Course overview
Portsmouth is one of the busiest and most tightly packed construction markets on the south coast, and the demands it places on the people running its sites are unusually high. As the only island city in the country, Portsmouth builds within genuine constraints: limited land, dense residential streets, tidal and marine work around the harbour, and a road network funnelled through the M275 and the A27 that leaves little room for error on logistics. If you are the person accountable for health and safety on a site here, the CITB Site Management Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS) is the qualification that principal contractors, local authorities and major clients will expect you to hold before they let you take charge.
The work itself spans the full range. There is high-density residential and student accommodation tied to the University of Portsmouth, waterfront and harbourside regeneration at places such as Gunwharf Quays and the wider seafront, commercial and mixed-use schemes around the city centre and Fratton, industrial and logistics units on the northern edges at Cosham and Farlington, and the long-running regeneration ambitions around Tipner and the M275 gateway. Add the marine and naval-related activity around Portsmouth International Port and the Naval Base, plus the steady flow of refurbishment, fit-out and infrastructure work across Southsea, Portsea and the mainland suburbs, and you have a construction economy that keeps competent site managers in constant demand.
This SMSTS course is written for the people who plan and control that work. Over five days you gain the legal knowledge, the practical safety management skills and the confidence to run a construction site safely and compliantly, and Skills Training Group delivers it as a live, tutor-led online class so you can qualify without leaving Portsmouth or losing a week to travel. The price is £430, and on successful completion you hold the official CITB SMSTS certificate that is recognised on sites right across the UK.
What sets a genuinely competent site manager apart in a city like Portsmouth is not just knowing the regulations, but being able to apply them under pressure on a constrained, live site. The SMSTS is the course that bridges that gap. It takes the legal framework that governs construction and turns it into practical decisions you can make with confidence on a Monday morning, whether you are coordinating deliveries through congested island streets, managing a phased handover on an occupied site, or planning excavations near tidal ground and buried services. Skills Training Group is a CITB-approved training organisation, and the course is delivered by experienced construction trainers who have spent real time on real sites, so the teaching is grounded in the situations you actually meet rather than in abstraction.
Who the SMSTS course in Portsmouth is for
The SMSTS is the recognised management-level safety qualification within the CITB Site Safety Plus scheme. It is written for the people who are accountable for a site rather than for a single trade or gang. If you plan the work, control the programme and answer for health and safety across the whole job, this is the course the industry expects you to hold.
It is a strong fit if you are:
- A site manager or site agent running a construction project in Portsmouth or the surrounding Hampshire area
- A project manager responsible for delivery, programme and safety across a live site
- An experienced site supervisor stepping up into a management role
- A business owner or director who oversees construction sites and carries the legal responsibility that comes with that
- A contracts manager or senior technical lead who needs a current SMSTS to satisfy a principal contractor or client
It helps to be clear about where the SMSTS sits, because it is often confused with the shorter SSSTS. The SSSTS is a two-day course for supervisors and first-line managers who lead a section of the works. The SMSTS is the longer five-day course for the site managers and agents who plan and control an entire project. If your job is to run the whole site rather than supervise a part of it, the SMSTS is the qualification you need. Some site experience is genuinely useful before you attend, because the course assumes you already understand how a construction site operates day to day.
Many Portsmouth delegates come to the SMSTS at a turning point in their career. You might have run sections of work as a supervisor for years and now be taking on a whole site for the first time, or you might be an established manager whose certificate is due for renewal and who wants to attend the full course again to refresh properly. Either way, the responsibility that comes with the SMSTS is real: on site you become the person accountable for the safety of everyone who works there, and the person a Health and Safety Executive inspector will speak to first. The course is designed to make sure you can carry that responsibility competently, not just to tick a box for a contractor’s pre-qualification pack.
What you will learn
Across the five days your CITB-approved trainer works through the legal duties and the practical safety management skills a site manager is expected to apply in the real world. The emphasis stays on what you actually do on site rather than theory for its own sake. In summary, the course builds your knowledge of:
- The Health and Safety at Work Act and the wider legal framework a site manager operates within
- The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations, or CDM, and the duties they place on your role
- Producing, reviewing and acting on risk assessments and method statements
- Managing occupational health, welfare and worker wellbeing on site
- Behavioural safety and building a positive safety culture across your workforce
- Controlling high-risk activities such as work at height, excavations and groundworks, temporary works, scaffolding and demolition
- Monitoring, inspecting, recording and reporting to keep a site legally compliant
A separate breakdown of the full module list sits alongside this page, so the summary above is intended to show the shape of the course rather than list every topic. Because the class is live and interactive, sessions are built around discussion, group exercises and real scenarios, and you are encouraged to bring the situations you meet on your own Portsmouth sites to the trainer as they come up.
