Course overview
Running a construction site in Sunderland means answering for everything that happens on it, from the first induction of the morning to the last sign-off at the end of the day. The CITB Site Management Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS) is the five-day qualification written for exactly that level of responsibility. It gives site managers, project managers, agents and the business owners who oversee construction work the legal knowledge and practical safety skills to plan, control and account for a whole site rather than a single work area. Skills Training Group delivers the SMSTS as a live, tutor-led online course, so managers across Sunderland, Wearside and the wider North East can gain the qualification without losing days to travel or an overnight stay.
Sunderland has no shortage of work that puts a competent site manager under real pressure. The riverside and city-centre regeneration around the Wear, the ongoing housing and residential schemes across Washington, Houghton-le-Spring and Seaham, commercial and industrial development on the region’s business parks, and the logistics, civils and infrastructure jobs that keep the North East moving all need someone in charge who can read a method statement, challenge a scaffold tag and hold a client’s confidence when they ask how a task is being controlled. The SMSTS is the course that principal contractors and clients across the region expect that person to hold before they take charge of a project.
Demand for competent, certificated site managers across Wearside and the North East has held up well through the region’s steady pipeline of housing, regeneration and infrastructure work. Contractors bidding for and delivering that work are routinely asked to prove their management is qualified, and a current SMSTS is the certificate that answers the question. For anyone building a career in construction management around Sunderland, from Washington and Houghton-le-Spring across to Seaham, Peterlee and Chester-le-Street, it is one of the most useful qualifications you can hold, and it tends to travel with you from project to project and from contractor to contractor.
This page explains who the SMSTS course in Sunderland is for, what it covers, how the live online delivery works day to day, how the exam is structured and how to book your place. Everything on the course maps to the full CITB Site Safety Plus syllabus, so the certificate you earn from your desk in Sunderland is exactly the same nationally recognised qualification as one earned in any classroom in the country. The price is £430, and Skills Training Group is a CITB-approved training organisation with experienced construction trainers and a 98.7% SMSTS pass rate.
Who the SMSTS course in Sunderland is for
The SMSTS is aimed at the people who plan and control construction work rather than supervise a single squad or trade. If your job is to run the site, not just a section of it, this is the qualification that matches the role. It is a strong fit if you are:
- A site manager or project manager responsible for a construction or civil engineering project in Sunderland or across the North East
- A site agent or contracts manager who plans, resources and controls the works from start to finish
- A supervisor stepping up into site management and needing the qualification to match the extra responsibility
- A business owner or director who oversees construction sites and is accountable for how safely they are run
- A manager whose principal contractor or client insists on a current SMSTS before you can take charge of a site
Many delegates book the SMSTS at the point they move up from a supervisory position into full site management, so the qualification and the added accountability arrive together. It is equally suited to experienced managers who have run sites for years without a formal certificate and now need one to satisfy a main contractor working across Wearside and the wider region. The course assumes you already understand construction work, so some site experience is genuinely useful before you attend, but there is no requirement to hold the SSSTS or any other prior safety qualification first.
It is also a common requirement for smaller Sunderland firms and sole traders who take on larger contracts and suddenly find they are the person accountable to a principal contractor for how a site is managed. If you own or run a construction business and you are the one signing off the works, the SMSTS gives you both the legal grounding to do that properly and the certificate a client will want to see. Whichever route brings you to it, the aim is the same: to leave the five days able to plan a job, resource it safely and stand behind the decisions you make on site.
What you’ll learn on the SMSTS
Across the five days your CITB-approved tutor works through the health and safety law a site manager is bound by and the practical management skills that turn that law into a safely run site. The emphasis stays on what you actually do as a manager, how you plan a project, resource it, monitor it and put it right when something drifts, rather than theory for its own sake. In summary, the course covers:
- The Health and Safety at Work Act and the manager’s duties within it
- The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations and how they shape a project
- Producing, monitoring and communicating risk assessments and method statements
- Managing occupational health, welfare and the common high-risk activities found on site
- Planning and controlling work such as excavations, work at height, scaffolding and demolition
- Leading site inductions, toolbox talks and effective safety communication with the workforce
- Building a positive safety culture and managing behaviour on site
- The manager’s role in monitoring, reporting, recording and continual improvement
The value of the SMSTS is in how these topics join up rather than in any one of them on its own. Over the week you see how a risk assessment feeds a method statement, how that method statement drives the induction and the toolbox talk, and how the monitoring you do afterwards closes the loop and keeps a job under control. That is the difference between a manager who can produce paperwork and one who can actually run a safe site, and it is what a Sunderland client is really paying for when they insist on an SMSTS-qualified manager.
