CPA Bulletin

www.cpa.uk.net CPA Bulletin > May 2022 35 TRAINING: 2 Plant-based Card Schemes and Competency Introduction One of the topics raised by CPA Members during the Pye Tait review on training provision were a number of concerns over card schemes. 98% of survey respondents used card schemes, however 90% believed that some action was required in relation to card schemes. Factors cited include further clarity on how competency is obtained/ascertained and that they needed a better understanding of each card scheme to inform choice, particularly as many employers have limited time to spend understanding the differences between them. Members who were interviewed further indicated that trust in the assessment of competence appeared to be low along with doubts about card scheme quality assurance processes. In aiming to resolve the raised concerns, this first of two articles will look at how plant-based card schemes originated, who they are and where they sit within the sector, whilst the second article in the next CPA Bulletin will look at competency requirements and how card schemes support employers’ responsibilities for maintaining a competent workforce. Background to Plant Card Schemes The notion of a national card scheme for plant operators was identified by CPA back in the early 1980’s who felt that some form of safety awareness training was needed along with a national recognition of skills for various categories of plant. Plant certification schemes were around at the time but none had a national approach. This need resulted in the launch of the Certificate of Training Achievement (CTA) scheme back in 1986 by the CPA in partnership with the Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors and the Builders Employers Federation, whilst CITB were asked to manage and administer the scheme of behalf of the federations. Health and safety training through a seven-hour course was mandated along with routes of entry for new entrants, experienced operators and also ‘grandfather- rights’. The routes of new entrants required training whilst experienced operators could go straight to testing whilst the grandfather-rights route required an employer endorsement of skills on the relevant category. In each case, a CTA certificate - later a card - was issued and valid for a 5-year period. More categories were subsequently added to the scheme and the grandfather-rights entry eventually removed and in 1992, a CTA Management Committee was formed, with CPA having the most seats on the Committee. Around this time, other plant- card schemes such as the National Plant Operators Registration Scheme (NPORS) were being set up. The limitation of the CTA scheme was that it only recognised basic training achievement along with site health and safety knowledge but as time progressed, a need to ascertain competency was becoming a necessity. This resulted in the CTA Management Committee seeking to devise a competence- based scheme in the early 2000’s. This was also the point where following the Egan report on revitalising health and safety, the Major Contractors Group (MCG) came into being and launched the initiative of a fully qualified workforce through the attainment of NVQs and SVQs, recognised through CSCS certification. CPCS as ‘the’ Industry Scheme With a number of plant-based card schemes functioning in the sector, they were encouraged to form a single card entity from which CTA, along with NPORS and Lantra Awards initially forming the Construction Plant Competency Scheme (CPCS), with the Mineral Products sector (MPQC) and the lorry loader sector, through ALLMI, already members of CTA. The formation of the scheme was a result of employers seeking assurance of competence for operators of construction plant and the CTA-derived competency programme was adopted by CPCS and launched in 2003. A new CPCS Management Committee was formed to represent industry federations, with the scheme offering certification for a large range of plant types and supporting occupations such as slinger/signaller, etc. In subsequent years, both NPORS and ALLMI resigned their seats on the Management Committee and continue to administer their own card schemes. In 2018 CITB sold CPCS to NOCN, an educational charity. Red and Blue Cards A generic term now commonly used by industry, ‘red’ and ‘blue’ cards recognise the stage that the cardholder is at in their journey towards competence and introduced by CPCS at the scheme’s launch. The red ‘trained operator’ card indicating that basic training had been undertaken with again, an experienced worker assessment route that negated training if skills and knowledge were previously held. The blue ‘competent operator’ card was issued on achievement of the relevant plant-related NVQ or SVQ. The red card has a validity period of two years and was only issued once, whilst the blue card has a validity period of five years and renewed on health and safety testing and logged operating hours through a logbook process, with the renewal process later upgraded with the adoption of a technical-based knowledge test. In 2017, CPCS focussed its quality assurance process away from training and towards a