Green Card CSCS: How to Transition to a Career in Construction

If you’re looking to transition into a career in construction, your first step will be getting a CSCS Green Card. In the United Kingdom, a CSCS (Construction Skills Certification Scheme) Card is an entry credential for any construction job. It confirms to employers that you can do the job you’re applying for, and that you can do it safely. 

There are a number of CSCS Cards, ranging from Blue, to Gold, to Black, amongst others. But the first is the Green Card. In today’s blog, we’ll be walking you through how to obtain this credential, and begin your construction career.

Who Does the Green CSCS Card Apply To? 

Construction is a far wider field than just building things like houses or fixing roads. The industry ranges from electrical engineering, to plumbing, and to upper management/supervisors. Before you can begin, or advance in, a career in construction, you need to display certain skills. The first time you do this, you’ll be awarded the CSCS Green Card. 

How to Get Your Green CSCS Card

The fastest way to obtain your Green CSCS Card is via our Online CSCS Labourer’s Course. This involves four steps. If you’d like to make sure you’re doing everything correctly, you might want to consider our ‘Get Into Construction’ package. 

As you’ll see on the page for our Labourer’s Course, the first step is completing our online course. This can be completed entirely online and in your own time, meaning no time off work will be necessary. It should only take around three hours to complete the course, which is made up of various videos. 

Once you’ve completed the course, your next step will be registering for the online exam. You can do this using our intuitive e-learning portal on the CST Training website. 

Your registration for the exam can take up to three working days to go through. Once you’re all set, you’ll receive login details to complete the exam. You can sit the exam at any time within a two-week window. Pass the exam, and within 10 working days we’ll send you a certificate. 

The next step is booking your CITB HS&E test. You can do this by heading to the CITB (Construction Industry Training Board) website. This test will be completed at a Pearson Vue Centre. 

Once you’ve passed the HS&E test, your final step will be applying for the Green CSCS Card itself. You can do this directly through CSCS. All you’ll need is your certificate from the exam you completed with CST Training, and your HS&E score report. Once you’ve applied for the card, you should soon receive it. Then you’ll be able to start work in construction.

Benefits of Obtaining a Green CSCS Card

So, what are the benefits of obtaining this card? It will allow you to work at construction sites without any notable hurdles. It’s essentially proof that you’re capable of safely working in construction. 

It also shows that you know how to quickly identify risks at a construction site. As well as this, it will put you in good stead from a skills and knowledge perspective. 

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