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How long do training certificates last? The UK cheat sheet

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

Most compliance headaches on site don't come from missing training. They come from training that ran out quietly while everyone was busy. This page shows how long the most common UK construction, offshore and wind tickets last, how you renew each one, and what happens if the date slips past.

Every rule below was checked against the issuing body's own guidance in October 2026. Schemes do change their rules, so follow the links before making a decision about someone's competence.

The cheat sheet

Certificate How long it lasts How you renew it If it runs out
CSCS skilled, supervisor and manager cards (blue, gold, black, white AQP) 5 years Renew in the My CSCS app, with the right HS&E test passed in the last 2 years (CITB, or the CIC test for AQP) Shows as not valid on CSCS Smart Check until it's renewed
CSCS Labourer card (green, first card) 2 years Renewable if the holder is still labouring As above
CSCS red cards (Apprentice, Trainee, Industry Placement, Provisional, Experienced Worker, ETSM) 6 months to 5 years, depending on the card Can't be renewed, except the two-year Trainee card, which renews once into a three-year Trainee card with NVQ/SVQ registration The holder needs the next card up
SMSTS 5 years SMSTS-R refresher (2 days), completed before the expiry date Back to the full 5-day SMSTS
SSSTS 5 years SSSTS-R refresher (1 day), completed before the expiry date Back to the full 2-day SSSTS
First Aid at Work (FAW) 3 years 2-day FAW requalification course No longer counts as a workplace first aider until requalified
Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) 3 years Repeat the 1-day EFAW course As above
IPAF PAL Card 5 years IPAF Operator Renewal course (or PAL+), before expiry, with logbook evidence Full operator course again
PASMA 5 years Attend a PASMA course again before the expiry date Re-take the course
GWO Basic Safety Training modules 24 months each Refresher course for each module Full module again, as there's no grace period
OPITO BOSIET or FOET (with CA-EBS) 4 years FOET Full BOSIET. In exceptional cases, such as illness, the duty holder can grant a dispensation of up to 3 months
OPITO HUET (with CA-EBS) 4 years Repeat HUET Check the operator's requirements
OEUK offshore medical Up to 2 years New medical with an OEUK-registered doctor Needs a new medical before going offshore
Wind turbine worker medical (EI 3583) Usually every 2 years (the doctor can set a shorter period) New medical Needs a new medical

New for offshore oil and gas: from 1 November 2026, OEUK's Safe Weight Limit is mandatory for installations operating under a Safety Case. Anyone over 124 kg clothed can't fly out, and people close to the limit get shorter medical certificates. Offshore and wind tickets explained

Four rules that catch people out

1. SMSTS and SSSTS have no grace period. CITB's scheme rules say only delegates with an in-date certificate can attend the refresher, and it has to be completed before the expiry date. If it lapses, even by a day, it's the full course again, and that can't be appealed. For SMSTS that's five days instead of two. SMSTS and SSSTS refresher rules

2. Offshore refreshers have a "keep your date" window. Pass FOET in the three months before your BOSIET or FOET expires and OPITO dates the new certificate from your old expiry date, so you don't lose any time. Go any earlier and the new four years start from the course date. Duty holders and operators can set different rules, so check theirs. Offshore and wind tickets explained

3. GWO's window is two months. A GWO refresher taken up to two months before expiry keeps your original date. Take it earlier and your WINDA date resets to the course date. Let it lapse and you're back on the full module.

4. IPAF renewals need logbook entries. To get onto the shorter renewal course, IPAF's renewal guidance asks for logbook evidence: at least 60 entries over five years from 2026. No logbook means the full course. IPAF and PASMA explained

When to set your reminders

These are our suggestions rather than scheme rules. They're based on how far ahead courses book up, and on the renewal windows above.

  • CSCS cards: 6 months before expiry. That's when CSCS lets you start a renewal, and it gives time to re-sit the HS&E test if it's more than two years old.
  • SMSTS and SSSTS: 3 to 4 months before. The refresher has to be finished before expiry, and a cancelled course or a week off sick can push you past it.
  • First aid (FAW/EFAW): 3 months before, so your first aid cover doesn't drop below what your needs assessment says you need.
  • BOSIET/FOET and other OPITO tickets: 3 months before, to use OPITO's forward-dating window.
  • GWO modules: 2 months before, to keep your WINDA dates.
  • IPAF and PASMA: 3 months before, plus a check that IPAF logbooks are up to date.
  • Offshore medicals: 6 to 8 weeks before, as clinic slots can be tight.

Keeping track of it all

On a team of ten, that's easily 50 or more expiry dates, all on different cycles. Most people start with a spreadsheet, and that's fine. Our free training matrix template has expiry colours built in and 50 rows ready to fill in.

When the spreadsheet starts slipping, that's what Orgma is for. Upload a photo or PDF of each certificate, Orgma prepares the details for you to check, then keeps the confirmed records and original evidence together with expiry dates visible.

Detailed guides

Last checked against official sources: October 2026. Rules change, so always confirm with the issuing body.

Sources