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Free course · Civil engineering

Civil QA/QC Engineer: Concrete, Steel and Earthworks

This free course teaches site quality control on civil and building projects. You write a quality plan and inspection and test plans, review submittals, test fresh concrete and judge cube results with statistics, check reinforcement, formwork and steelwork, control earthworks with lab and field density tests, raise non-conformance reports and keep calibration records for handover. Test methods are named by family, such as BS EN and ASTM, and limits come from the project specification. It suits site engineers, inspectors and graduates moving into QA/QC.

See the modules

Free to learn. Verifiable certificate £19 when you pass the final exam (optional, VAT included).

Level
Beginner
Modules
13
Video
15 hours
Price
Free

Outcome

What you will be able to do

Explain the civil QA/QC role on the contractor and consultant side and how an ISO 9001 quality plan reaches the site; draft an inspection and test plan with hold, witness and review points and a method statement for a concrete pour; run material submittals, requests for inspection and document control; check concrete materials, a delivery ticket and a trial mix; carry out slump, temperature and air content tests and make and cure cubes or cylinders; calculate mean, standard deviation and characteristic strength and check a set of results against a specification rule; inspect reinforcement, formwork and structural steel erection; plan compaction and calculate percent compaction from sand cone data; inspect blockwork, plaster, waterproofing and run a flood test; and write a non-conformance report with root cause, corrective action, calibration and handover records.

  • Explain the QA/QC role and trace an ISO 9001 quality system down to a site inspection
  • Draft an inspection and test plan with hold, witness and review points and a method statement
  • Run material submittals, requests for inspection and document control
  • Check a concrete delivery ticket and run slump, temperature and air content tests
  • Make and cure cubes or cylinders and work out mean, standard deviation and characteristic strength
  • Inspect reinforcement, formwork and structural steel erection before release
  • Read a proctor curve and calculate percent compaction from sand cone data
  • Inspect blockwork, plaster and waterproofing, run a flood test and write an NCR with root cause

Software

A spreadsheet: Excel, Excel for the web or LibreOffice Calc (free), and node or any calculator for the worked checks. No site software is needed.

Hardware

None. The lessons show real test equipment in the videos; you do not need to own any.

Syllabus

13 modules

Each module has video lessons, notes and a short quiz. The final exam closes the course.

  1. 1The civil QA/QC engineer and the project quality plan4 lessons
  2. 2Inspection and test plans and method statements5 lessons
  3. 3Submittals, requests for inspection and document control7 lessons
  4. 4Concrete materials, mix design and fresh concrete tests13 lessons
  5. 5Cubes, cylinders, curing and strength acceptance9 lessons
  6. 6Concrete on site: placing, weather, defects and repair5 lessons
  7. 7Reinforcement inspection7 lessons
  8. 8Formwork, falsework and structural steel erection4 lessons
  9. 9Earthworks: soils, proctor and compaction control8 lessons
  10. 10Field density and bearing tests10 lessons
  11. 11Blockwork, plaster, waterproofing and finishes5 lessons
  12. 12Non-conformance, root cause, calibration and handover6 lessons
  13. 13Final Assessment1 lesson

How it works

How this course works

  1. Watch the video lessonsOne module at a time, at your own pace.
  2. Take the module quizA short quiz at the end of each module shows what stuck.
  3. Keep your notesWrite in My notes beside each module and ask the trainer if you are stuck.
  4. Sit the final examPass it once you have been through the modules.
  5. Certificate, if you want oneOptionalPaid, and only after you pass. Anyone can check it online.

Certificate

An optional certificate when you pass

Learning is free. Pass the final exam and you can have a certificate for £19, including VAT, with a number employers can check online. It records that you completed a free online course; it is not a regulated qualification or a CPD certificate.

  • Your name, the course, its study time and your final exam score
  • A unique certificate number and a QR code to its verification page
  • Issued by Wartens Ltd; add it to your LinkedIn profile in one click
  • Pay now or after you pass: it is issued the moment you pass the final

How the certificate works

Sample certificate for Civil QA/QC Engineer: Concrete, Steel and Earthworks

Credits

Who made the lessons

The video lessons belong to their creators. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, quizzes and the final exam.