What ties the week together is the shift from knowing a rule to managing it. A site manager is expected to read a method statement critically, challenge a risk assessment that does not reflect what is actually happening on the ground, and hold the line when a programme deadline tempts everyone towards a shortcut. Much of the value of the SMSTS lies in those judgement calls. Working through them alongside other managers, many of them running comparable jobs across Portsmouth and Hampshire, gives you a chance to test your thinking against people who face the same pressures. By the end of the five days you should be able to walk a site, spot what is being controlled well and what is not, and know exactly what your legal and practical duties require you to do about it.
How the course runs
The SMSTS runs over five consecutive midweek days, Monday to Friday, with each day scheduled from 08:30 to 17:00. It is delivered live online by video link through Zoom, so you join a genuine tutor-led classroom in real time rather than working through recorded slides on your own. You see and hear the trainer, take part in the discussions, ask your questions as they arise and complete the group work with the rest of the delegates.
Joining is simple. From anywhere in Portsmouth with a reliable internet connection and a suitable device, you click your joining link, check your camera and microphone and you are in the room. There is no travelling to a training centre, no week of parking to arrange in a city where parking is famously tight, and no overnight stays if your site sits out towards Havant, Fareham or Waterlooville. You commit the five days to learning, not to the logistics of getting there.
The five consecutive-day format is deliberate. Site management safety is not a subject that lends itself to being split across scattered study evenings; the material builds through the week, with each day reinforcing the last, and the final exam draws on all of it. Running it Monday to Friday means you block out one clear week, come out the other side qualified, and get straight back to running your site. For employers in Portsmouth, it also makes planning cover far simpler than trying to release a manager for odd days spread over a month. To get the most from the week, treat it as you would a week on site: find a quiet space, close down the other distractions where you can, and give the sessions your full attention, because the tutor will be checking your understanding throughout and the discussion is where a lot of the learning happens.
Assessment and exam
To achieve the SMSTS qualification you need to attend all five days in full, take part in the exercises and discussions throughout the week, and pass the end-of-course examination. The exam is made up of multiple-choice, multiple-response and short written-answer questions, and it lasts approximately 30 minutes. The pass mark is 81%.
Because so much of the learning happens live with a trainer who keeps checking understanding as the week goes on, delegates who engage properly with the five days tend to find the exam holds few surprises. Skills Training Group records a 98.7% SMSTS pass rate, which reflects how much the interactive format helps the material stick. If you would like to see the style of question in advance, you are welcome to work through the free practice test at https://www.skillstg.co.uk/smsts-mock-test/ before your course starts.
Entry requirements and what you will need
There are no formal academic prerequisites for the SMSTS, but there are a few practical requirements. Because the course materials and the examination are delivered in English, you need a good standard of spoken and written English to follow the sessions and complete the assessment. Some construction site experience is strongly recommended, as the course is pitched at people who already understand how a site works and are moving into, or already hold, a management role.
For the live online class you will also need a reliable internet connection and a suitable device with a webcam and microphone, such as a laptop or desktop computer. Both a camera and a microphone are essential, because the trainer needs to see you and you need to be able to take part in the discussion; a tablet can work at a pinch but a laptop or desktop gives you the best experience across a full week. If you have ever joined a video call, you already have the skills you need, and clear joining instructions are sent out in advance so nothing about the technology should catch you out on day one.
Why train online from Portsmouth
Portsmouth is a difficult city to move around at the best of times. It is compact, densely built and reached largely through two motorway spurs, which is exactly why removing travel from your training week makes such a practical difference. Rather than adding a commute or a stay near a distant classroom on top of an already full site week, your managers log in from home, the site office or anywhere with a connection and learn in a real classroom led by a real trainer.
