CSCS SmartCards cost £30 including VAT at 17.5% per card.
A SmartCard is a credit card sized plastic card that contains a simple computer chip that can store and process electronic data in a highly secure manner. Most people will already be familiar with such cards in the form of their Chip and Pin credit cards or Oyster travel cards.
The CSCS SmartCard is like the traditional card in that information about the holder is printed on it. The difference is that a copy of the same data is also stored in the chip. It potentially allows contractors and clients to store and access other relevant information, which could include training and continuing professional development (CPD) records, competency and fitness for task data and access permissions. If you would like more information about storing data on CSCS SmartCards please contact us.
From January 2010 all CSCS cards issued will be SmartCards. Current cards will still be valid until their expiry date.
CSCS has recognised feedback from the industry about the proliferation of cards and wants to allow you to use the CSCS card to meet all your needs if you wish to. The CSCS SmartCard is a high capacity card that can be used for a multitude of purposes beyond just storing CSCS data. Each additional use of the card is managed by installing a simple computer program called an Applet on the card.
Subject to certain conditions, any organisation may purchase the right to put an application of its own design on authorised cards for a small fee. CSCS has appointed a strategic partner to manage all such purchases. For more information about using CSCS SmartCards for your applications please contact us.
Your card will be valid until its expiry date. However we envisage that some clients and contractors will move towards CSCS SmartCard only sites before all traditional cards expire.
You will need to apply and pay for a new card. You can either download an application form or contact us and we will send you a form.
SmartCard technology offers employers, clients and workers many benefits.
Other benefits include:
CSCS SmartCards work in much the same way as traditional CSCS Cards. The big difference is that, instead of just looking at the card and perhaps calling the CSCS Helpline to substantiate its authenticity, the site supervisor has the option to check the validity of the card using an electronic SmartCard reader.
Two kinds of reader can be used: a simple handheld device costing £113.99+VAT, or the solution which CSCS recommends, a PC or laptop connected reader available for as little as £16.95+VAT. A range of readers from CSCS’ preferred supplier
The handheld reader is a self contained, battery powered device that can fit into a pocket. When a genuine CSCS SmartCard is inserted into the card slot at the top of the unit, the cardholder’s name, CSCS registration number, qualifications, and the expiry date of the card, may be viewed on the display. This demonstrates that it is a genuine CSCS card and confirms the cardholder’s details. All that remains is to check the cardholder’s face matches the photo on the card. Only one type of specially configured handheld reader is suitable for use with CSCS SmartCards and is available from CSCS’ preferred supplier.
Reading a CSCS SmartCard using a PC or laptop connected reader will display the cardholder’s details and photograph on the computer screen. As with the handheld reader, this will demonstrate that the card is genuine and will verify the information printed on the card.
The CSCS SmartCard is a dual interface card, which means it can be read using a contact reader (one where the card is inserted into a slot in the reader), or a contactless reader (one where the card is simply placed on the outside surface of the reader). Contactless readers cost slightly more but read cards more quickly.
Only PC/SC accordant SmartCard readers conforming to protocol T=0 (contact interface) or T=CL (contactless interface) will be suitable for reading the CSCS SmartCard. A selection of models that have been tested for compatibility are available from CSCS’ preferred supplier.
Before any PC or laptop connected reader can be used, it will be necessary to install special CSCS software onto your PC, and you may also need to load a driver that comes with the reader. The CSCS software is downloadable free of charge here. Alternatively, it will be available to purchase on a CD-ROM as part of a package with a reader from CSCS’s preferred supplier.
Once the software is running, all that remains is to plug the reader into your computer and insert the card.
In the absence of an electronic card reader the card can continue to be used exactly like a traditional printed card.
You should apply for a replacement card in exactly the same way as you do at the moment. The original card will be cancelled so if it is presented to an online reader it would state that the card is no longer valid.
Discussions are taking place with the CSCS Affiliated Schemes on their implementation dates for SmartCards. This will follow the launch of the SmartCard for the main Scheme.
No from January 2010 only SmartCards will be issued.
There are two ways to obtain the CSCS go smart SmartCard reader software.
Before you can read a CSCS SmartCard using your computer you will need to:
The software can be downloaded from here. Follow the instructions on the website to download and run the installer.
Please note: Some users may find that their I.T. departments have imposed restrictions that prevent downloading or installing programs onto their computers / networks. If you experience such restrictions, you will need to consult with your I.T. department.
Most SmartCard readers connect via USB and are supplied with a ‘Driver’ CD. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for driver installation. Once the drivers are installed, simply connect the SmartCard reader to a free USB port on your computer. Windows should at this point recognise the new hardware and configure the device driver software automatically.
Once the CSCS go smart Software and the SmartCard reader are installed, you are ready to start reading CSCS SmartCards. To start the software, double-click on the CSCS go smart icon that is on your desktop. A CSCS logo will appear in the system tray (near the bottom right hand corner of your screen).
When you see the CSCS icon, the program is running in the background. You will not see a window open on your computer until you present a valid CSCS SmartCard.
The CSCS go smart Software can operate in either of the following modes:
Offline mode: on a computer that is not connected to the Internet
Online mode: on a computer that is connected to the Internet
The card reader software will automatically choose between the online and offline mode depending on whether you are connected to the Internet. In offline mode, the data displayed on screen is read straight from the CSCS card. In online mode the data on the card is first checked against the CSCS database to make sure it is completely up to date, before being displayed on screen.
Please Note: The first time you try to read CSCS cards online, you will be asked to register the CSCS go smart Software by entering your name, organisation and email address.
First, ensure you have correctly installed the CSCS go smart software and that the appropriate drivers for your Smartcard reader are also correctly installed.
Make sure the CSCS go smart software is running. You should be able to see the CSCS logo in the system tray in the lower right hand corner of your screen).
