Site managers face new skills test

And like the red, blue and gold cards, the platinum card is receiving backing from high profile clients. The Construction Clients Forum, which already backs the other cards, says it will be lending its weight to the new card when it is launched.

Details of the entry requirements are yet to be finalised, but the skill level required will be based on NVQ/SVQ level four – equivalent to A-levels (see box). The card will cost no more than those available at present, which are £20 each, and participants of the scheme will also need a health and safety awareness certificate. Other skills are yet to be decided by the CSCS.

To join the current scheme, you must either hold the required NVQ/SVQ, or have completed an apprenticeship, or, in the case of experienced workers, have an employer's recommendation. The Construction Industry Training Board will run the scheme for the CSCS. The launch date has yet to be finalised, but informed sources say that September is likely.

Top clients NHS Estates, Defence Estates and BAA are among those backing the scheme; BAA has set a target of 2002 for all their suppliers and employees to be on the competency-based registration scheme, which includes the CSCS qualifications.

Gren Tipper, senior project manager at BAA, identifies considerations such as quality and time as equally important as price in any project. He says: "We want quality work done first time, to a good standard of health and safety." He believes that the platinum cards will help to provide this.

He stresses the CSCS cards are "an excellent starting point" as they give a client an assurance of a good standard of workmanship when dealing with companies they are not familiar with.

Stephen Goodchild is an estate manager for the East Gloucester NHS Trust and favours any accreditation. "It gives the client confidence that they are dealing with professionals and adds to the assurance of quality." Clive Cain, technical director of Defence Estates, is more direct about the matter: "the industry is full of cowboys. Clients need hard evidence of qualifications."

Michael Brown, executive director of operations at the CIOB, is involved in setting up the platinum card scheme. He believes the accreditation of site managers will filter down the chain and encourage other site operatives to carry cards. He adds that the scheme is part of the changing scene in construction: "it is extremely important to recognise site management to help develop the change needed in construction."

Construction union UCATT says the scheme is a force for change in construction. General secretary George Brumwell says it will "improve the image of construction and help to recruit good quality people at management level". He added that although many foremen and site managers are highly skilled, they have no way of proving this. Yet government emphasis on protecting the consumer makes this necessary. That's what makes the card such a good idea, he says.

The scheme also has the backing of the DETR. Keith Bailey, the manager of construction industry sponsorship at the department, is in favour of any scheme that encourages proper management: "The training of managers is a neglected area in construction. Small firms in particular have little access to training," he added.

Scheme leaders are keen to point out that the platinum card shows the industry's desire to take the initiative over accreditation and self-regulation, rather than be forced to do so by government directive. Chairman of the CSCS, Tony Merricks, says: "There's got to be some recognition for individuals on site. Managers should be asked to demonstrate their skill as well as manual operatives." He adds that the industry is best-placed to do this.

Top-ten housebuilder Beazer Homes is already in talks about adopting the putative management-training card. It is in the process of getting all its 280 site managers accredited to NVQ level three/four with the CIOB and CITB, so that they can apply for the platinum card on its release. Dennis Stokes, group construction manager, believes the card is an excellent idea. "Training," he says, "is the thing the construction industry needs." Stokes also believes an improved quality of personnel should be made a high priority by construction companies, and sees the move towards accreditation as client-focused. "The construction industry has a lot of work to do in lifting the image of managers. People need to be aware they are dealing with a professional," he remarked.

Oxfordshire-based contractor Knowles & Son is also backing the scheme. Operational director Chris McGee says such schemes assist the quality of the overall project. "Although the CSCS cards help with hiring good quality employees," he says, "we would go out of business if we relied completely on these cards." He explains that at the low end of the market, too many companies are still willing to employ operatives without certification, and many clients still procure simply on cost. However, he is confident this will change as the scheme become more widespread.

McGee also strikes a cautionary note. He questions whether management and supervisory skills are as easy to test as manual ones. Bill Mun, health and safety training officer at West-Midlands-based contractor Thomas Vale, also queries how easy it is to assess a site manager's job: "The diversity of the role is so broad, how do you judge it?"

Norman Haste, project director of BAA's Terminal 5 development, has reservations about the NVQ/SVQ as a valid qualification. He worries that it is not equal to A levels or other more established qulaifications. The CITB is looking at other entry requirements to the NVQ/SVQ.