Course overview
Running a construction site in Stoke-on-Trent means answering for everything that happens inside the hoarding, from the first spade in the ground to the final handover. The Potteries have kept builders busy for years, and the pipeline shows no sign of slowing: town-centre regeneration around Hanley and the Smithfield quarter, new housing on former industrial land across the six towns, warehousing and logistics units feeding off the A50 and A500 corridors, and the steady flow of commercial, education and civils work that a city of this size generates. Every one of those jobs needs someone competent standing at the top of the site safety chain, and for most main contractors working across Staffordshire that competence is evidenced by a current SMSTS certificate.
The CITB Site Management Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS) is the recognised five-day qualification for the people who plan, manage and control construction work. It is the course principal contractors expect their site managers, agents and project managers to hold before they take charge of a site, and it is written around the real legal duties those roles carry under UK health and safety law. Whether you are managing a housing scheme in Newcastle-under-Lyme, a refurbishment in the city centre or a distribution unit out towards Crewe, the SMSTS gives you the framework to run the job safely and to prove you know what you are doing when a client, a CDM co-ordinator or an HSE inspector asks.
Stoke’s construction market has its own character. The six towns that make up the city, Tunstall, Burslem, Hanley, Stoke, Fenton and Longton, are dotted with former pottery works and industrial sites that are steadily being cleared and rebuilt, which means a healthy amount of demolition, remediation and brownfield groundwork alongside the newbuild. Add in the housing pressure across Newcastle-under-Lyme and the commuter towns, the retail and leisure regeneration in Hanley, and the big-shed logistics demand that follows the A50 and A500, and you have a spread of projects that keeps experienced site managers in demand right across Staffordshire. The common thread through all of it is the need for someone competent and qualified to take charge of health and safety on the ground.
Skills Training Group delivers the SMSTS as a live, tutor-led class over a video link, so managers anywhere in Stoke-on-Trent and the wider region can gain the qualification without losing a week to travel and overnight stays near a distant training centre. As a CITB-approved training organisation with experienced construction trainers, we run the course to the full CITB syllabus and back it with a 98.7% SMSTS pass rate. The price is £430, and the certificate you walk away with is the same nationally recognised CITB qualification you would earn in any classroom. This page explains who the course is for, what it covers, how the online delivery works, how the exam is assessed and how to book your place.
Who the SMSTS course is for
The SMSTS is aimed at anyone who carries responsibility for planning, managing or controlling a construction site rather than simply working on it. If your name is against the site paperwork and the decisions that keep people safe, this is your course. It is a strong fit if you are:
- A site manager or site agent running a construction, refurbishment or civils project in Stoke-on-Trent or across Staffordshire
- A project manager or contracts manager overseeing works and the teams delivering them
- A senior site supervisor stepping up into a management role and taking on wider safety duties
- A business owner or director who oversees construction sites and needs to demonstrate management-level safety competence
- An experienced manager whose existing SMSTS certificate is approaching its five-year expiry and who needs to understand the level before deciding between the full course and the refresher
You do not need a shelf full of qualifications to attend, but the SMSTS is pitched at management level, so some site experience helps you get the most from it. If you supervise a single trade or a squad rather than run the whole site, the two-day SSSTS is usually the more appropriate starting point. Managers across the Potteries book the SMSTS at the point they take on a site of their own, which is exactly when the knowledge is most useful.
It is just as relevant for employers as it is for individuals. If you are a contractor or developer working across Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, the SMSTS is often the qualification a client or principal contractor will insist your management team holds before they let you on site. Putting your managers through the course is a straightforward way to keep your business tender-ready and to demonstrate, on paper and in practice, that the people running your projects understand their legal duties. Because the course runs online, you can release two or three managers for the same week without the logistics of getting everyone to a distant venue.
