The ambitious plan for the card underlines the determination of the CSCS to shake off industry skepticism after CITB-ConstructionSkills said it was ending its 16-year tie-up with the scheme.
CSCS cards are currently used as proof of competence by most major clients and contractors. The move also comes at the same time as a report for the Health and Safety Executive by Pye Tait Consulting called for the establishment of a single authority to monitor and be responsible for the industry’s card schemes that would also maintain a database of cardholders’ skill levels and safety qualifications.
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But CSCS chief executive Brian Adams said: “We want the CSCS card to be the single card for all the industry’s needs. Instead of site workers carrying around a dozen different cards, one for getting through site security, another for showing their skill level etc, a single CSCS card could carry all the information employers need, and employees require on site.”
He added: “The CSCS card became a smart card with a microchip in 2010. That means the card can now hold a permanent record of an operative’s qualifications, including any additional qualifications people choose to gain by ‘upskilling’ in new areas applicable to the industry.”
The CSCS smart card has been piloted at Tottenham Court Road station
The one-stop card is being piloted on London Underground’s refurbishment of Tottenham Court Road station by joint venture contractors Vinci Construction and BAM Nuttall. A spokesperson for BAM said: “It’s proved very useful having all training information as well as a site security pass on a single card.”
Adams believes the card would also enable and encourage craft workers, who often work for a range of employers, to undertake CPD, something that hitherto has remained the preserve of technicians and managerial operatives.
He added: “We’re talking to contractors about adopting this on a wider scale. Right now we’re rolling out around 25,000 of the smart cards each month, but we only made the switch in January 2010, so there are still a number of old cards with three and a half years left on them, but it’s where the CSCS scheme is heading.”
Commenting on the break with ConstructionSkills, Adams said he was “disappointed” by the training board’s decision, but insisted it would not affect the future of the CSCS.