Because the class is live and interactive, the sessions are built around discussion and realistic scenarios rather than a one-way lecture. You talk through the kinds of situations that come up on North East projects, from riverside regeneration and city-centre commercial work to housing, industrial and civils schemes around the region, and you put your own site questions to the tutor as they arise. A detailed module breakdown is set out separately on this page.
How the SMSTS course runs
The SMSTS runs over five consecutive midweek days, Monday to Friday, from 08:30 to 17:00 each day. Attending every session in full is a condition of achieving the qualification, so it is worth planning the week around it and letting your site team know you will be on the course.
Delivery is entirely live online over a Zoom video link. This is not a recorded or self-paced course. You join a genuine classroom in real time, led by a CITB-approved tutor with hands-on construction and site management experience, and you can speak up the moment a question occurs to you. The tutor keeps checking understanding as the week progresses, works through practical exercises with the group and draws on real site examples throughout. For a Sunderland manager it means the same standard of tuition you would get in a room, delivered to wherever you happen to be.
Getting set up is straightforward. Ahead of the start date we send clear joining instructions with your video link. On the first morning you click the link, check your camera and microphone are working and you are ready to begin. Our support team is on hand beforehand to help with any technical questions, so you can concentrate on the course rather than the technology.
To take part you need a computer, laptop or tablet with a working webcam and microphone, both of which are built into most modern devices, along with a reasonably stable internet connection. Because all of the course materials and the examination are in English, you also need a good standard of spoken and written English to follow the sessions and complete the assessment. If you have ever joined a video call before, you already have everything you need to attend from anywhere in Sunderland or the wider North East.
Assessment and exam
Achieving the SMSTS depends on attending all five days, taking part in the exercises and passing the end-of-course examination. The exam is made up of multiple-choice, multi-response and short written-answer questions, lasts approximately 30 minutes and carries a pass mark of 81%. It is sat on screen at the end of the course.
None of it is designed to catch you out. Because so much of the learning happens live with a tutor who keeps testing understanding as the week goes on, delegates who engage with the sessions are usually well prepared by the time the exam comes round, which is reflected in Skills Training Group’s 98.7% SMSTS pass rate. To help you prepare, there is a free SMSTS practice test you can work through in your own time at https://www.skillstg.co.uk/smsts-mock-test/. Running through the mock test before your course is a sensible way to get familiar with the style of the questions and to spot any topics worth revisiting.
Why train online from Sunderland
There is no physical training centre for this course, and for most Sunderland managers that is an advantage rather than a compromise. Site managers are under enough pressure without adding a commute across the region or an overnight stay to a five-day week. Delivering the SMSTS by live video link removes that entirely. You log in from home, the site cabin or anywhere with a reliable connection and learn in a real classroom led by a real tutor, without a journey to plan around it.
It also makes the practical side easier. Supervisors and managers based in Sunderland City Centre, Washington, Seaham, Houghton-le-Spring, Chester-le-Street, Peterlee and the surrounding North East towns all attend exactly the same high-quality course, and it is far simpler to release two or three people from the same firm at the same time when nobody has to travel. The learning is not diluted for being remote. You see and hear the tutor live, you ask questions as they occur to you and you sit precisely the same assessment and earn precisely the same CITB certificate as a classroom delegate anywhere in the country. For a Sunderland business, that means a fully qualified site manager and none of the lost time.
Certification and 5-year validity
On successful completion you receive the official CITB SMSTS certificate. It is recognised across the UK construction industry and accepted by principal contractors and clients throughout Sunderland, the North East and beyond as proof that the holder is competent to manage a site safely. The certificate is valid for five years.