  • 2i Constructions

    requests for inspection, QC logs and non-conformities

  • CQE Academy

    the seven quality control tools including the cause and effect diagram

  • Civil Engineer At Site.

    the ITP and the daily work of a civil quality engineer, method statement for RCC work, and compressive strength testing in practice

  • Civil Engineering Clicks

    the roles and responsibilities of a construction QA/QC engineer or inspector

  • Construction Quality Management

    a plain explanation of the hold point in an ITP

  • Cttp Arkansas

    short test-method demonstrations on concrete slump, temperature, density and air content, aggregate sieve and washing tests, proctor testing and the nuclear density gauge, calibration of measures and the pressure air meter, and compressive strength with unbonded caps

  • Engr. DANISHWAR KHAN

    concrete inspection before, during and after a pour, reinforcement checks, steel grade identification and bar weight, tensile test of steel, cement fineness and water to cement ratio, segregation, honeycombing and plate load testing

  • Ezekiel Kalu

    why concrete temperature should be measured

  • Gilson Company Inc.

    the pros and cons of sand cone, rubber balloon and nuclear density methods

  • Hixtra Ltd

    plate bearing and in-situ CBR testing

  • Intact Knowledge

    the QA/QC document series: project quality plan, quality manual, ITPs, method statements for concrete, reinforcement, formwork, structural steel, blockwork, plastering, waterproofing, tiling, painting, excavation and backfilling, material submittals and approval logs, document and record control, NCR and CAPA procedures

  • Into The Box

    field density by the sand replacement method

  • Kevin Good

    dynamic cone penetrometer soil testing

  • Mattest Ireland

    sampling fresh concrete, slump, flow table, air content, making cubes and curing cube samples

  • NCTEL

    a lecture on the compressive strength of cement concrete cubes

  • NDDOT Materials Technical Certification Program

    a state materials programme's sand cone demonstration

  • Professional Civil Engineers

    checking a flat slab, its steel and shuttering on site

  • QualityEngineers Guide

    the work inspection request procedure and a QA/QC engineer reacting to slump tests and a pour

  • Quantum Build

    checking steel reinforcement and formwork integrity

  • Rigid Academy

    rebar placement and support explained for site engineers

  • Smart Civil Engineer

    a step-by-step sand cone field density test

  • The Merchant Construct-preneurs and Tutors

    a steel reinforcement checklist for slabs, beams and columns

  • UltraTech Cement

    casting and testing concrete cubes in the field

Jobs

Jobs this course can lead to

The skills in this course are used in quality and project engineering work, for example as a qa/qc engineer, a site engineer and a quality inspector. No course can promise a job, and employers also look for experience, so read what live adverts ask for.

Questions

About this course

Last reviewed 1 November 2026.

Does it follow British Standards?
It names test methods by family, British and European (BS EN) and American (ASTM), without copying them. Acceptance limits always come from your project specification and the standards it cites, so the course teaches you to find and apply them.
Will it qualify me as a site inspector?
No. It gives you the knowledge and practice a QA/QC engineer uses on site. Some UK roles also ask for cards or schemes such as CSCS, which are run by their own bodies and are not part of this course.
Is the £19 certificate a recognised qualification?
No. It is an optional EDWartens certificate of completion, £19 including VAT, with a public verification page. It is not accredited by any institution and is not a regulated qualification. All the lessons are free without it.
What is the Civil QA/QC Engineer course?
It is a free-to-learn course that follows one hospital project through civil site quality: the project quality plan, inspection and test plans, method statements and submittals, then concrete from mix to cube result, reinforcement, formwork, steel erection, earthworks and compaction, blockwork and waterproofing, non-conformance reports, calibration and handover.
Who is the course for?
Civil engineering students and graduates, site engineers and supervisors moving into quality roles, and new QA/QC engineers and inspectors at contractors, consultants and testing laboratories. You need to read a simple drawing and use a spreadsheet. No site quality experience is needed. QA/QC is a common entry role on building and infrastructure projects in the Gulf and elsewhere.
Which test methods and standards does the course use?
Methods are named by family: ASTM and AASHTO for the US family, EN and BS EN for the European family, with IS codes such as IS 456 and IS 516 as the regional alternative. Standards are paraphrased, editions change, and acceptance limits always come from your project specification, so check both before real work.
Can I use this on a real site without supervision?
No. The course teaches the workflow, the checks and the calculations. Real inspection and testing must follow your project specification, your employer's procedures and local regulations. Safety-critical work such as falsework, lifting and nuclear density gauges needs a competent, trained and authorised person.
Do I need any equipment or software?
No equipment. A spreadsheet such as Excel, Excel for the web or LibreOffice Calc is enough for the registers, the statistics and the percent compaction calculations. The videos show real test equipment from laboratories and sites.
Is this a testing technician certification?
No. The certificate is a verifiable certificate of completion from EDWartens. It is not an ACI, ICC, NICET or other technician certification, and not a professional licence. Those credentials are awarded by their own bodies after their own exams.
How long does the course take, and is it free?
About 8.4 hours of video and around 15 hours in total with the notes, worked problems and practice, at your own pace. Every module, the notes, the optional quality-file project and the final assessment are free to learn.
What certificate do I get?
A verifiable certificate of completion, issued when you finish the modules and pass the 15-question final at 60 percent. It has a unique certificate number, a QR code and a public verification page that shows the course, the modules covered and your final score.

Civil and structural engineer

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Want a live class and career support?

The Professional Module is five live days of Siemens PLC, HMI and SCADA with an instructor, then a resume session and a CPD certificate.

See the Professional Module
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