Keen to work your way up to a more advanced role in the construction industry? With a gold CSCS (Construction Skills Certification Scheme) card under your belt, you can do exactly that.
Fortunately, the knowledgeable SB Skills Solutions team can help you understand what’s required to apply for your gold CSCS card. From the qualifications and accreditations to your skills and experience, we’ll ensure you have everything you need.
Plus, we’ll also explain how the recent changes made to the acceptance of IA (Industry Accreditation) in the construction industry could impact your ability to achieve and renew your gold CSCS card after 2024.
What is a CSCS Gold Skilled Worker Card?
There are two types of gold CSCS cards – an Advanced Craft card and a Supervisor card. Here, we’ll focus on the Advanced Craft or Skilled Worker card.
This skilled worker card demonstrates that the cardholder has a high level of competence, experience, knowledge, and skills in their field of work. It shows that they can safely work in an advanced position in their respective construction industry field.
These cards are often provided to skilled tradespeople who might specialize in carpentry, plumbing, or electrical work, for example.
Valid for five years, they can be renewed six months prior to and up to six months after the card’s expiry date. Although workers and their employers are not legally required in the UK to hold a gold CSCS card to work in the construction industry roles mentioned above, they can be crucial.
While CSCS cards themselves aren’t a legal requirement, it is a legal requirement for all individuals working on a construction site to possess the necessary skills and experience to carry out their role safely. CSCS cards simply provide proof that this is the case.
Notably, a key requirement for obtaining a gold CSCS card is to pass the CITB (Construction Industry Training Board) Health, Safety, and Environment (HS&E) test at the relevant level.
This means many contractors won’t allow workers who don’t possess a valid gold CSCS card to work in an advanced position on-site due to health and safety concerns.
To ensure you don’t miss out on skilled job opportunities within the construction industry (alongside the experience and earning potential that comes with these roles), it’s well worth learning more about the gold CSCS card application requirements and process.
How Do You Get a CSCS Gold Skilled Worker Card?
Luckily, applying for your gold CSCS card is relatively straightforward – all you need is the relevant qualification or accreditation for your occupation and the ability to apply online with CSCS.
Obtain the Necessary Qualifications or Accreditations
To be eligible to apply for your gold CSCS card, you must possess the required training in the form of either an accepted qualification or accreditation.
Based on information published by CSCS themselves, gold CSCS card applicants must hold either a construction-related Level 3 NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) or Level 6 SVQ (Scottish Vocational Qualification).
Alternatively, they must have completed an approved apprenticeship with the NJCBI (National Joint Council for the Engineering Construction Industry), BATJIC (Building and Allied Trades Joint Industrial Council), Institute of Apprenticeships, or another suitable provider.
Applicants will also be accepted if they have completed an employer-sponsored apprenticeship that included the achievement of a City and Guilds of London Institute Advanced Craft Certificate.
All gold CSCS cardholders must also have successfully completed the CITB HS&E test at the appropriate level. As CSCS does not offer training courses for any of these qualifications, you will need to contact a qualified training provider, like SB Skills Solutions.
Offering training and assessment services for a range of Level 3 NVQ construction courses, we can help you work towards obtaining your gold CSCS card. For example, depending on your role, you could take a Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Fenestration Installation, Roofing Occupations, or Cladding Occupations.
Get in touch today to learn more about these NVQ courses or our services!
Apply Online with CSCS
Once you’ve secured the necessary qualifications, you can apply online with CSCS for your gold skilled worker card. Simply log into your existing account or register as a new user to access the relevant gold CSCS card application form.
You must fill in the form as directed, provide a scanned copy of your qualification certificate, as well as a passport-style photo of yourself, and the test ID number from the top of your CITB HS&E test pass certificate. Please note, you will also need to pay a £36 application fee via debit or credit card.
As application requirements may vary depending on your specific circumstances, we recommend contacting CSCS directly if you’d like to learn more about this process.
What’s the New Equivalent Qualification to a CSCS Gold Skilled Worker Card?
To obtain a gold CSCS card as a skilled worker, you must successfully complete a Level 3 NVQ (or SVQ) in a relevant advanced craft qualification or an approved apprenticeship. Find out more about which qualifications can help you achieve your gold CSCS card here.
Renewing a CSCS Gold Skilled Worker Card in the Future
Ready to renew your gold CSCS card? As these essential construction industry cards are only valid for five years, we recommend ensuring that there’ll be no issues when it’s time for you to renew yours.
To do this, you’ll need to check that the recent changes made to the way in which CSCS cards can be renewed don’t affect you.
Following suggestions from the CLC (Construction Leadership Council) to improve competence and safety in the construction industry, workers will no longer be able to renew their gold CSCS card using IA after 2024.
This means individuals won’t be able to rely on a reference from an employer (or another competent person) as recognition of their skills and experience. Instead, they’ll need to obtain a nationally recognized qualification if they want to apply for or renew their gold CSCS card after 31st December 2024.
If you don’t hold one of the aforementioned nationally recognized qualifications that would allow you to apply for a gold CSCS skilled worker card, then don’t worry. The knowledgeable team at SB Skills Solutions can help you obtain the necessary qualifications.
We provide a variety of Level 3 NVQ construction-related courses that can help you meet the requirements for applying for, or renewing, your gold CSCS card. For expert support choosing the most suitable NVQ course for you, please feel free to contact our team today!
What Can SB Skills Do to Help?
Need a helping hand obtaining your gold CSCS card? Get in touch with the team of fully qualified and highly experienced assessors at SB Skills Solutions today.
After learning more about your current role in the construction industry, we can support you with choosing and successfully completing the relevant CSCS course to help you achieve your desired CSCS card and further your career.
Regardless of whether you’re searching for professional help obtaining your blue, black, white, or gold CSCS card, you can rest assured that we offer a wide range of assessment and training services to meet your construction role requirements.
To find out more about the variety of NVQ qualifications as well as the health and safety courses available at SB Skills Solutions, please feel free to call us today on 01695 558 420.
You can also reach out to our team by sending your enquiry via email to info@sbskills.co.uk or by filling in and submitting our online contact form.
Alternatively, you can always book your chosen course online in a matter of clicks!
