Course overview
Somebody has to carry the site. On every construction project across Newcastle upon Tyne, from commercial fit-outs in the city centre to housing schemes pushing out through the suburbs and civils work along the Tyne, there is one person whose name sits against the safety of everything that happens inside the hoarding. The site manager plans the programme, controls the subcontractors, signs off the method statements and answers for it all when something goes wrong. Principal contractors and clients working in Newcastle and across the North East expect that person to hold a current CITB Site Management Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS) certificate, and on most major sites it is a firm requirement before a manager is allowed to run the job.
Our CITB SMSTS course gives you that qualification over five days of live, tutor-led training delivered online via Zoom video link, so you can complete the industry’s benchmark site management course from your home or office anywhere in Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland or the wider North East without travelling to a training venue. The course costs £430, runs Monday to Friday on consecutive midweek days, and leads to the official CITB SMSTS certificate that is recognised on construction sites across the UK, valid for five years.
The regional market keeps demand for qualified site managers steady. Newcastle’s construction workload is a genuine mix: office and commercial development around the city core, purpose-built student accommodation serving two universities, residential schemes across Tyneside, industrial and logistics units along the A1 and A19 corridors, and the steady churn of refurbishment, infrastructure and public-sector work that keeps the region’s contractors busy. Whoever manages those sites needs the SMSTS, and Skills Training Group, a CITB-approved training organisation with a 98.7% SMSTS pass rate, delivers it without asking you to leave the North East to get it.
Who the SMSTS Course Is For
The SMSTS is the senior course in the CITB Site Safety Plus scheme. It is written for the people who plan, organise, monitor and control construction work, rather than those who supervise a single squad or trade. It is the right course for you if you are:
- A site manager or site agent running a construction project in Newcastle or the North East
- A project manager with responsibility for health and safety across one or more sites
- An experienced site supervisor stepping up into a site management role
- A business owner who oversees construction sites and carries the legal duties that come with that
- A proprietor or contracts manager whose clients or principal contractors require a current SMSTS before appointment
It is worth being clear about where this course sits, because delegates occasionally book the wrong one. The SMSTS is the five-day course for managers who control an entire site. The two-day SSSTS, the Site Supervisors’ Safety Training Scheme, is for supervisors, gangers and foremen who direct work on the ground under a site manager. If your role is to run the project, hold the site inductions strategy, manage the subcontractors and own the construction phase plan, the SMSTS is the qualification the industry expects you to hold. If you supervise a section of the works rather than the whole site, the shorter course will serve you better and cost you three fewer days.
Plenty of Newcastle delegates book the SMSTS at a career turning point: an assistant site manager about to take their first full site, a long-serving supervisor being promoted, or a subcontractor owner who is winning bigger packages and finding that main contractors now ask to see the certificate. If ideally you have some site experience behind you, the course content will land more easily, but the essential requirements are simply a good standard of spoken and written English and the willingness to engage with five full days of training.
What You Will Learn
Over the five days, your tutor works through everything a site manager needs in order to run a safe, legally compliant construction site. Rather than list every module here, this is the shape of it: the course grounds you in health and safety law and the specific legal responsibilities that attach to the person managing a site, including the Health and Safety at Work Act and the CDM Regulations. From that legal foundation it moves into the practical management of risk: writing and reviewing risk assessments and method statements, planning high-risk activities such as work at height, excavations, demolition, temporary works and confined spaces, and putting proper control measures around them.
Just as importantly, the course deals with the human side of running a site. You will cover behavioural safety and how a manager builds a positive safety culture, occupational health and worker wellbeing, and how to lead inductions, briefings and toolbox talks in a way that actually changes what happens on the ground. Case studies, group exercises and real-world examples run throughout, and because the class is live and interactive, you are encouraged to bring situations from your own sites into the discussion. A manager dealing with a tight city-centre site in Newcastle faces different pressures from one running a greenfield industrial unit off the A19, and the format gives room to explore both.
A full modules breakdown appears further down this page, so you can see exactly what each part of the syllabus covers before you book.
How the Course Runs
The SMSTS 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 CITB requirement, so it needs to be a clear week: the course is intensive by design, and the final assessment draws on everything covered from the first morning onwards.
Delivery is live online via Zoom video link. This is not a set of recorded videos or an e-learning package you click through alone. You join a real classroom in real time, led by an experienced construction trainer, alongside a group of fellow delegates. You see and hear the tutor throughout, ask questions as they occur to you, take part in the group exercises and discussions, and work through the case studies together, exactly as you would in a physical training room. The syllabus, the assessment and the certificate are all identical to classroom-based SMSTS training; the only difference is that you attend from wherever suits you in Newcastle or beyond, rather than commuting to a venue every morning for a week.
To take part you will need a suitable device, ideally a laptop or desktop computer with a webcam and microphone, and a reliable internet connection. If you have ever sat on a video call from the site office, you already have everything the course requires, and we send clear joining instructions before your start date.
Assessment and the SMSTS Exam
The course concludes with an exam made up of multiple-choice questions, multi-response questions and short written-answer questions. It lasts approximately 30 minutes, and the pass mark is 81%.
That pass mark looks demanding on paper, but it should be kept in perspective. The exam tests the material your tutor has spent five full days teaching, checking and reinforcing, and it holds no surprises for anyone who has attended the sessions and taken part in the exercises. Our delegates pass at a rate of 98.7%, which reflects how the course is taught: understanding is checked continuously across the week rather than left to a final cram, so by the time the paper is in front of you the content is already familiar.
If you want to see the style of question before you commit to the course, we publish a free SMSTS practice test that you can sit online at any time. Many Newcastle delegates run through it before booking, both to settle their nerves about the exam format and to gauge how much of the ground they already know from experience on site.
