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The questions and answers below are taken from those asked during our recent temporary cards webinar. Thank you to everyone who joined us and sent in a question.
We’ve grouped them by topic so you can find what’s relevant to you, whether you’re an employer, a training provider or a college placing learners on site. If your question isn’t covered here, our team is always happy to help.
Do site visitors need a card?
We’re a white-label manufacturer supplying construction providers. The onsite contractor sometimes asks us to visit site to look at our product. What card should we hold as a minimum?
If you are only visiting site and not carrying out any construction duties, you do not need a CSCS card. You can find more information on our non-construction related occupations page.
The Industry Placement card
Is the Industry Placement card for full-time students, for example those on a bricklaying or joinery course?
It is for full-time students where a work placement is a requirement of the qualification. This includes T Levels, which have a mandated work placement, and courses where the DfE provides funding for a three-week work placement.
Only Apprentice card applicants seem able to use a one-day health and safety course or unit accreditation. Is a Level 1 Award in Health and Safety in a Construction Environment sufficient for the Industry Placement card?
The Industry Placement card page states that applicants must have passed the relevant CITB Health, safety and environment test for Operatives within the last two years, or an approved alternative. Scroll further down the page and you’ll find the accepted alternatives, which are the same as those for the Apprentice card.
The only options in the drop-down list for the Industry Placement card are T Levels and apprenticeships. We have craft students completing three-week placements who need the card because of DfE funding. What should we do?
Get in touch and let us know which qualifications your students are working towards. We’ll set these up so you can apply.
We have learners aged 16 and 17 on a funded Level 1 Diploma. Is there a card that lasts longer than six months?
Level 1 Diplomas are not currently accepted for any CSCS card. If you can share details of the course, the funding in place and any work placement requirements attached to that funding, we’ll look into this further.
The Provisional card
For the six-month Provisional card, do applicants need a one-day health and safety course, or just the CITB test?
To apply for the Provisional card, applicants only need to have passed the CITB Health, safety and environment test. They do not need a one-day health and safety course.
I place international students from the US into London construction work experience. They are degree-level students on a nine-week placement. Would they need a Trainee card?
If their degree is not UK-based, they would not be eligible for the Trainee card. If the work placement is for nine consecutive weeks, the Provisional card would be the most appropriate option.
I have an engineer with no qualifications who doesn’t want to do an NVQ. How do I get them a card?
The only card available to them would be the six-month Provisional card, once they have passed the CITB Health, safety and environment test. When that card expires, they would not be able to get another card unless they were registered for, or had achieved, a relevant qualification.
The Apprentice card
If an apprentice has a Green Labourer card, should it be changed? Can they swap it for an Apprentice card for free?
Yes. They should apply for the Apprentice card relevant to the occupation they are doing on site as part of their apprenticeship. If the apprenticeship is covered by CSCS, the Apprentice card is free of charge.
Does a roofing apprentice have to complete the CITB specialist test?
Any level of CITB Health, safety and environment test is accepted for the Apprentice card. Once they have completed the apprenticeship, they will need to have passed the Specialist Working at Heights test.
We have apprentices on the Level 6 Electro-mechanical Engineer Degree Apprenticeship. Can they have the Apprentice card?
This qualification is not covered by CSCS, but it may be covered by ECS or the Engineering Services SKILLcard scheme. We believe SKILLcard issues a trainee card rather than an apprentice card for apprentices. Requirements and costs differ between schemes, so please contact them directly.
Choosing the right card: Trainee and Labourer
Why can’t workers just have a Labourer card while they wait for their qualification?
The Labourer card should only be used by those carrying out labouring duties on site. There is a significant oversupply of Labourer cards in construction, and individuals should hold the right card for their role. If someone needs a card for a few months while they wait for their trade qualification certificate, the Provisional card is an option. If they are carrying out labouring duties, there is no issue with them applying for a Labourer card.
Do these changes affect the Green Labourer card? Should new workers assisting with steel erection who have started an NVQ Level 2 apply for a Red card instead?
The Green Labourer card is for those carrying out labouring duties only. Anyone registered for an NVQ should apply for the Trainee or Experienced Worker card for that occupation while they work towards the qualification.
For the Trainee card, do students need the CITB test, or can health and safety units in their course count?
The Trainee card requires the CITB Health, safety and environment test. We only accept a unit within a qualification for the Industry Placement and Apprentice cards.
Qualifications and other card schemes
Some workers’ qualifications aren’t recognised because they’re old, or they can’t find their certificates. What can we do?
Send us details of the older qualifications and we’ll look into them. You can also use our appeals process.
Can we have a list of other recommended qualifications, such as Fire Safety and Manual Handling, and which awarding bodies will be verified?
Information on the competence frameworks and their development is available from CITB. Some frameworks will mandate the CITB Fire Safety in Buildings online course. Other requirements are still being defined, and we’ll communicate them to industry as soon as they are.
What options are there for a technical training academy to deliver CSCS-related training and assessments?
To deliver the CITB Health, safety and environment test, see CITB’s guidance on becoming an internet test centre. To deliver qualifications accepted for a CSCS card, such as NVQs and SVQs, you’ll need to register with one of the awarding organisations that offer them.
SQA is being replaced by Qualifications Scotland. Will this change CSCS requirements?
No. The qualifications themselves are the same; only the name of the regulatory and awarding body is changing.
An operative has completed Advanced Scaffolding but his card has expired, he’s already had a year’s extension, and his portfolio could take another 16 weeks to assess. Where do we stand?
Scaffolding cards are covered by the CISRS card scheme rather than CSCS. Please contact CISRS directly for their requirements.
The CITB Health, safety and environment test
Once a CITB test has been used for a card application and is still in date, can it be used for a second application or a renewal?
Yes. If the test is less than two years old, it can be used to apply for a second card. The one exception is renewing the two-year Labourer card, where the test can be up to three years old.
If a card is extended, will the candidate need to resit the test?
If the test is more than two years old when the extension is needed, then yes, a new test is required.
Apps, CSCS Smart Check and applying for cards
Are the apps free?
Yes. Both the My CSCS and CSCS Smart Check apps are free of charge.
When using CSCS Smart Check, it sometimes doesn’t pick up a card. Is this because the person hasn’t activated their CSCS account?
No. A cardholder doesn’t need to activate their account for their card to appear on CSCS Smart Check. If a card doesn’t verify, it could be because:
- the wrong scheme was selected when searching
- the card is fake
- the card has been revoked due to fraudulent activity
If you have examples of cards that won’t verify, send them to us and we’ll look into them.
We apply for employees’ cards using individual work email addresses they can’t access. How will this work with the CSCS app?
This goes against core GDPR principles and doesn’t meet our terms and conditions for applying for a card (see section 4). You must provide an email address and phone number that the cardholder can access.
Still have a question?
If your question wasn’t answered here, or you need advice on a specific case, please get in touch with our team. Getting people on the right card for their role helps keep sites safe and the industry’s qualifications meaningful.