To read a CSCS SmartCard simply place it on/in your card reader:
Note: if you are using a Contact reader, please make sure the card is inserted the correct way round.
Your screen will display the cardholder’s photo and a card image on the left, and the cardholder’s details on the right. The card reading mode is indicated in the top left hand corner of this window.
Once a card has been read using the CSCS go smart software, there are two options available at the bottom right of this screen – these are:
Please note that to save cardholder details, you will be asked to confirm that the cardholder has given permission for their details to be saved on your computer (the details will not be saved unless this box is ticked).
Provided the date on your computer is correct, if the card has expired or is about to expire, a warning message will flash at the top of the card details on screen – orange if the card expires within the next three months, and red if the card has already expired. [Note: if the card is more than six months past its expiry date the cardholder’s details will not appear on screen].
The software can be left running on your computer until you wish to read another card, but if you do wish to close it simply right-click using the mouse on the small CSCS icon in the system tray (near the lower right hand corner of your screen) and select ‘Exit’.
Upgrades to the CSCS go smart software will be made available online periodically. Provided your computer can access the Internet when the CSCS go smart Software is running, you will automatically be informed when a newer version is available for download.
Some users may find that their I.T. departments have imposed restrictions that prevent downloading or installing programs onto their computers / networks. If you experience such restrictions, you will need to consult with your I.T. department.
The CSCS SmartCard has 1k Mifare (Classic) storage capacity divided into 16 sectors. The first time a CSCS SmartCard is read online, a publicly accessible copy of the following data is placed in Mifare sector 0 in read-only format:
Cardholder Title (eg Mr, Ms)
Cardholder Initial
Cardholder Surname
Card Expiry Date
Cardholder Occupations / Qualifications (Stored as codes)
Name Of Scheme (Stored as codes)
Type Of Card (Stored as codes)
To read the publicly accessible data held in sector 0, your Mifare application must authenticate with the card using Mifare Key A for Sector 0 with a key value of 0xFFFFFFFFFFFF.
The look-up tables to interpret the Qualifications, Scheme and Type of CSCS Card stored in Mifare sector 0 can be downloaded from here. The tables are dynamically updated each time a new Qualification, Scheme or Type of Card is created.
The type of card to be used for the CSCS SmartCard is a dual interface JCOP31 36KB Javacard with 1k Mifare.
In most situations, there will be no need to alter the Web proxy or firewall configuration. The CSCS go smart Software has been designed so that it should work automatically with most standard Web-Proxies and Firewalls.
The CSCS go smart Software will attempt to establish an HTTPS connection with the CSCS servers in exactly the same way that your web-browser does. Provided you can access HTTPS web-sites, the CSCS go smart Software should just work.
If your company uses a Web proxy or Internet gateway appliance that requires user authentication, the CSCS go smart Software will attempt to authenticate in exactly the same way as your web-browser. Therefore, if you are usually prompted for a username/password to access the internet, the CSCS go smart Software will prompt for these in exactly the same way.
In a few situations, it may be that your Web proxy blocks internet access to all but approved sites, or that the user authentication methods for your particular Web proxy just won’t allow the CSCS go smart Software to communicate with the CSCS servers (This is more likely to be a problem for Linux based proxies configured to authenticate users with Windows authentication). In such cases, the CSCS go smart Software will continually prompt the user for a username and password, but will never successfully authenticate or allow online synchronisation of CSCS smartcards. To resolve this please refer to My Web proxy or firewall is preventing connections to the CSCS servers, what can I do?
If the CSCS go smart application is unable to communicate with the CSCS servers, it’s probably because your I.T. department have defined a policy to prevent such connections. To overcome this, your I.T. department will need to update the rules on the Web proxy / Internet gateway to permit HTTPS traffic to the CSCS servers. HTTPS traffic (port 443) should be permitted to any hosts within the *.cscsreader.co.uk domain. At the very least, HTTPS traffic must be allowed to
all of the hosts specified in the application configuration file which is by default installed at the following location:
“C:\Program Files\CSCS\CSCS go smart Software\ USGClientWindows.exe.config”
If your company uses a Web proxy or Internet gateway appliance that requires user authentication, the CSCS go smart Software will attempt to authenticate in exactly the same way as your web-browser. Therefore, if you are usually prompted for a username/password to access the internet, the CSCS go smart Software will prompt for these in exactly the same way.
If you are continually prompted for a username and password and are unable to synchronise CSCS smartcard, please refer to My Web proxy or firewall is preventing connections to the CSCS servers, what can I do?
This is because under Windows 7, Microsoft has implemented Plug and Play support for SmartCards. You can either simply ignore or dismiss the prompt to install a driver, or alternatively you can disable the SmartCard Plug and Play service by following the instruction below.
To disable SmartCard Plug and Play service on Windows 7.
1. On the Windows 7 computer, click Start, type gpedit.msc in the Search programs and files box, and then press ENTER.
2. In the console tree under Computer Configuration, click Administrative Templates.
3. In the details pane, double-click Windows Components, and then double-click Smart Card.
4. Right-click Turn on Smart Card Plug and Play service, and then click Edit.
5. Click Disabled, and then click OK.
For enterprise deployments, SmartCard Plug and Play can be disabled by deploying a Group Policy. For information about administrative templates, see (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=152390).
Further information about windows 7 and smartcard Plug and Play can be found here: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd979547(WS.10).aspx
The card you are presenting may not be a valid CSCS SmartCard; try reading another card. If the problem persists, check that the CSCS go smart Software is running. If go smart is running, close it down and restart it. Go smart needs to be restarted if your computer has been into hibernation mode or your reader has been moved to a different USB port since you last launched the software.
HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE CSCS CARDS
1,551,873