Course overview
Nottingham’s construction sector has plenty to keep a site manager busy. The city has spent the last decade reshaping its southern edge, with large mixed-use regeneration around the old Broadmarsh site, major schemes at the Island Quarter, and a steady pipeline of student accommodation, build-to-rent blocks and commercial refurbishment feeding off two large universities and a growing city-centre population. Beyond the ring road, housebuilding continues across Nottinghamshire in places like Hucknall, Arnold, Gedling and Bingham, while the M1 corridor keeps the region supplied with warehouse, logistics and industrial work. Every one of those projects needs somebody who carries overall responsibility for planning, organising and controlling the site safely, and on most of them the principal contractor will expect that person to hold a current SMSTS certificate before they set foot in the site cabin.
The CITB Site Management Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS) is the construction industry’s standard qualification for exactly that role. It is a five-day course written for site managers, project managers, senior supervisors and business owners who run construction sites, and it is recognised by contractors and clients across Nottingham, the East Midlands and the whole of the UK. If you are pricing work for a main contractor in the city, bidding for framework packages, or stepping up from supervision into full site management, a current SMSTS is very often the line in the pre-qualification questionnaire that decides whether you can take the job.
Skills Training Group delivers the full five-day SMSTS course live online over Zoom, taught in real time by experienced construction trainers, for £430. There is no venue to travel to and nothing lost in the format: you complete the same CITB syllabus, sit the same exam and receive the same nationally recognised certificate as a delegate in any classroom, and you do it without leaving Nottingham or spending a week commuting across the city. Our delegates pass at a rate of 98.7%, and places can be booked online in a few minutes or by phone on 0808 164 2780.
Who the SMSTS course is for
The SMSTS is aimed at the people who carry overall responsibility for a construction site, rather than those who supervise a single gang or work area. In and around Nottingham that typically means:
- Site managers and site agents running projects for main contractors and regional builders
- Project managers who need formal, certificated evidence of site safety competence
- Experienced site supervisors preparing to step up into a site management role
- Business owners and directors of smaller construction firms who manage their own sites
- Contracts managers and construction professionals whose clients require SMSTS as a condition of appointment
It is worth being clear about where the course sits, because it is regularly confused with its shorter sibling. The two-day SSSTS is the qualification for site supervisors and first-line managers who oversee work as it happens. The five-day SMSTS is the qualification for the person who plans, organises, monitors and controls the whole site. If you direct a crew, the SSSTS may be enough; if you run the site, you need the SMSTS. Plenty of Nottingham construction professionals take the SSSTS early in their careers and return for the SMSTS when their responsibilities grow, and if you are unsure which course fits your role our team will happily talk it through before you book.
No formal qualifications are needed to attend. You will get the most from the course if you have some experience of working on construction sites, because the material is taught through real site scenarios and the discussion is richer when you can bring your own examples to it. The course and the exam are delivered in English, so you need a good standard of spoken and written English to take part fully. Beyond that, all that is required for the online class is a reliable internet connection and a suitable device with a camera and microphone.
What you’ll learn
Over the five days, the SMSTS builds a complete picture of what the law and the industry expect from the person in charge of a construction site. Rather than reciting legislation in the abstract, the course frames everything around the decisions a site manager actually makes: what to check before work starts, how to plan high-risk activities, when to stop a job, and what to record so that your management of the site stands up to scrutiny.
You will work through the Health and Safety at Work Act and the CDM Regulations and what they mean for your duties day to day, learn how to prepare, review and brief risk assessments and method statements, and cover the management of the high-risk activities that dominate accident statistics in construction: work at height, excavations, temporary works, demolition, confined spaces and occupational health hazards such as dust, noise and vibration. There is a strong thread throughout on leadership and behavioural safety, because a site manager sets the culture of a site as much as its programme, whether that site is a city-centre frame in Nottingham or a housing development on the edge of Mansfield.
A full module-by-module breakdown is listed further down this page, so we will not repeat every topic here. The short version is that the SMSTS covers everything a site manager is expected to know to run a site safely and legally, and it does so in a way that you can apply on your own project the following Monday.
