For certain tasks or jobs in the United Kingdom a trades worker is required to have a “Construction Skills Certification Scheme” card – CSCS for short. Primarily targeted at the construction industry and not being a legal requirement a worker might still need this card even when working in different sectory such as electricity or plumbing. Actually not this card, but some card – as they come in different types and colours (see below).
But it does not end there. The UK being the UK not only has one body to award these cards but a whole CSCS Alliance working under the recommendations of the Construction Leadership Council that currently (today, 2025-01-12) seems to consist of 38 (sic) members. That means that your card could come from CSCS, SKILLcard (which have also all sorts of colourful cards, see image below) or from ALLMI, the Association of Lorry Loader Manufacturers and Importers, that only offer a white card.
And the hat goes deeper. With Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and England, all being a nation in the Kingdom (first question every aspiring plumber must answer, for those who know), they certainly operate different schemes for electricians, plumbers and the like (sometimes combined, joined, separate, you name it). Examples:
- Electrotechnical Certification Scheme (JIB)
- Electrotechnical Certification Scheme (Scotland only)
- Plumbing, Heating, Mechanical Engineering Services
- Scottish and Northern Ireland Joint Industry Board (SNIJIB)
All these cards differ – sometimes more, sometimes less. E.g. the Electrotechnical Certification Scheme of the JIB offers a “Gold Card” (Digital Security Technician) with some relatively easy entry requirements, such as a CompTIA Security+ certification. In contrast, a plumber would need a Level 3 NVQ and some years of experience to be admitted for a “Gold Card”.
Side note: the Electrotechnical Certification Scheme in Scotland (SJIB) does not offer this type of “Gold Card” and you can only apply for it when you have an address in England.
But of course, if you do not want to go for “Gold” and are happy with a “White Card” as a Professionally Qualified Person there seems to be a a much easier route:
You simply join the British Computer Society as a member (optionally by providing “evidence” of some over-sea qualification) and then apply for the “White Card” with CSCS.
But hold on, isn’t there a requirement to pass a Health, Safety & Environment test for Managers and Professionals (HS&E MAP) with CITB (as needed for most of the cards)? With this test we are supposed to make sure we follow and understand health and safety requirements such as RIDDOR, CDM and the like. Rest assured – we got you covered.
Except – for this PQP we do not need to prove our knowledge to CITB, an independant testing provider, and achieve a 90%+ score to pass the test as everyone else. We are professionals (the hint is in the name) and therefore may take a self-invigilated exam with the Construction Industry Council (CIC): the CIC Health & Safety Certification. This consists of a learning web site at the cost of <50GBP where we study everything we need. And after that, we take the exam “closed book” and a work colleague of yours makes sure you do not cheat. After all – we are professionals.
So, in the end we get a “White Card” with the CSCS logo as “proof that individuals working on construction sites have the appropriate training and qualifications for the job they do, thereby helping to improve standards and safety in UK construction” (https://www.cscs.uk.com/). Glad to read.
The empire strikes back…
Our Journey to Scotland 