To keep your qualification current, you take the two-day SMSTS Refresher before the certificate expires rather than sitting the full five-day course again. It is worth diarising the expiry date well in advance so there is no gap in your certification, particularly if you move between contractors who each check it. You can find full details of the refresher at https://www.skillstg.co.uk/courses/citb-smsts-refresher-course/.
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 of the training. If your business is registered with CITB and pays the levy, it is well worth checking what you can claim before you book, as it can reduce the effective cost of getting your Sunderland site managers qualified. Grant eligibility and the amounts available are set by CITB, so check your current entitlement directly with them, and get in touch with our team if you would like help lining the training up with a grant claim.
For a Sunderland firm putting more than one person through the course, the grant can make a real difference to the overall cost of building a properly qualified management team. Because the training is delivered live online, it is also easier to release several managers across a busy period without losing anyone to travel, so the practical cost of getting a group certified stays low. If you are planning ahead around a project starting on a North East site, our team can help you fit the dates around your programme and talk you through how the grant sits alongside the course fee.
How to book your SMSTS course in Sunderland
Booking your place takes only a few minutes. You can reserve online at https://booking.skillstg.co.uk/course/SMSTS, where you can see the upcoming dates and secure your seat. If you would rather talk it through, or you are booking several managers at once and want to line the training up with a project starting on site, call our team on 0808 164 2780 and we will help you find suitable dates and answer any questions about the course, the CITB grant or the online format. You can also see all upcoming dates and further detail on the main CITB SMSTS course page.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to travel to a venue in Sunderland to attend the SMSTS?
No. The SMSTS is delivered as a live online course over a Zoom video link, so managers across Sunderland, Wearside and the wider North East can qualify from home or the site cabin without travelling to a venue. There is no physical training centre for this course. You join a real, tutor-led classroom in real time and sit the same assessment and earn the same CITB certificate as any classroom delegate.
How long is the SMSTS and what are the hours?
The SMSTS is a five-day course, run over five consecutive midweek days from Monday to Friday. Each day runs from 08:30 to 17:00. You need to attend all five days in full to achieve the qualification, so it is worth planning your week around it before you book.
How much does the SMSTS course cost in Sunderland?
The SMSTS course is £430. That covers the full five days of live, tutor-led online training and the end-of-course examination. If your business is registered with CITB and pays the levy, you may also be able to claim a CITB grant towards the cost, so it is worth checking your entitlement before you book.
What is the difference between the SMSTS and the SSSTS?
The SMSTS is a five-day course for site managers, project managers and agents who plan and control a whole site. The SSSTS is a shorter two-day course for supervisors, foremen and team leaders who oversee a section of the work. If your job is to run the entire project rather than supervise a squad or a trade, the SMSTS is the qualification that matches your role.
Is the online SMSTS recognised by contractors across the North East?
Yes. The certificate is identical however you attend. The SMSTS is a CITB Site Safety Plus qualification, so the certificate is accepted by principal contractors and clients throughout Sunderland, the North East and the wider UK construction industry. Training live online does not change the qualification you hold at the end of it in any way.
What is the exam like and how do I prepare?
The exam is made up of multiple-choice, multi-response and short written-answer questions, takes around 30 minutes and has a pass mark of 81%. It is sat on screen at the end of the course. Because most of the learning happens live with a tutor who keeps checking understanding, delegates who engage with the sessions tend to be well prepared. You can also work through a free SMSTS mock test beforehand at https://www.skillstg.co.uk/smsts-mock-test/.
How long is the SMSTS 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 before it expires, rather than repeating the full five-day course. It is a good idea to note the expiry date well in advance so there is no gap in your certification. Full details are on the SMSTS refresher course page.
Ready to get qualified? Secure your place on the next live online SMSTS course in Sunderland by booking at https://booking.skillstg.co.uk/course/SMSTS, or call our team on 0808 164 2780 for help with dates, group bookings or CITB grant funding. Give your Sunderland site managers the recognised qualification the North East construction industry expects, without a single day lost to travel.
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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