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The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) is an independent awarding body responsible for overseeing training and development within the construction sector. Established over five decades ago, CITB plays a crucial role in promoting construction safety across England, Wales and Scotland.
Despite being an independent body, CITB works alongside the UK Government (and the Department of Education) to ensure a ‘same page’ understanding of its course content – and how each course translates to proof of competency on a construction site.
A common question is how CITB is linked to CSCS. The Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) provides proof of achievement and competency, with it’s ‘cards’. Whilst CITB and CSCS are two separate organisations, CSCS recognises CITB courses as a means of earning the CSCS cards. The cards are a widely accepted means of proving competency as a construction worker.
This proof of competency can also be crucial in the event of an accident or incident, which is why most construction workers will need the correct CSCS card for their job role, in order to get onto site.
CITB qualifications complement CSCS cards, acting as the first step in obtaining a relevant card, and providing a comprehensive skill set that enhances employability and safety awareness on construction sites.
For example, once you have passed the CITB Health and Safety Awareness (HSA) course, you must also hold a valid ‘touchscreen test’ – known as the CITB Health, Safety and Environment (HS&E) course.
Once a worker has passed both, they would be eligible to apply for a CSCS Green Labourer’s card.
It is important to note – the HS&E test is a requirement when applying for any CSCS card. We’ll put more on this down in the ‘Which CSCS Card do I need?’ section.
To put it simply, CITB develops and quality controls the training courses themselves, and CSCS certifies a worker’s competency for specific job roles. This certification is often as simple as proving you have been trained on the health and safety considerations of your job role – which is why successful completion of training is seen as proof of competency.
Much like its relationship with CSCS, CITB partners with a variety of awarding bodies and schemes to meet the specific needs of different trades within the construction industry.
These partner schemes include the Construction Plant Competence Scheme (CPCS), the Gas Safe Register, Construction Industry Scaffolders Record Scheme (CISRS) and more.
Please see our dedicated Card Scheme Page for a full list of CITB Partner Schemes.
Earning a CITB certificate involves completing accredited training courses relevant to your role in the construction industry. Completing your CITB course, as well as the HS&E touchscreen test is often the most common way of earning your CSCS card.
Whether you’re a novice, apprentice, or an experienced worker looking to up-skill: you can use Quality Safety Training to access a diverse range of CITB courses.
QST provides comprehensive courses and experienced instructors for a variety of disciplines, including health and safety, plant operation, scaffolding, and more.
We also have a dedicated and professional Training Support Team available 7 days a week to help you or your delegates with any specific questions or learning requirements.
To register your interest, get in touch with us.
It is CSCS who most often provide cards based on your CITB training. CSCS offers an array of cards tailored to different job roles and skill levels. These include the Green Labourer card, Blue Skilled Worker card, Gold Advanced Craft card, and Black Management card – among others. Each card reflects the holder’s qualifications, experience, and competency: providing sites and employers with assurance of their workforce’s capabilities.
Regardless of your level of experience, or the card you wish to attain-
Earning the right CSCS card for your role and responsibilities means completing the HS&E touchscreen test, in addition to the relevant training.
For more information, see our dedicated FAQ on earning the right CSCS card for your needs.
Accessing CITB training is convenient and straightforward, with many courses available to complete online in the comfort of your own home or workspace. Each of us at Quality Safety Training are proud to deliver our training nationwide – with dedicated training and support staff available to come to you, wherever you are.
If you’re looking for training but can’t see any dates on our course calendars, simply get in touch with us with your preferred dates and locations and we can work around your needs.
As there are so many acronyms to remember, it can be easy to confuse CITB with CSCS or another card provider when trying to find your existing certificates and cards. Many people search for the ‘CITB card checker’ meaning to find the CSCS card checker, the CPCS card checker, or the CISR card checker.
If you’re looking to check your cards, please see our dedicated Card Checker page for further information and advice.
Card checker tools are a valuable resource for employers and site managers to verify the validity of certification. By utilising the card checker, employers can ensure that their workforce possesses up-to-date qualifications, promoting safety and compliance on construction sites. Quality Safety Training ensures that all CITB cards obtained through our courses are legitimate and verifiable, providing peace of mind to employers and cardholders alike.
CITB partner scheme cards, such as the CSCS, typically have an expiry date. This means holders must renew their certification before expiry.
For most CITB courses, the renewal period is once every 5 years – with an obvious exception being the Tunnelling Safety Training Scheme (TSTS) which is 3 years.
Many courses, such as the Site Management Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS) offer a ‘refresher’ course component. This means as long as your CITB certificate is in date, you can do a refresher course which is less expensive, and takes less time to complete.
Renewal involves completing refresher courses or assessments to demonstrate continued competence in your role. Quality Safety Training offers renewal courses designed to be easy to access and easy to fit into your work schedule.
Accessing Mock Tests
Preparing for training assessments can be daunting. Fortunately, CITB offers mock tests to help individuals familiarise themselves with the exam format and content. The mock tests aim to simulate real exam conditions, allowing candidates to assess their readiness and identify areas for improvement.
Please use this link to access the official page for pre-course support.
Booking a CITB test is quick and hassle-free with Quality Safety Training. You can use our online booking system to view our upcoming courses and get yourself booked in.
If you can’t see any dates or locations that suit your needs, no problem at all. As we are a nationwide training provider, we can put on open or dedicated/private courses for you regardless of your location. Just get in touch with our team using the form on this page, or give our office a call.
You can book CITB approved construction training courses through Approved Training Organisations (ATOs). Successful completion of these courses provides a gateway for site access, as well as proving competency to work across different trades and disciplines. This includes earning a CSCS card.
As an ATO, Quality Safety Training is able to process CITB Grants for large and small businesses alike – as well as providing flexible payment plans for local businesses and one-man-band operations.
The CITB Levy is a payment structure imposed on construction employers. Employers are expected to submit a levy assessment – it applies to all employers involved or engaged mainly in construction industry activities.
For employers – this means if your construction activities/works take up more than half of your employees’ total time, you are subject to the levy. This includes work given to your subcontractors.
For examples of construction industry activities, exemptions to payment, submitting appeals, and all additional information: please see our Levy FAQ page.
The purpose of the Levy is to support training development through grants and funding; if you are a CITB Levy payer, you may be eligible for grants towards your training needs.
As a CITB ATO, Quality Safety Training is able to handle all of the required paperwork you need when requesting a grant for your training courses. Our dedicated Training Support Team can handle all of your paperwork free of charge as part of your booking. To find out more, contact us below.
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