CSCS Cards. Why are they so important?

CSCS Cards are extremely important for anyone in the Construction Industry who will be working on a Construction site. Firstly, their main importance is that they provide proof that an individual is fully aware of the health and safety implications of working on a Construction site. Secondly, they are important as the CSCS Card that a particular individuals holds, shows their level of expertise and how qualified they are. Also, it gives a good indication as to the role of a person on a Construction site, for example a manager of a construction site will have a different card to a Construction site visitor. 

A CSCS Card is achieved by successfully passing a CSCS Test appropriate for the individual. All questions in the test are regarding the various health and safety issues of working on a Construction site.

There are varying levels of CSCS Cards that can be gained. This will depend on a person's job description and on their qualifications. The most common qualifications for the Construction industry are Construction NVQ's which can be taken on varying Construction areas. The higher the level an NVQ an individual has, the higher the level of CSCS Card they can gain.

The Construction Skills Certification Scheme Or CSCS

Nowadays, the Construction industry is providing lots of jobs in different related fields around the world. Whoever is working in this field knows that it is prone to dangers and accidents and the past incidents are all highlighting the various dangers to those people who are involved in this industry. Because of these dangers the government has been trying to find ways and in finding the best solution to decrease it. The end result of it all was the birth of the CSCS - the construction skills certification scheme which was born in the year 1995. This scheme played a vital and important role in bringing down the occurrence of accidents and dangers involved in the construction sites. Moving forward, this scheme was made compulsory for every construction worker from the years 2010.

The scheme and the CSCS card which can be procured after taking the CSCS test improved the safety standards in the construction sites as well as in the quality of work. The main aim of this safety scheme was to provide to every worker with a minimum knowledge in the health and safety training aspects. In today’s scenario, the construction skill cards are necessary. It is a card which you must have in order to get access to the construction sites. It is mandatory for you to appear for the CSCS test as well as pass it too in order to apply for the card. Lots of cards in varying colors are available and every color denotes the working level of the people who are engaged in that particular work. It is possible for you to select these cards can as per your past experience and the present working scenario of the individual applying for it.

Now what is this CSCS test? This is a question which may be on your minds. First of all you must not think that the test is so tough or complex. It is a simple online test. It is possible for you to select the type of test depending on your occupation that you are going to apply. The nature of the test depends greatly on the occupation you are going to perform in the construction industry.

Many websites are available which will help you in providing the requisite information on CSCS. They will also help you to register for the test online. You can do this from anywhere in the world. Many such sites even provide you help in individual registration and group registration facilities for the convenience of the workers. They will also give you information regarding the time and venue of your test which will be sent to you on your mobile number or email provided at the time of registration. You will also get the study materials at your door step in the form of books or CDs. 

It has thus become a risk free and find a tension free process to register for the CSCS test! Go ahead and take the test NOW!

CSCS Test and CSCS Card

With employers making Construction Skill Certification Scheme or CSCS Card mandatory for their workers and other employee at construction site, a big surge has been registered in people interested in taking the tests for CSCS Cards. But before you get CSCS application form in order to apply for CSCS Card, you need to take care of certain things and also get a info on what is CSCS Card and different types of it, apart from knowing about the CSCS Test which is a pre-requisite for being able to awarded with CSCS Card.

Apart from that you also need to know which card to apply for before getting CSCS application form. Construction Skills Certification Scheme offers a variety of different CSCS Cards depending upon the education, qualification, skills, expertise and experience. Following are the different types of CSCS Cards which are available and covers a vast array of construction related work.

Red Card: 

The Red Card is the most basic type of CSCS Card and has four variants depending upon the education and experience. Different types of Red Cards are

- Red Cards for Trainees

- Red Card for Graduates

- Red Card for experienced Managers, technicians and supervisors

- Red Card for experienced workers

Green Card:

This Green CSCS Card is for those who have either level 1 of NVQ or have a recommendation from the employer. Workers who do basic construction work at the site need to apply for the Green Card. 

Blue Card:

Blue Card is of two types, one for workers of Craft Unit Level and other for skilled workers.  In order to apply for Blue Card for Craft Unit Level, one must have a full NVQ or SVQ. And for skilled worker Blue Card, one needs to have a level 2 of NVQ or SVQ. 

Gold Card:

The Gold CSCS Card too is of two types. First type of Gold Card is for skilled worker and other for people in the field of Supervisory. Both the cards are valid for five years and require a level 3 of NVQ or SVQ prior to applying to applying for the Gold CSCS Card. 

Black Card: 

Applicable for the applicants working in managerial area, people applying for CSCS Black Card need to have a NVQ or SVQ level 4 or 5 in related occupation. A person having level 6 or 7 of QCF can also apply for a Black Card.

White Card:

White CSCS Card is of two types. A White-Yellow Card for professionally qualified person and a White-Grey Card for construction related occupation.  The cards are valid for five years and can be renewed too after validity period. 

Yellow Card:

For people who doesn’t have any particular expertise and skill but visit construction sites on a regular basis need to have a Yellow CSCS Card. 

In order to qualify for any of the above mentioned cards, you need to pass a Safety and Environment Test, and depending upon the type of card you have applied for, the level of examination varies.