to undergo training again. Some students think that VCA and SCC exams are very complicated. There is nothing to be afraid of.
Our instructors value a good atmosphere and a solid dose of knowledge – practical and theoretical. Thanks to a special training program, our students acquire the necessary information and skills in an easy and pleasant way.
Above all, they are well prepared for the exam, as evidenced by the high pass rate in our facility.
So if you want to start working in the Netherlands in industries such as construction, petrochemical, industry or many others, get a VCA certificate with us. The cost of the VCA course and exam will quickly pay you back. Thanks to the additional qualifications gained, you will open up the Dutch labor market to you, and thus the way to high earnings and solid employment. Don’t wait. Contact us and take care of your future today.