That matters when you are trying to keep a site running while getting people qualified. It keeps delegates close to their Portsmouth projects, strips out the cost and hassle of travel and parking, and makes it far easier to release two or three people from the same firm on the same dates. For managers working across Portsea Island, Southsea, Cosham, Fratton, Port Solent and the mainland towns of Havant, Fareham, Gosport and Waterlooville, everyone attends the same high-quality course without anyone having to work out where to leave a van for a week.
Crucially, nothing about the qualification is watered down for being delivered remotely. There is no physical venue and no local classroom involved, but you sit exactly the same course and exactly the same assessment as any classroom delegate, and you receive exactly the same official CITB SMSTS certificate at the end. The certificate carries the same weight on a Portsmouth site as it does anywhere else in the country.
Certification and five-year validity
On successful completion you receive the official CITB SMSTS certificate. It is recognised right across the UK construction industry and is a standard requirement for site management roles, which is why so many principal contractors and clients working in Portsmouth set it as a baseline before a manager takes charge of a site.
The certificate is valid for five years. To keep it current you complete the two-day SMSTS refresher before it expires, rather than sitting the full five-day course again. You can find the refresher at https://www.skillstg.co.uk/courses/citb-smsts-refresher-course/. Booking your refresher in good time keeps your qualification unbroken, which matters when a lapsed certificate can keep you off site.
CITB grant funding
If your business is registered with CITB and pays the levy, you may be able to claim a CITB grant towards the cost of this SMSTS course, subject to CITB’s own approval process. For Portsmouth contractors putting several managers through their training, that grant can make a meaningful difference to the overall cost of keeping a team qualified. Grant payments are administered directly by CITB, so it is worth checking your eligibility and having your levy registration details to hand before you book.
How to book your SMSTS course in Portsmouth
Booking your place takes only a few minutes. Choose a date that suits you and reserve your place online at https://booking.skillstg.co.uk/course/SMSTS. If you are booking for several managers, or you want to line the training up with a project start on one of your Portsmouth sites, call the team on 0808 164 2780 and they will help you find dates that work and answer any questions about the course, the technology or CITB grant funding. You can also see all upcoming dates and course details on the main CITB SMSTS course page.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to travel to a training centre in Portsmouth to attend?
No. There is no physical venue for this course. The SMSTS is delivered as a live, tutor-led online class over Zoom, so site managers across Portsmouth and the wider Hampshire area can qualify from home or the site office without travelling. You join a real classroom in real time and take part exactly as you would in a room.
How long is the SMSTS course and what are the daily hours?
The SMSTS runs over five consecutive midweek days, Monday to Friday, with each day scheduled from 08:30 to 17:00. You must attend all five days in full to achieve the qualification.
How much does the SMSTS course cost?
The course is £430. That covers the full five days of live, tutor-led online training and the end-of-course examination. If your business pays the CITB levy you may also be able to claim a CITB grant towards the cost, subject to CITB approval.
Is the online SMSTS certificate recognised by contractors in Portsmouth?
Yes. The qualification is identical however you attend. You sit the same course and the same exam as a classroom delegate and receive the same official CITB SMSTS certificate, which is recognised by principal contractors and clients across Portsmouth, Hampshire and the wider UK construction industry.
What is the difference between the SMSTS and the SSSTS?
The SMSTS is a five-day course for site managers and agents who plan and control a whole site. The SSSTS is a shorter two-day course for supervisors and first-line managers who lead a section of the works. If you run the entire project rather than supervise part of it, the SMSTS is the course you need.
What does the exam involve and what is the pass mark?
The exam is made up of multiple-choice, multiple-response and short written-answer questions and lasts approximately 30 minutes. The pass mark is 81%. You can try the free practice test at https://www.skillstg.co.uk/smsts-mock-test/ to get a feel for the questions before your course begins.
How long is the certificate valid and how do I renew it?
The CITB SMSTS certificate is valid for five years. To keep it current you complete the two-day SMSTS refresher course before it expires, rather than repeating the full five-day course. Renewing in good time keeps your qualification unbroken and keeps you eligible to manage sites.
Ready to get qualified? Book your live online SMSTS course today at https://booking.skillstg.co.uk/course/SMSTS, or call the Skills Training Group team on 0808 164 2780 to secure your place and get your Portsmouth site management team CITB certified.
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