How the course runs
The SMSTS is a five-day course delivered over five consecutive midweek days, Monday to Friday, from 8:30 to 17:00 each day. It runs as a live online class over Zoom, which means a qualified trainer teaching in real time, not a set of recorded videos to click through at your own pace. You see and hear your trainer throughout, you can ask questions the moment they occur to you, and you work through group exercises, case studies and discussions with the other delegates on the course, exactly as you would in a physical classroom.
That interaction matters more on the SMSTS than on almost any other construction course, because so much of site management is judgement rather than rote knowledge. Delegates on our courses come from sites across the UK, so a Nottingham site manager might spend the week comparing notes with managers running projects in Leeds, Glasgow or London. Hearing how other managers handle the same problems, from difficult subcontractors to temporary works coordination, is one of the most valuable parts of the week, and it is the part that no self-study package can replicate.
Attendance on all five days is required. The course is structured so that each day builds on the last, with knowledge checks along the way, so by the time the exam arrives on the final day you have already rehearsed the material rather than meeting it for the first time. Digital course materials are provided for you to keep, and they remain a useful reference long after the course, whether you are writing a construction phase plan or briefing a method statement on site.
Assessment and the SMSTS exam
The SMSTS is assessed by an exam taken at the end of the course. The paper consists of multiple-choice questions, multi-response questions where more than one answer must be selected, and short written-answer questions that ask you to demonstrate genuine understanding rather than recognition. The exam lasts approximately 30 minutes and the pass mark is 81%.
That pass mark looks demanding on paper, and it should: the certificate says you are competent to manage the safety of a construction site, and CITB set the bar accordingly. In practice, delegates who attend all five days and engage with the exercises are very well prepared by the time they sit the paper. The material is taught, applied and revisited across the week, and your trainer will make sure the group is ready before the exam begins. Our 98.7% SMSTS pass rate reflects that approach.
If you want to gauge where you stand before the course, or simply settle your nerves ahead of the exam, we publish a free SMSTS mock test that you can take online at any time. It mirrors the style of questions you will face and is a sensible hour’s preparation for anyone booking the course.
Why train online from Nottingham
We deliver this course live online rather than from a training venue, and it is worth being straightforward about what that means. There is no physical classroom in Nottingham to attend: you join the course over Zoom from wherever suits you, whether that is your home in West Bridgford, the site office on a job in the city centre, or a quiet room at your company’s premises. For a five-day management course, that turns out to be a genuine advantage rather than a compromise.
Consider what a venue-based week actually costs a Nottingham site manager. Five consecutive days of travelling across the city or up and down the A52 and M1, five days of parking, and five days of being pinned to one location regardless of what is happening on your project. Delivered online, the same course takes exactly the course hours and nothing more. You are at your desk at 8:30 and free by just after 17:00, close enough to your site to deal with anything urgent at either end of the day, and there is no travel or parking cost stacked on top of the course fee.
The certificate you earn is identical. CITB approves the SMSTS for live online delivery, and the qualification you receive is the same one held by delegates who sat the course in a classroom, recognised by principal contractors on sites in Nottingham and everywhere else in the UK. You also get something a local classroom cannot offer: a cohort drawn from across the country, which makes the group discussion broader and the week more useful. For companies, the online format means a contracts manager in Beeston, a site manager in Newark and a director in Mansfield can all attend the same course without anyone converging on a single venue for a week.
The technology is deliberately simple. If you have ever joined a video call, you can join this course. We send clear joining instructions ahead of the start date, and our team is on hand to help you test your setup before day one so you can walk into Monday morning with nothing to think about except the course itself.
Certification and five-year validity
On passing the exam, you receive the official CITB SMSTS certificate. It is recognised across the UK construction industry as the standard evidence of site management safety competence, and it is what principal contractors, clients and pre-qualification schemes are asking for when they require “SMSTS” from the person running a site. Whether the project is in Nottingham, the wider East Midlands or the other end of the country, the certificate carries the same weight.
