CSCS announces major changes to Trainee Cards
The CSCS normally issues trainee cards to new entrants to the industry, which are designed to allow workers access to sites whilst they undertake their construction related qualifications.
Two types of cards are currently available, namely the Trainee (Craft & Operative) Technical, Supervisory and Management (TSM) card.
After receiving feedback from industry regarding the fact the acceptance of qualifications not based on a National Occupational Standard is causing confusion amongst card holders and their employers, the CSCS has decided to apply a series of significant changes to the Trainee card scheme.
As of the 1’st of August, changes to the current trainee cards will include the fact that only one Trainee card (irrespective of occupation) will be available. The card will be red in colour and clearly marked “Trainee” and the occupation will not be displayed on the reverse of the card – it will simply say Trainee.
The card will be valid for 5 years and will be non-renewable and prior to applying for a card an applicant must register for a CSCS recognised construction related qualification. Furthermore, SSSTS, SMSTS and NEBOSH General will not be accepted as routes to a Trainee card and applicants for a Trainee Card must have completed the appropriate CITB Health, Safety and Environment Test within the last 2 years.
Finally, applicants must complete their qualification before the Trainee card expires and, on completion of their qualification applicants can move onto a skilled CSCS card.
The CSCS strongly believes that ensuring Trainee cards are only issued to those who have registered for qualifications that lead to a skilled CSCS card is seen as a practical step towards achieving industry’s desire for a fully qualified workforce.
Tensor – your partner of choice for Construction / Building Site Access Control
Tensor is a preferred CSCS IT Partner and, as such, has further advanced our integration with the CSCS smartcard to enable features such as auto-learn where in learn mode, when a CSCS smartcard is scanned, several credentials from the CSCS smartcard are auto-inserted into the Tensor.NET software including photograph, name, title, CSCS card number and CSCS card expiry date to allow a seamless data entry facility. Tensor .NET then auto-inserts the CSCS smartcard’s expiry date into the employee leavers date field to ensure that the Tensor.NET denies access to a CSCS smartcard user who attempts to gain access with an expired CSCS smartcard.
Other advanced features that can be enabled include a separate verification process where CSCS smartcardholders must report to a Site Manager for the Site Manager to verify the Contractor’s details before permitting the CSCS smartcard to enter a site. This can be conducted on a site-by-site basis or can be applied to permit usage of a CSCS smartcard across a number of sites.
The CSCS smartcard, when used in conjunction with Tensor’s .NET software, Access Control and Time & Attendance products, provides a very powerful and cost effective means of centralising Time & Attendance, Advanced Access Control and Fire/Evacuation roll-call, re-using an existing CSCS smartcard as base for the entire system.
If you’d like to find out more about the Tensor access control systems and its integration with CSCS cards, just contacts us or Book a Demo, our representatives will be more than happy to answer all of your questions and queries.
