Meet the founder

Twenty Years on Site. One Purpose.

Sonia Alexis Rawlings founded SAR Consulting to give construction professionals a clearer, calmer route to qualification. After two decades in the industry, she'd watched too many capable people put their NVQ off for the wrong reasons. SAR exists to fix that.

Sonia Alexis Rawlings, Founder of SAR Consulting
Founder · Lead Consultant
Sonia Alexis
Rawlings
20+
Years in the construction industry, on every kind of site.
L2L7
Every NVQ level covered, from operative to senior management.
1:1
Personal guidance from first call to final certification.
UK·
Remote evidence gathering, with site visits where needed.
The story

Built on the industry she came up in.

Sonia's career started where every construction professional's does. On site, alongside the people doing the work.

Two decades in the industry, working with trades and managers from apprentices to project directors, gave her something most NVQ consultants don't have: a real working understanding of what the qualification actually has to recognise. She's seen the paperwork problem from both sides — as someone supporting candidates, and as someone who watched colleagues delay their own qualifications for years longer than they needed to.

The pattern was always the same. Capable people, fully competent in their roles, putting off the NVQ because the route felt unclear or because they couldn't afford to step away from work. Some got there eventually. Many didn't, and that gap held back careers, pay rises, and progression onto bigger sites.

SAR Consulting was founded to break that pattern. Not by changing what an NVQ is, but by changing how the journey to it feels: personal, structured, and built around the work that's already being done every day.

How Sonia works

Four principles. Every candidate.

The same approach applies whether you're working toward your first Level 2 or sitting the Level 7 senior management qualification. Personal, practical, and shaped around your real working life.

01 — Personal

One-to-one, end-to-end.

You work with Sonia directly from the first call to the final certificate. No call centres, no faceless paperwork, no being passed between unfamiliar people. The same consultant guides you through every stage of the qualification.

02 — Practical

Built around your real work.

Evidence is gathered through the work you're already doing. Photos from the projects you're on. Statements from the managers you already report to. Documents you already produce. No artificial scenarios, no time off site, no homework.

03 — Clear

Structured, not bureaucratic.

You always know where you are in the process and what comes next. The assessment plan is laid out at the start so there are no surprises, no hidden steps, no jargon for the sake of it. Clarity is the whole point.

04 — Connected

From qualification to CSCS card.

The NVQ is the start, not the end. Every qualification is mapped to the right CSCS card, so once your qualification is in hand you know exactly which card to apply for — the application itself goes directly through CSCS.

What we cover

A consultant for the whole construction industry.

Specialism Construction Management Flagship work in Level 4 to 7 management qualifications, where the highest-value progression sits.
Trades & Occupations All Major Trades Bricklaying, carpentry, plumbing, electrical, plastering, roofing, scaffolding, plant ops, and beyond.
Qualification Levels Level 2 to 7 From the apprentice's first NVQ to the senior manager's professional qualification.
Coverage UK-wide Remote-first delivery with site visits arranged across England, Scotland, and Wales as needed.
In her own words
Construction is built by people who learn by doing. Their qualifications should reflect that. My job is to make sure the paperwork doesn't hold them back.
Sonia Alexis Rawlings · Founder & Lead Consultant
Ready when you are

Let's Talk About Your NVQ.

A short call is all it takes to know if we're the right fit. No commitment, no pressure, just a clear answer on the route ahead.

Free advice No commitment UK-wide
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