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CSCS card types and colours: what each card means and how long it lasts

A practical reference for planning and record keeping. Confirm current scheme and employer requirements before booking training or authorising work.

A CSCS card shows that someone working on a UK construction site has the training and qualifications for the job they do. CSCS currently lists 13 card types. The colour gives you a rough idea of level, but the occupation printed on the card (and shown in CSCS Smart Check) is what tells you what the person is actually qualified to do.

Every CSCS card at a glance

Card Colour Who it's for How long it lasts Can it be renewed?
Labourer Green Labouring occupations only 2 years (first card) Yes, if still labouring
Apprentice Red Registered apprentices 4 years 6 months No (the card is free)
Trainee Red People registered on a construction NVQ/SVQ, HNC, HND or degree 5 years No
Trainee (two-year route) Red People who achieved an approved Level 2+ non-competence qualification in the last five years 2 years Once: it renews into a 3-year Trainee card with proof of NVQ/SVQ registration. The 3-year card can't be renewed
Industry Placement Red Students on courses with a work placement of at least three weeks, such as T Levels 2 years (cards issued before CSCS's July 2026 change were 3 years) No
Provisional Red New starters on probation or short work experience who have never held a CSCS card 6 months, once only No
Experienced Worker Red* Experienced workers registered on an NVQ/SVQ Level 2 1 year No
Experienced Technical, Supervisor or Manager (ETSM) Red* Experienced supervisors, managers and technical staff registered on a Level 3+ NVQ/SVQ 3 years No
Skilled Worker Blue NVQ/SVQ Level 2 (or an approved apprenticeship) 5 years Yes
Skilled Worker Gold NVQ/SVQ Level 3 (or an approved apprenticeship, or an Advanced Craft Certificate) 5 years Yes
Supervisory Gold Supervisory or technical NVQ/SVQ Level 3 or 4 5 years Yes
Manager Black Construction management or technical NVQ/SVQ Level 4 to 7 5 years Yes
Academically Qualified Person (AQP) White Construction-related degrees, HNDs, HNCs, CIOB certificates and some NEBOSH diplomas and certificates 5 years Yes
Professionally Qualified Person (PQP) White* Members of CSCS-approved professional bodies 5 years No: apply for a new card

Colours are taken from CSCS's own guidance and blog. For the cards marked *, CSCS doesn't state a colour, so these come from CITB's Go Construct guide.

What every card needs

Almost every application and renewal needs the right level of CITB Health, Safety and Environment (HS&E) test, passed within the last two years. The exception is renewing a first two-year Labourer card, where the test can be up to three years old. There are three levels: Operatives, Specialists, and Managers and Professionals. CSCS accepts a few alternatives for some cards, such as the CIC Health and Safety Test for academic and professional cards. The CITB test costs £23.50 (from April 2026), and a CSCS card application costs £36. Apprentice cards are free.

The green Labourer card

Since 1 February 2025, the first Labourer card lasts two years instead of five. To get one you need the HS&E test and the Level 1 Award in Health and Safety in a Construction Environment, or a CSCS-approved alternative. The card is only for labouring work. Someone in a skilled occupation shouldn't be on site with a Labourer card. Holders who are still labouring can renew it.

Red cards are stepping stones

Only one red card can be renewed: the two-year Trainee card, once, into a three-year Trainee card when the holder has registered on an NVQ/SVQ. None of the others can be renewed. Each one gives someone time to finish a qualification or an apprenticeship and move up to a skilled, supervisor or manager card. If you have people on red cards, keep an eye on how far their NVQ has got as well as the expiry date. When most red cards run out, there's no renewal to fall back on.

Renewing a CSCS card

  • You can start a renewal up to six months before the expiry date on the card.
  • Workers renew in the My CSCS app. Employers and training providers can renew for their people through CSCS Online.
  • You need the qualification behind the previous card plus an HS&E test passed in the last two years. (CSCS has a slightly different rule for the first Labourer renewal.)
  • Once a renewal is approved, the digital card appears in the My CSCS app straight away. A physical card is posted out too.
  • An expired card shows as not valid on CSCS Smart Check, so it won't get anyone through a site gate that checks cards properly.

Do SMSTS and SSSTS count towards a CSCS card?

No. CSCS doesn't accept CITB's SMSTS or SSSTS for the Supervisory or Manager cards. Those cards need the NVQ/SVQ qualifications in the table plus the matching HS&E test. Supervisors and managers can still add SMSTS and SSSTS to the My Skills section of the My CSCS app. SMSTS and SSSTS refresher rules

Cards that no longer exist

If someone shows you one of these, it isn't valid:

  • Industry Accreditation cards. The scheme closed, and every card had expired by 31 December 2024.
  • Construction Site Visitor card. Withdrawn in 2020.
  • Construction Related Occupation (CRO) card. Withdrawn in 2017.

The CSCS Alliance has around 36 member card schemes, including CSCS itself, and all of them can show the CSCS logo. They include CPCS (plant), ECS (electrical), JIB-PMES (plumbing), CISRS (scaffolding), EUSR (utilities) and Q-card, plus NPORS and IPAF cards that carry the logo. Not every card from these schemes does: NPORS also issues a traditional card without the CSCS logo, and a UK IPAF PAL Card only carries it if the holder has a valid HS&E test. Any card with the CSCS logo can be checked with CSCS Smart Check.

Two changes are worth knowing about:

  • EUSR: registrations on the new SHEA (2026) programmes are printed on an EUSR card without the CSCS logo, and since 1 October 2026 all SHEA training has to use those programmes. Workers who need a CSCS-logo card for site access now apply separately for an EUSR CSCS card.
  • CISRS (scaffolding): CISRS is ending its licence to use the CSCS logo and plans to leave the CSCS scheme in mid-2027. CISRS says existing cards will stay valid for their duration. Keep an eye on what your principal contractors will accept after that.

What this means for your training matrix

For each person, record the card type, colour, occupation, registration number and expiry date. Set a reminder six months before expiry. For anyone on a red card, also record their qualification and its progress, because that's what decides their next card. And check cards with Smart Check rather than by eye. How to check a CSCS card

Prefer a spreadsheet for now? Get our free training matrix template.

Common questions

What colour is a CSCS manager card? Black. Supervisory cards are gold, and the Academically Qualified Person card is white.

How long does a green CSCS card last? A first Labourer card issued since 1 February 2025 lasts two years. After that it can be renewed if the holder is still working as a labourer.

Can you renew a red CSCS card? Mostly no. The exception is the two-year Trainee card, which can be renewed once as a three-year Trainee card if the holder has registered on an NVQ/SVQ. The other red cards (Apprentice, the five-year and three-year Trainee cards, Industry Placement, Provisional, Experienced Worker and ETSM) can't be renewed, so the holder needs to move on to the next card before theirs expires.

How early can I renew my CSCS card? Up to six months before the expiry date, through the My CSCS app.

Is SMSTS enough for a black CSCS card? No. The Manager card needs a construction management or technical NVQ/SVQ at Level 4 to 7, plus the Managers and Professionals HS&E test.

Last checked against official sources: October 2026. CSCS updates its rules regularly, so check cscs.uk.com for the latest.

Sources