If COVID19 hasn’t given us all enough issues to deal with already, the CITB recently announced that their grace period, for delegates whose SMSTS/SSSTS qualifications had expired after March 30th 2020, will end on the 31st January 2021!
Unfortunately, anyone expecting or perhaps hoping for another extension will be disappointed as the CITB have confirmed that there will be no additional time added, after the 31st January deadline.
The Construction Industry Training Board are a bit like Ronseal. They do exactly what it says on the tin. They offer training across all areas of the construction industry. From environmental management to temporary works they have an extremely comprehensive catalogue.
A short answer does exist. Two of the most common routes to the question we get asked the most are explained...
CSCS, CITB, HSA, Green Card, IOSH, Labourer, Working Safely, HS&E Test
Once your health and training course is complete, toolbox talks are essential for continuing your development and sustaining your knowledge.
Have you ever got chatting to someone and found you have lots in common? Perhaps you live in the same town, have the same job in construction management, support the same football team. And then they drop the bombshell.
They're doing training you want to do with a really local training provider you've never heard of. How did that happen? After all you must have spent hours trying different keyword combinations searching Google for a local SMSTS course.
While there isn't an actual SMSTS card, your SMSTS certificate can be added to your CSCS (Construction Skills Certification Scheme) card to show additional experience to the qualifications CSCS asks for.
SMSTS courses, accredited by CITB, are designed to train you in all aspects of environmental and health and safety legislation that will come under your responsibility as a construction site manager but you can't simply take the course and forget about it, you will need to refresh your training every five years by attending an SMSTS refresher course.
Paying for an SMSTS course is an expensive outlay. Whether you are covering the cost yourself or getting sponsorship, you will understandably want to get the most out of your SMSTS training.
That is why people often contact us asking for an SMSTS mock test or some example SMSTS test questions to help them study, although official CITB test revision questions do not exist, there are several online test questions available. Whilst we can't guarantee their reliability, it may be worth having a look and deciding for yourself. An example can be found at https://smstsmocktest.co.uk/.
We often receive requests from delegates wanting to book an SMSTS online course, however such a course does not exist. You can't do an SMSTS course online because all CITB Site Safety Plus courses are classroom based, delivered face-to-face by CITB accredited training providers.
We discuss the benefits of classroom based courses compared to online courses, something that is especially important when dealing with a such an intensive course requiring at least 37.5 - 42 contact hours (depending on method of delivery) that's aimed at construction site managers.
Don’t leave it till the last minute to book your CITB Site Safety Plus refresher course because you run the risk of having to attend one of the full courses (at full cost of course) meaning more time in a classroom rather than earning a wage on-site.