The Construction Skills Certification Scheme began life in 1995 and by obtaining a CSCS card it demonstrates that you have the qualifications and training that are required for your particular job. It should be noted that a CSCS card is not a legal requirement to work on a site, but nonetheless it may be a contractual requirement in that the site operator may not permit you on to the site unless you do have one.

There is also the CSCS official app which is called My CSCS and is the same as the plastic card but can be stored on your phone or tablet. The virtual card shows employers your photograph, qualifications, training, occupation, and the expiry date of your card. Site managers can electronically access the information stored on the virtual card using a smartphone or tablet with the Go Smart app installed. Go Smart lets site managers instantly access your information and they can then be certain that you are qualified for the job that you need to do on site.

You also need to take the CITB Health, Safety, and Environment Test and the type of CSCS card for which you apply will determine the level of the CITB test that you need to take. The Test is a multiple choice test on health, safety and environmental issues in the construction industry and is usually taken on a touch screen. The cost of the CITB test is £22.00 and the cost of the CSCS application is £36.00. How long a CSCS card lasts will depend upon the card that you are applying for, but most of them are valid for five years. They can then be renewed.

If you wish to apply for a CSCS card as a CSCS utility surveyor, then the HSG47 CAT and Genny training that we provide at Sygma Solutions will enable you to obtain one. Our courses are approved by the CITB and The Survey Association. The course can also be combined with a Proqual Level 2 Qualification in Utility Location and Avoidance. This is a requirement if you wish to work on any HS2 site.

Our courses can be undertaken here at our premises in Wigan, or they can be taken at any site of your choice. It will require a meeting room for up to ten people and have appropriate welfare facilities. It will need to have sufficient space in order to maintain social distancing.

Each operative will need to have his or her own CAT4, and one Genny will be required with accessories. Sygma Solutions can supply these at an agreed cost if required. STATS (buried service drawings) for the site must be available in order to carry out practical work. All operatives also need to have the appropriate PPE. When the training is completed, operatives return to the classroom and sit a multiple choice exam for which the pass mark is 70%.

The classroom part of the CAT and Genny course can now be undertaken online from any web browser. This is a live, interactive classroom session when attendees can ask questions and get answers.

Obviously, the practical element of the course has to be undertaken on site and this could be a live project if required. We carry out this part of the training in two half day sessions with a maximum of four people on each of them, so that we can still handle a total of eight people in a day. Then an online exam can be carried out and upon successful completion, operatives will be issued with their certificate which will enable them to apply for their CSCS card.

The process is as follows:

1. Online registration form completed & ID submitted

2. Online training session attended

3. Practical site visit & assessment completed

4. Online knowledge-based assessment completed

5. Online feedback post training

This enables us to issue operatives with our own in-house certification, and also Proqual Level 2 certification and EUSR certification.

We are operating a flexible approach to our trainings and both the online and practical elements of it can be timed in order to fit in with your requirements.