The construction card schemes can be a little confusing. There are a lot of acronyms. Each card serves its own purpose.
Two core card schemes that allow people to work on site are CPCS and CSCS cards. To know which area of construction to specialise in, it’s important to understand these two card systems.
What is a CPCS Card?
A CPCS qualification is part of a system focused on plant operators in construction. A CPCS card proves that an individual has the skills and training to be a plant operator on UK construction sites. CPCS stands for Construction Plant Competence Scheme.
The process of obtaining the qualification is broken down into four core parts.
- Training
- Health and Safety awareness
- Classroom-based theory work
- Practical and theory testing
Training – The duration of training depends on the plant category. Typically, training can last two days to three weeks.
Health and Safety awareness – A Health, Safety and Environment test must be passed to obtain a CPCS Card.
Classroom-based theory work – You don’t need to be extremely academic, but there is an element of classroom work. An understanding of maths and English is beneficial.
Practical and theory testing – a CPCS theory test must be successfully completed within two years of passing the above Health, Safety and Environment test. Following this, the practical test must be completed within six months.
What types of CPCS cards are there?
Red Card: Trained Operator – This is obtained upon first qualifying
Blue Card: Competent Operator – This gets achieved once enough experience is gained.
How long is a CPCS Card valid for?
A CPCS Red Card is valid for two years. This can be extended for a year under certain circumstances. During that time, an NVQ assessment (National Vocational Qualification) or SVQ (Scottish Vocational Qualification) must be completed to upgrade to a Blue Card.
A CPCS Blue Card is valid for five years, after which, it has to be renewed, by passing a renewal test.
Click on the image below to choose your NVQ assessor. They will support you through your Blue Card certification.
What is a CSCS Card?
A CSCS card proves that an individual has the training and skills to carry out their specific roles on construction sites. CSCS stands for Construction Skills Certification Scheme.
What types of CSCS cards are there?
There are a variety of coloured CSCS cards that cater for each experience level and role in construction.
The main types of CSCS cards are:
- Red Card – Training
- Green Card – Labourer
- Blue Card – Skilled worker
- Gold Card – Supervisor
- Black Card – Manager
Although CSCS cards are not legally required, most construction sites and companies will request that you have them to work there.
Do you need a CSCS card if you have a CPCS card?
Although there is some overlap of health and safety criteria for the two cards, they serve different primary purposes, so no, a CSCS card and CPCS card cannot substitute each other. A CPCS card gives qualification evidence solely for plant operations, whereas CSCS cards cover a much larger spectrum of construction trades.
However, the CPCS card has a CSCS logo on the back, proving the cardholder meets the health and safety requirements to work on site. So there may be some instances where a company or site manager accepts a worker with a CPSC card instead of CSCS. But this is not standard practice.
To not limit options, it’s advisable for people working with plant operations to obtain a CSCS cards as well as their CPCS.
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Conclusion
Competency is paramount in the construction industry. Which is why being able to prove that you’re qualified to do your job is important.
Although there is a certain overlap in the health and safety element between CPCS and CSCS cards, it’s important to understand that each cater for their own respective fields in construction.
It is also advisable to train with reputable training centres to start with, and maintain, a high level of competence.
These card schemes require NVQ assessments to progress. We can provide those for you.
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