Why Train Online from Newcastle
Because this course is delivered entirely online, there is no venue to get to, and for a five-day course that matters more than it first appears. A week of classroom training at a fixed location means five days of commuting across town, five days of city-centre parking or Metro tickets, and for delegates coming in from Northumberland, County Durham or the coast, potentially a week of hotel bills on top of the course fee. Training over a live Zoom link removes every one of those costs and every one of those early starts. You attend from your home in Gosforth, your office on the quayside, or the site cabin in Cramlington, and at 17:00 each day you are already back where you need to be.
There is no compromise hidden in that convenience. The certificate you earn is the same official CITB SMSTS certificate a classroom delegate receives, recognised by contractors and clients in Newcastle and across the whole UK construction industry. Nobody reviewing your card at a site gate can tell, or has any reason to care, whether you trained in a physical classroom or over a video link, because the syllabus, tutor contact time and examination are identical.
The online format also changes who is in the room with you. Instead of a class drawn from one city, you train alongside site managers and project managers from across the country, comparing how different firms and regions handle the same problems. For a course built around discussion and shared experience, a mixed national group is a genuine advantage. And for North East employers with staff spread across several sites, the format means two or three managers can sit the same course in the same week without everyone converging on a single venue on a Monday morning.
Certification and Five-Year Validity
On successful completion you receive the official CITB SMSTS certificate. This is the qualification named in tender documents, pre-qualification questionnaires and site rules across the UK construction industry, and it is the standard evidence that a site manager holds the required health and safety competence. Whether the sites you manage are in Newcastle, elsewhere in the North East or anywhere else in the country, the certificate carries the same recognition.
The certificate is valid for five years from the date of issue. Before it expires, you keep it current by completing the shorter CITB SMSTS Refresher course rather than repeating the full five days. The refresher updates your knowledge in line with changes to legislation and industry practice and renews the certificate for a further five years. It is worth putting the expiry date in your calendar well in advance: if the certificate lapses, CITB rules require the full course to be taken again, which is an expensive way to lose track of a date.
CITB Grant Funding
If your employer is registered with CITB, they may be eligible to claim a CITB grant towards the cost of this course. For levy-registered construction employers in Newcastle and the North East this can take a meaningful bite out of the £430 course fee, and it applies whether the firm is putting one manager through the course or several. Grant claims are made by the employer rather than the delegate, so if you are booking through your company it is worth checking their CITB registration before the course and making sure whoever handles the levy return knows the training is taking place. If you are unsure whether your organisation qualifies, our team can point you in the right direction when you book.
How to Book Your SMSTS Course
Booking takes a few minutes. You can book your SMSTS course online, where you will find the full list of upcoming five-day course dates and can reserve your place straight away. If you would rather talk it through first, call our team free on 0808 164 2780; they can help you pick a date that fits around your project commitments, answer questions about the exam or the technology, and arrange places for several delegates at once if you are booking for a team.
Courses run regularly throughout the year, but the five-day format means each one has limited places and popular dates do fill. If you need the certificate for a project start in Newcastle, or a principal contractor has given you a deadline to produce it, booking ahead is the surest way to get the week you want. Full course details, dates and the complete syllabus are also available on our main CITB SMSTS course page.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to travel to a training venue in Newcastle?
No. The course is delivered entirely online as a live class over a Zoom video link, so there is no venue, no commute and no parking to think about. You attend from your home or office anywhere in Newcastle, Tyneside or the wider North East, and you get the same tutor-led training, the same exam and the same CITB certificate as a classroom delegate. All you need is a suitable device with a webcam and microphone and a reliable internet connection.
Is the online SMSTS certificate accepted on Newcastle construction sites?
Yes. The certificate awarded is the official CITB SMSTS certificate, identical to the one issued after classroom training, and it is recognised across the UK construction industry. Principal contractors and clients on Newcastle and North East sites accept it as the standard proof of site management health and safety competence, exactly as they would anywhere else in the country.
Will employers in the North East expect me to hold an SMSTS?
If you manage sites, almost certainly. Most principal contractors and many clients operating in Newcastle and across the North East name a current SMSTS as a requirement for site managers and agents before they take charge of a project, and it appears routinely in pre-qualification questionnaires and tender conditions. Holding the certificate keeps you eligible for management roles rather than watching them go to someone who has it.
How long does the SMSTS course take and what are the hours?
The 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 CITB requirement for sitting the exam, so the week needs to be kept clear of site commitments. The final assessment takes place at the end of the course.
How much does the SMSTS course cost?
The course costs £430. That covers the full five days of live tutor-led training, your course materials and the end-of-course examination leading to the official CITB SMSTS certificate. Employers registered with CITB may also be able to claim a CITB grant towards the cost.
What is the SMSTS exam like and what happens if I am worried about it?
The exam is a paper of multiple-choice, multi-response and short written-answer questions, lasting approximately 30 minutes, with a pass mark of 81%. It only tests what the tutor has taught across the five days, and our 98.7% pass rate shows how rarely engaged delegates are caught out. If you want to see the format in advance, our free online SMSTS mock test lets you try the style of question before you book.
Should I book the SMSTS or the SSSTS, and how long does the certificate last?
Book the SMSTS if you manage a site: site managers, project managers, agents and business owners who plan and control construction work. The two-day SSSTS is the junior course, aimed at supervisors and foremen who direct a team under a site manager. The SMSTS certificate is valid for five years, after which you sit the shorter SMSTS Refresher course before expiry to renew it for another five, rather than repeating the full course.
Ready to get qualified? Book your SMSTS course online today and secure your place on an upcoming five-day course, or call us free on 0808 164 2780 to talk through dates, group bookings or CITB grant funding. One week of live online training, taken from anywhere in Newcastle, and you will hold the certificate that lets you run the site.
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.
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