The Route to Gaining Your CPCS Card

Basic Training Route for new entrants with no machine experience		Experienced operator holding a BLUE skilled card (CPCS) or proven experience for a period of 2 years on that category of plant
Choose Mainstream and complete basic training on chosen equipment Pass the CITB touch screen health and safety test		A Mainstream Assessor will carry out Induction onto the NVQ Operator works with the Assessor to gather evidence proving competence Pass the CITB touch-screen health and safety test if not done so in the past 2 years If CPCS card is not already held, a practical skills test will need to be taken
Receive a RED trained operator's card
A Mainstream Assessor will carry out Induction onto the NVQ Operator works with the Assessor to gather evidence proving competence
On completion of the NVQ and 300 recorded operator hours on site assessment.		Receive a BLUE experienced operator's card

CPCS

The Construction Plant Competence Scheme (CPCS) was launched in 2003 with the aim of becoming the card scheme for the plant industry.

Replacing the CTA scheme, CPCS is now the main standard for plant operators, proving that they have the necessary qualifications and experience, and have passed the Health and Safety Test to operate plant safely.

The scheme is managed by a board of employers and members of industry bodies such as the Construction Confederation, the Construction Plant-Hire Association (CPA) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). It is also part of the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS)

The Health and Safety Test

The CITB-Constructions Skills Health and Safety Test is the industry standard, taken by over 300,000 people every year. It is designed to ensure everybody working in construction has a minimum level of health and safety awareness.

Passing the test is an essential part of qualifying for the major card schemes such as CSCS and affiliated schemes. Without the right card, it's increasingly difficult to get on site.

How to get a card

The scheme has been designed to be as flexible as possible to the applicant.

There are two main routes into the scheme, depending on your level of experience in operating plant. Please select the appropriate option to find out how it works.

Starting Out

Because the CPCS scheme requires you to be trained and experienced, you cannot obtain a competance card straight away. That's why the scheme has two different levels of card.

The red card is a stepping stone to a blue/green competence card, which enables trained operators to get on site to gather the work experience required to complete the NVQ/SVQ and qualify for a blue/green card.

Assessed Route

This direct route enables experienced plant operators to bypass the red (trained operator) card and go straight to blue/greem. If your machine category has an NVQ/SVQ available for it, your final card will be blue. If your category does not have a specific NVQ/SVQ, then your final card will be green.

You must be aged 21 or over, have at least three years general plant operating experience with two years operating experience on the category of plant that you wish to hold on your CPCS card to qualify.

The key advantage of this route is that those who are highly experienced don't have to repeat initial training, which saves time and money.

How to renew a card

When the time comes to renew your card there are three simple steps to follow.

You must have:

1. Passed the CITB - Construction Skills Health and Safety Test within the last 2 years
2. Been confirmed as competent in the category or categories of plant you are renewing (by an endorser and validator from within your employer)
3. Recorded a minimum of 300 hours (this is calculated pro-rata at five hours per month if you have not held your card for a full five years) in each category of plant you are renewing on your card - you can use the calculator below to work out how many hours you need.

Pro Rata Recorded Hours

You will need to record 5 hours per calendar month since the card was issued.

Endorsements

When the category to be renewed has endorsements, a minimum of 10% of the recorded hours must be for work completed using each endorsement. However, the operator will still only require 300 hours (pro rata) in each category being renewed.

Adding Categories

If you need to be able to operate categories of machine not listed on your CPCS card, you must go through the red (Trained operator) card route, before being able to add them to your existing blue or green card.

The first step is to pass the CPCS operator test, for which you might also need to carry out basic training with a CPCS Accredited Training Provider. You may also need to pass the CITB - Construction Skills Health and Safety Test, if you haven't already done so within the previous two years.

You can then apply for your red (trained plant operator) card which will enable you to operate this category of plant on site. This card is only valid for three years and cannot be renewed. In these three years, you must log 300 hours and complete any relevant units of the NVQ/SVQ before the category can be added to your blue or green card.

The category must be held on a red card for a minimum of six months before it can be added to your blue/green card.