The certificate is valid for five years from the date of issue. Before it expires, you keep it current by completing the shorter SMSTS refresher course, which updates your knowledge of legislation and industry practice and renews the qualification for a further five years. The important point is not to let the certificate lapse: if it expires before you refresh, you are back to sitting the full five-day course. Put the expiry date in your calendar the day your certificate arrives, and book the refresher in good time.
CITB grant funding
The SMSTS is a CITB Site Safety Plus course, and eligible employers registered with CITB may be able to claim a grant towards the cost of putting a delegate through it. For Nottingham construction firms training one or more managers, that support can take a meaningful bite out of the training budget. Eligibility and the claim itself sit between your company and CITB, but if you are unsure whether your business qualifies or how the process works, our team can point you in the right direction when you book.
How to book your SMSTS course
Booking takes a few minutes. The course fee is £430, and courses run regularly, with each one delivered over five consecutive weekdays, Monday to Friday. You can view upcoming dates and book your SMSTS place online, or call our team free on 0808 164 2780 if you would rather book by phone, ask about group bookings, or check anything before committing.
Demand for SMSTS places is steady, because so many contractors treat the certificate as a fixed condition of appointment, so if you have a start date on a Nottingham project that depends on being certificated it pays to book ahead rather than leave it to the last clear week in your diary. If you are arranging training for several managers at once, get in touch and we will help you plan dates around your project commitments. You can also find full details of the course itself on our main CITB SMSTS course page.
Frequently asked questions
Is an online SMSTS certificate accepted on Nottingham construction sites?
Yes. CITB approves the SMSTS for live online delivery, and the certificate you receive is the same official CITB SMSTS certificate issued to classroom delegates. Principal contractors and clients on sites across Nottingham and the East Midlands accept it exactly as they would a classroom-earned certificate, because it is the same qualification. There is no separate “online version” of the certificate and nothing on it that distinguishes how you attended.
Do I have to travel anywhere in Nottingham to attend?
No. The course has no physical venue; it is delivered entirely as a live online class over Zoom. You can join from home, from a site office or from anywhere in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire or beyond with a reliable internet connection and a device with a camera and microphone. That saves a week of travel and parking on top of the course fee, and it means delegates from surrounding towns such as Mansfield, Hucknall, Long Eaton and Ilkeston attend on exactly the same footing as anyone in the city centre.
How long is the SMSTS course and what are the hours?
The SMSTS is a five-day course, delivered over five consecutive midweek days from Monday to Friday. Each day runs live from 8:30 to 17:00. Attendance on all five days is required to sit the exam and gain the certificate, so it is worth clearing the full week of site commitments before you book.
How much does the SMSTS course cost?
The live online SMSTS course costs £430. That covers the full five days of tutor-led training, your digital course materials, and the CITB exam and certification on successful completion. Employers registered with CITB may also be able to claim a grant towards the cost, which is worth checking before you book if you are funding training through a levy-registered business.
What is the SMSTS exam like and what happens if I am worried about it?
The exam is taken at the end of the course 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%. The course is built to prepare you thoroughly across the week, and our delegates pass at a rate of 98.7%. If you want to test yourself in advance, our free online SMSTS mock test lets you try exam-style questions before the course begins.
Should I take the SMSTS or the SSSTS?
It depends on your role. The SSSTS is a two-day course for site supervisors and first-line managers who oversee work on the ground. The SMSTS is the five-day course for site managers, project managers, agents and business owners who carry overall responsibility for planning and controlling a site. On most Nottingham sites, the person named as site manager will be expected to hold SMSTS, while supervisors under them hold SSSTS. If your responsibilities sit somewhere between the two, call us on 0808 164 2780 and we will advise on the right course for the job you actually do.
How long does my SMSTS certificate last and how do I renew it?
Your CITB SMSTS certificate is valid for five years. To keep it current, you complete the shorter SMSTS refresher course before the expiry date, which renews the qualification for a further five years. If you let the certificate expire, you must sit the full five-day course again, so it is worth booking your refresher well ahead of the deadline.
Ready to get qualified? Book your SMSTS course online today for £430, or call our team free on 0808 164 2780 to reserve your place, arrange a group booking, or ask anything about training as a site manager from Nottingham. Five days, one exam, and a CITB certificate recognised on every construction site in the UK.
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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