Course overview
If you run a construction site in Edinburgh, or you are about to take one on, the CITB Site Management Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS) is the qualification main contractors and clients will expect to see before they hand you the keys to the cabin. It is the recognised benchmark for site managers across the UK construction industry, and on most managed sites in the capital it is treated as essential rather than desirable. Our SMSTS course for Edinburgh delegates is delivered live online via Zoom over five consecutive weekdays, Monday to Friday, so you can earn the certificate without leaving the city, booking accommodation, or fighting your way across town in the morning rush.
Edinburgh’s construction market gives site managers plenty to manage. The city combines dense, sensitive work in the Old and New Towns, where refurbishment and fit-out projects run tight sites hemmed in by listed buildings and busy streets, with large-scale new build on the edges: waterfront regeneration around Leith and Granton, major housing delivery in the growth corridors towards Winchburgh, Shawfair and South Queensferry, student accommodation and hotel schemes in the centre, and ongoing commercial development around Haymarket and the West End. Add the civil engineering and infrastructure work that supports all of it, and you have a region where the person managing the site carries real responsibility for programme, people and safety every single day.
That is exactly the job SMSTS prepares you for. Over five days you cover the legal duties that sit with a site manager, how to plan and control site activities safely, and how to build a safety culture that holds up under commercial pressure. This page explains who the course suits, what it covers, how the live online format works for delegates based in Edinburgh and the Lothians, how the assessment and certification work, and how to book your place.
Who the SMSTS course is for
SMSTS is aimed at the people who carry overall responsibility for a construction site. Where the two-day SSSTS course is pitched at supervisors and first-line managers, SMSTS is the five-day scheme for those who plan, organise, monitor and control the whole operation. If subcontractors report to you, if you sign off the construction phase plan, or if the buck stops with you when the HSE inspector walks through the gate, this is your course.
It is a strong fit for:
- Site managers and agents running projects day to day
- Project managers with responsibility for site delivery and safety
- Experienced site supervisors stepping up into a management role
- Business owners and directors of construction firms who oversee their own sites
- Contracts managers and construction managers who need a formal safety management qualification
- Self-employed contractors in Edinburgh who take on principal contractor duties
Delegates joining from Edinburgh and the surrounding area come from every corner of the industry: main contractors delivering city-centre commercial schemes, housebuilders working the new settlements around the bypass, groundworks and civils firms, fit-out and refurbishment specialists working in the tenements and listed stock, and the many subcontract businesses that move between all of them. Whatever your sector, if you manage people and activities on site, SMSTS is written for your role.
You do not need a prior safety qualification to attend. Some site experience is genuinely helpful, because the course leans heavily on real scenarios and group discussion, but newly promoted managers and those preparing for their first site role complete the course successfully every week. What you do need is a good standard of spoken and written English, since the course, its materials and the exam are all delivered in English, plus a reliable internet connection and a suitable device to join the Zoom sessions.
What you’ll learn
The SMSTS syllabus is set by CITB and covers the full breadth of a site manager’s health and safety responsibilities. Rather than listing every module here, it helps to think of the course in three broad strands.
The first is the law. You will work through the Health and Safety at Work Act and the key regulations that flow from it, including the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations, and you will come away understanding exactly where a site manager’s legal duties begin and end. That includes what the law expects of you personally, what it expects of your employer, and what happens when things go wrong on site.
The second strand is practical safety management: risk assessments and method statements, safe systems of work, and how to plan, monitor and control the high-risk activities that dominate serious incident statistics in construction. Working at height, excavations, scaffolding, demolition, confined spaces, temporary works and occupational health all feature, always from the manager’s perspective. The question is never just what the rule says, but how you make it happen on a live site with a programme to hit.
The third strand is leadership. A site manager sets the tone for everyone else, so the course spends real time on behavioural safety, building a positive site culture, communicating with your workforce, and dealing with the awkward conversations that come with the job. Delegates consistently say this is where the five days pay for themselves, because it turns the legal knowledge into something you can actually use when you are stood in front of a gang on a wet Monday morning.
Every delegate receives the official CITB course materials, which remain a useful day-to-day reference long after the course finishes. A full modules breakdown appears further down this page if you want to see the detailed topic list.
How the course runs
The SMSTS course runs over five consecutive midweek days, Monday to Friday, from 8:30 to 17:00 each day. Full attendance on all five days is a requirement of the scheme; CITB does not permit partial attendance, so it is worth planning your week and letting your project team know well in advance that you will be off site.
Delivery is live online via Zoom. This is a real class taught in real time by an experienced construction trainer, not a set of recorded videos you watch alone. You see and hear the tutor, ask questions the moment they occur to you, work through case studies and group exercises with the other delegates, and take part in the discussions that make the course stick. The group typically includes managers from across the UK, which delegates from Edinburgh often mention as a benefit in itself: hearing how a manager on a London high-rise or a Manchester civils job handles the same problem you face on a Leith refurbishment adds a perspective a purely local classroom cannot.