What you will learn
Over the five days your CITB-approved tutor works through the legal responsibilities and the practical management skills a site manager is expected to apply every day. The emphasis stays on how you actually run a safe site rather than theory for its own sake. In summary, the course builds your understanding of:
- The Health and Safety at Work Act and the key regulations that sit beneath it, and where the site manager fits within them
- The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations and how they shape duties across a project
- Producing, reviewing and monitoring risk assessments and method statements as a working management tool
- Managing high-risk activities such as work at height, excavations and groundworks, temporary works, scaffolding and demolition
- Occupational health, welfare and behavioural safety, and how to build a genuine safety culture on your site
- Your duties around monitoring, inspection, reporting and record keeping
Because the class is live and interactive, the sessions are built around discussion, case studies and real scenarios rather than a one-way lecture. You will talk through situations that map onto the kind of work happening across Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, from housing and regeneration to industrial and logistics schemes, and you are encouraged to bring the issues you meet on your own sites into the room. A detailed module-by-module breakdown is set out separately on this page.
How the course runs
The SMSTS runs over five consecutive weekdays, Monday to Friday, from 8:30 to 17:00 each day. It is delivered entirely as a live online class over a Zoom video link, so there is no physical venue to travel to. You join a real, tutor-led classroom in real time from home, the site office or anywhere you have a quiet space and a reliable connection.
This is not a self-paced video course or a set of slides to click through in your own time. Your CITB-approved trainer is on screen with you throughout, delivering the material, running the group exercises and answering questions the moment they come up. You see and hear the tutor live, you take part in the discussions alongside other construction professionals, and the learning stays active across all five days. Full attendance on every day is required to complete the course and sit the exam, so it is worth booking a week where you can commit to the full timetable without being pulled back to site.
To take part you will need a laptop or desktop computer with a webcam and microphone (a tablet can work but a computer is better for a five-day course), a stable internet connection and a suitable quiet space to concentrate. You should also have a good standard of spoken and written English, as the course is delivered and assessed in English. Some site experience is ideal, since much of the value comes from relating the material back to work you have actually managed. If you have any concerns about the technology or your suitability before you book, our team can talk you through exactly what to expect.
One of the practical advantages of the online format for Stoke-based managers is how easily it fits around a live job. There is no need to write off travel time at either end of the day, and because you are learning from home or the site office you stay within reach of your project if something genuinely needs your attention outside the course hours. It also makes the five days far easier to plan into a busy schedule than a course that would tie you up in another city for the week.
Assessment and exam
The SMSTS is assessed at the end of the course with a written examination. The paper is made up of a mix of multiple-choice, multiple-response and short written-answer questions, and it lasts approximately 30 minutes. The pass mark is 81%. The questions are designed to check that you can apply the management-level safety principles covered across the week, not simply recall facts, so the delegates who engage fully with the live sessions tend to find the exam holds few surprises.
To achieve the qualification you need to attend all five days in full, take part in the exercises and discussions along the way, and pass the final examination. Our SMSTS courses carry a 98.7% pass rate, which reflects how much of the learning happens live with a tutor who keeps checking understanding as the week progresses.
If you would like to see the style of question before you sit the real thing, you can try our free SMSTS mock test. It is a good way to gauge your readiness and settle any nerves ahead of the exam.
Why train online from Stoke
Stoke-on-Trent sits at a busy point on the Midlands construction map, with the M6, A50 and A500 threading through the area and steady demand for site managers across housing, commercial, logistics and regeneration work throughout the Potteries and wider Staffordshire. Getting a manager qualified quickly, without pulling them off a live job for the best part of a week, genuinely matters.
Training by live video link removes the two things that usually get in the way. There is no drive to a training centre in another city and no overnight stay, which means no travel time, no fuel or hotel cost and no parking to sort out. Your managers simply log in from home or the site cabin and learn in a real classroom led by a real tutor. It keeps people close to their sites and makes it far easier to release someone for the week, or to book two or three managers from the same firm together.
It is worth being honest about what online delivery does and does not change. What it removes is the travel, the parking and the overnight stay, not the substance of the course. You still commit to five full days, you still take part live, and you are still expected to engage with the group work and the discussions. What you gain is the flexibility to fit that commitment around a working site in Stoke without the dead hours a commute to another city would add on top.
Crucially, the learning is not watered down for being remote. You sit exactly the same course and exactly the same assessment as you would in a classroom, and the certificate you earn is identical. For the majority of site managers working across Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, the live online route is simply the more sensible way to get certified.
