RISK first in UK to deliver Construction industry SMSTS, SSSTS and refresher courses remotely online

Added by Love Business East Midlands | 14 May 2020

UPDATED: 14 May 2020

As a result of the COVID-19 crisis CITB has implemented remote delivery of training for SMSTS, SSSTS and refresher courses.

Adapting SMSTS, SSSTS and refresher courses - helping the construction industry reboot

RISK is an East Midlands based, award winning company and CITB Approved Training Organisation (ATO). Due to the social distancing restrictions, the standard site manager and site supervisor courses and refreshers were suspended. These qualifications are essential because a construction site manager or supervisor needs a valid SMSTS or SSSTS to work. Construction companies need the respective qualified people to open a construction site, and qualifications need renewing every five years.

CITB created an emergency response to the COVID-19 Crisis

CITB  worked quickly to respond the challenge of not being able to conventionally deliver SMSTS, SSSTS and the corresponding refresher courses. They worked with RISK and other ATO's to work out how the courses could possibly be delivered remotely online. The courses are normally limited to 20 delegates in a classroom, however this number was reduced to 10 for the video delivered version. There is an exam which is invigilated by the course tutor, papers collected and marked at the end of the course. A key area of responding to the changing requirements of the CITB, as they adapted to the crisis, was how would the exams be delivered.

Video conferencing to 10 delegates proved highly successful - with a rocky horror photo providing a few laughs

As the first to deliver the remote online SMSTS and SSSTS courses, RISK worked closely with both the CITB and its construction clients. Transferring delegates booked on the classroom based course to one delivered by zoom had a few challenges, but after the first session it was clear it was going to work.

One humorous incident was when the laptop I was using went into sleep mode and started scrolling through family photos, starting with one of me taken at a Rocky Horror night!" The guys on the course all thought it was highly hilarious to see their course tutor in fancy dress.

Mike Adams

Managing Director, RISK & Safety Management Services Ltd

SMSTS, SSSTS exams via online Microsoft Forms delivered the compliance required

RISK were tasked with recreating the exam papers using Microsoft Forms, which needed to be submitted for CITB approval. The process worked seamlessly with the invigilating via the video conferencing, proving sufficient. The ability for construction professionals to take the SMSTS and SSSTS courses, or renew their qualifications via the SMSTS Refresher or SSSTS Refresher has been an essential component of rebooting the construction industry as the lockdown measures and restrictions are eased.

This is another great example of large organisations, businesses and individuals adapting to the respond to the challenges of the 'new norm' during this COVID-19 crisis. Surely this will present an opportunity to improve flexibility within the compliance and respective training requirements for the construction industry.

Stephen Megson, Founder of Love Business and Business Owner

COVID-19 Business Support Hub

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