To take part you need a laptop, desktop or tablet with a camera and microphone, and a stable internet connection. If you can join an ordinary video call, you have everything the course requires. We send clear joining instructions before the course starts, and our team is on hand if you would like to check your setup beforehand. Many Edinburgh delegates join from a home office; others dial in from a quiet room at the site cabin or the company office. As long as the space is quiet enough to concentrate for a full training day, it will do the job.
Assessment and the SMSTS exam
The course finishes with a formal examination on the final day. The paper is made up of multiple-choice questions, multi-response questions where more than one answer applies, and short written-answer questions. The exam lasts approximately 30 minutes and the pass mark is 81%.
That figure sounds demanding, but the exam is designed to confirm you have understood the material, not to trip you up. Your tutor prepares you for it throughout the week, with knowledge checks and exercises after each major topic, so by Friday there are no surprises in the paper. Across our SMSTS courses we see a 98.7% pass rate, which reflects both the quality of the teaching and the fact that the content is directly relevant to the job most delegates already do.
If you want to gauge where you stand before the course, or simply settle your nerves ahead of exam day, you can try our free SMSTS mock test. It uses the same question styles as the real assessment and is a useful way to spot any topics worth extra attention during the week.
Why train online from Edinburgh
The biggest practical advantage of the live online SMSTS for Edinburgh delegates is simple: no travel, for five days straight. Construction work in the region is spread across a wide area, from city-centre sites out through the Lothians to Livingston, Bathgate, Dalkeith and Musselburgh, across the water into Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy in Fife, and along the M9 towards Falkirk and Stirling. Wherever you are based, getting to a fixed classroom for a full working week means five commutes, five days of parking, and potentially accommodation costs on top of the course fee. Training online removes all of it. Your commute is the length of your hallway, and the money stays in your pocket.
There is no physical venue for this course, and we are upfront about that because it is a genuine strength rather than a compromise. The certificate you earn online is the exact same CITB SMSTS certificate awarded on any classroom course in the country. Same syllabus, same tutor-led delivery, same exam, same five-year validity, and exactly the same recognition when you present it to a main contractor on an Edinburgh site. No employer distinguishes between an SMSTS earned online and one earned in a classroom, because CITB makes no such distinction on the certificate.
Online delivery also solves a problem that Edinburgh firms know well: taking a site manager off the job for a week is disruptive enough without adding travel time either side of each day. With the live online format, a manager can be reachable at the site during breaks if something urgent comes up, and is back at their desk the moment the course day finishes at 17:00. For companies putting several managers through the course, everyone joins from wherever suits them, with no minibus, no hotel bill, and no one losing Sunday evening to travel.
And because the course draws delegates from across the UK, you train alongside managers from a wide range of projects and sectors. The group discussion that comes out of that mix is one of the most valuable parts of the week.
Certification and five-year validity
Pass the exam and complete all five days and you will be awarded the official CITB SMSTS certificate. It is recognised across the UK construction industry and is the standard piece of evidence that principal contractors, clients and accreditation schemes look for when confirming that a site manager is competent to run a site safely.
The certificate is valid for five years from the date of issue. Before it expires, you keep your qualification current by completing the CITB SMSTS refresher course, a shorter two-day update that brings your knowledge into line with current legislation and best practice. It is worth putting the renewal date in your diary as soon as your certificate arrives: if you let the five years lapse, CITB requires you to sit the full five-day course again rather than the refresher, which is an expensive diary mistake to make.
For Edinburgh managers, the certificate travels with you. Whether your next project is a fit-out in the New Town, a housing phase at Shawfair, or a contract at the other end of the country, the SMSTS is recognised wherever UK construction work is happening.
CITB grant funding
SMSTS is a CITB grant-claimable course. If your employer is registered with CITB and pays the levy, the business may be able to claim a grant towards the cost of your training, subject to CITB’s eligibility rules and approval. For construction firms in and around Edinburgh that are levy-registered, this meaningfully reduces the net cost of qualifying a manager.
The claim is made by the employer rather than the delegate, and any approved grant is paid by CITB directly to the business after successful completion of the course. If you are unsure whether your company is eligible, or you would like guidance on how the process works, our team is happy to point you in the right direction when you book.
How to book
The SMSTS course costs £430. That covers all five days of live tutor-led training, the official CITB course materials, the end-of-course examination and, on passing, your CITB SMSTS certificate.
Booking takes a couple of minutes. You can view upcoming SMSTS course dates and book online, or call our team free on 0808 164 2780 if you would rather talk through dates first, book several delegates from the same company, or ask anything about the course before committing. You can also find full scheme details on our main CITB SMSTS course page.