Certification and 5-year validity
On successful completion you are awarded the official CITB SMSTS certificate. It is recognised right across the UK construction industry and is widely required by principal contractors and clients as evidence of management-level safety competence, so it travels with you from job to job and from site to site around the region and beyond. For many site managers in Stoke-on-Trent it is the qualification that opens the door to bigger projects and greater responsibility, and for employers it is a clear signal that the person running the site knows their duties under the law.
The SMSTS certificate is valid for five years. To keep it current you take the two-day SMSTS refresher course before it expires, rather than sitting the full five-day course again. It is worth diarising the expiry date well ahead of time, because letting the certificate lapse means going back to the full course. If yours is getting close, the refresher is the quicker and more cost-effective route to staying qualified.
CITB grant funding
The SMSTS is a CITB-approved course, which means eligible employers may be able to claim a CITB grant towards the cost. If your business is registered with the CITB Levy, a grant can help offset the investment in getting your site managers qualified, which makes a real difference when you are putting several people through their training across a busy period in Stoke-on-Trent.
Grant funding is claimed by the employer and is subject to CITB approval and your registration status. If you are not sure whether you qualify or how to go about it, our team can point you in the right direction so you can factor any available funding into your planning before you book. For a Stoke construction firm putting a small management team through their SMSTS, that support can make a meaningful dent in the overall cost of keeping everyone qualified and compliant.
How to book your SMSTS course
Booking your SMSTS in Stoke takes only a few minutes. Choose a date that suits you and reserve your place online at booking.skillstg.co.uk/course/SMSTS. If you would rather talk it through first, or you are arranging training for several managers and want to line the dates up with a project start, call our team on 0808 164 2780 and they will help you find suitable dates and answer any questions about the course or the technology.
You can also find full details of the qualification, including all upcoming dates, on our main CITB SMSTS course page.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to travel to a training centre in Stoke to attend?
No. We deliver the SMSTS as a live online class over a Zoom video link, so there is no venue to travel to. Site managers across Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire join the classroom from home, the site office or anywhere with a quiet space and a reliable internet connection. You still learn live with a CITB-approved tutor and other delegates in real time.
How long is the SMSTS course and what are the hours?
The SMSTS runs over five consecutive weekdays, Monday to Friday, from 8:30 to 17:00 each day. You need to attend all five days in full to complete the course and sit the exam, so it is best to book a week you can give over to the training without being called back to site.
How much does the SMSTS course cost?
The SMSTS is £430. That covers the full five days of live tutor-led training and the end-of-course examination. Eligible employers registered with the CITB Levy may be able to claim a CITB grant towards the cost, subject to CITB approval.
Is the online SMSTS recognised by contractors around Stoke?
Yes. The qualification is identical however you attend. You earn the official CITB SMSTS certificate, which is recognised throughout the UK construction industry and accepted by principal contractors and clients across Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire and beyond as evidence of management-level safety competence.
What is the difference between the SMSTS and the SSSTS?
The SMSTS is a five-day course for site managers, agents and project managers who plan and control a whole site. The SSSTS is a shorter two-day course for supervisors, gangers and team leaders who oversee a section of the work. If your job is to run the site rather than supervise a single trade or squad, the SMSTS is the right course for you.
How is the SMSTS exam assessed?
The course ends with a written examination of multiple-choice, multiple-response and short written-answer questions, lasting approximately 30 minutes. The pass mark is 81%. You can try our free SMSTS mock test beforehand to check your readiness. Our SMSTS courses carry a 98.7% pass rate.
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 take the two-day SMSTS refresher course before it expires, rather than repeating the full five-day course. If you let it lapse you have to sit the full course again, so it is worth booking the refresher in good time.
Ready to get qualified? Secure your place on the next live online SMSTS course from Stoke-on-Trent by booking at booking.skillstg.co.uk/course/SMSTS, or call our team on 0808 164 2780 for help with dates, group bookings or CITB grant funding. Train from anywhere in the Potteries, keep your managers close to their sites, and earn the same nationally recognised CITB certificate.
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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