TESDA Scaffolding Works NC II: what Filipino scaffolders should know

Updated 29 Oct 2026

The qualification at a glance

Current title

Scaffolding Works NC II (Supported Type Scaffold)

Occupation

Scaffolder

Training regulation

Revision 01, promulgated 29 October 2018 (as printed in the TR footer)

Nominal training

181 hours: 37 basic, 24 common, 120 core (as listed in the TR)

Core units

Erect and dismantle supported type scaffold · Handle, segregate and stack scaffold components

Older qualification

Scaffold Erection NC II, promulgated July 2007 (TESDA's self-assessment guide for it is titled "superseded")

Valid for

Five years for a National Certificate (NC) or a Certificate of Competency (COC), per TESDA's FAQ

What the course covers

Besides the two core scaffolding units, the training regulation lists five common construction units (preparing materials and tools, following specifications and manuals, reading drawings, measurements and calculations, maintaining tools) and nine basic units such as workplace communication, teamwork and occupational safety and health.

The core work is supported scaffolds built from the ground up: erecting and dismantling them, and handling, sorting and stacking the components. Suspended and hanging scaffolds are not in its title.

How assessment works

TESDA says assessment is done by TESDA-accredited competency assessors, at a TESDA-accredited assessment centre or in an actual workplace. The methods listed in the curriculum tables are a written test, a standardised test and a demonstration or simulation with oral questions.

If you pass every unit you get a National Certificate (NC II). If you pass only some units you get a Certificate of Competency (COC) for them. Private accredited centres may charge the fee set by the TESDA Board; ask the centre.

TESDA's assessment centre search (T2MIS) lets you find a centre for this qualification near you.

Renewal

TESDA's FAQ says an NC or COC is valid for five years and is renewed on request. If new training regulations have been promulgated in the meantime, the holder is assessed again.

Working in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf

TESDA has run assessments for Filipino workers abroad, including in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dubai. The announcements we read (June 2023 and May 2025) listed trades such as caregiving and electrical work, not scaffolding.

Saudi Arabia's Skill Verification Program (SVP) tests workers in listed trades before they travel. Its first overseas phase covered Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. We found no source saying it covers Filipino scaffolders, so ask your agency what your visa needs.

Gulf clients and main contractors decide which cards they accept on their sites. Supervisor and inspector roles in oil and gas often ask for CISRS or a client's own certificate (on Saudi Aramco sites, Saudi Aramco's own requirements apply). Ask the site HSE team before you rely on any card.

How to prepare, free

Learn the basics every scaffold worker is checked on: tag colours, ladders, falling objects, lifting, PPE and heat. The free AL-YASSIN labourer practice test has 30 questions with the reason for each answer.

If you aim for chargehand, supervisor or inspector work, try the free timed AL-YASSIN exams. They are independent knowledge checks with a certificate anyone can verify; they are not TESDA, CISRS or Saudi Aramco certificates.

Free practice