Courses run regularly throughout the year, all Monday to Friday, so most Edinburgh delegates can find a week that fits around project commitments. Because the course is delivered online, places are not limited by the size of a local classroom, though weeks do still fill up, particularly in spring and autumn, so it pays to book ahead of any deadline your employer or principal contractor has set.
Frequently asked questions
Is the SMSTS certificate recognised on construction sites in Edinburgh?
Yes, fully. The SMSTS is a CITB Site Safety Plus qualification and is recognised across the whole UK construction industry, including every major contractor and client operating in Edinburgh and the Lothians. Many principal contractors treat it as a mandatory requirement for anyone in a site management role, so holding a current SMSTS certificate is often the deciding factor in whether you can take charge of a site at all.
Do I need to travel anywhere in Edinburgh to attend the course?
No. The course is delivered entirely live online via Zoom, so there is no venue to travel to. You join each day from wherever suits you in or around Edinburgh: a home office, a quiet room at your company’s premises, or the site cabin. All you need is a laptop, desktop or tablet with a camera and microphone and a reliable internet connection. The certificate you earn is identical to one gained on a classroom course.
Will Edinburgh employers accept an SMSTS gained online?
Yes. CITB makes no distinction between SMSTS certificates earned online and in a classroom; the syllabus, the tutor-led delivery, the exam and the certificate itself are all the same. Employers and principal contractors across Edinburgh accept online-delivered SMSTS certificates exactly as they do classroom ones, because on paper and in practice there is no difference.
How long does the SMSTS course take?
Five consecutive midweek days, Monday to Friday, running from 8:30 to 17:00 each day. Full attendance on all five days is a CITB requirement, so partial attendance or catching up on a missed day is not permitted. Plan for a full week away from site duties.
How much does the SMSTS course cost?
The course costs £430. That includes all five days of live online training, the official CITB course materials, the end-of-course exam and your CITB SMSTS certificate on passing. Eligible CITB levy-registered employers may also be able to claim a CITB grant towards the cost.
What is the SMSTS exam like and what is the pass mark?
The exam takes place on the final day and lasts approximately 30 minutes. It consists of multiple-choice questions, multi-response questions and short written-answer questions, with a pass mark of 81%. Your tutor prepares you thoroughly during the week, and our delegates achieve a 98.7% pass rate. You can also try our free SMSTS mock test online before the course to check your readiness.
Should I take SMSTS or SSSTS?
It depends on your role. SSSTS is the two-day scheme for site supervisors, gangers and first-line managers who oversee a team or a section of the works. SMSTS is the five-day scheme for those with overall responsibility for managing a site: site managers, agents, project managers and business owners. If you plan, organise and control the whole site rather than supervising one part of it, SMSTS is the correct course. Once you hold it, the certificate is valid for five years and is then renewed with the two-day SMSTS refresher.
Ready to qualify? Reserve your place on an upcoming SMSTS course today by booking online or calling us free on 0808 164 2780. Five days of live online training, a 98.7% pass rate and the UK construction industry’s benchmark site management qualification at the end of it: for site managers across Edinburgh and the Lothians, it is the most straightforward week you will ever spend advancing your career.
Modules breakdown
Across the five days, your tutor works through the full CITB Site Management Safety Training Scheme syllabus, blending live teaching with group discussions, case studies and daily knowledge checks. Every module is taught with the site manager’s responsibilities in mind, covering the following key areas:
Health and safety legislation
- Health and Safety at Work Act fundamentals and their implications for construction
- Environmental legislation affecting construction sites
- Recent developments and new guidance in safety regulations
- Responsibilities under relevant legislation, and industry best practice beyond the legal minimum
Risk management
- Conducting thorough risk assessments and implementing the necessary control measures
- Ensuring safe working practices across different site activities
- Managing common safety issues on construction sites
- Creating systems for continual safety awareness
Leadership and communication
- Developing a positive safety culture on site
- Techniques for communicating safety protocols effectively
- Engaging the workforce in health and safety initiatives
- Managing subcontractors and supporting site supervisors in their safety responsibilities
Practical site management
- Day-to-day safety management techniques
- Responding to incidents and near misses
- Documentation and record-keeping requirements
- Site inspections, audits, toolbox talks and safety briefings
Special site hazards
- Working at height safety protocols
- Plant and equipment safety
- Excavation and groundworks safety
- Managing hazardous substances
- Electrical safety on construction sites
You attend all five training days, take part in the group activities and knowledge checks, then sit the final exam. On passing, you receive the official CITB SMSTS certificate, valid for five years, which you keep current with the two-day SMSTS Refresher Course before it expires. If you supervise rather than manage a site, the two-day SSSTS course may be the better fit – our team can help you choose.
Excellent
