SSSTS Training in Portsmouth – £199 Live Online

Course overview

Our SSSTS course in Portsmouth is written for the people who run the work at ground level and carry the responsibility for keeping a crew safe from the first briefing of the day to the last check before everyone signs off. Perhaps you have just been handed your first supervisory role, or perhaps you have been directing a gang for years and only now need the paperwork to prove what you already do. Either way, this two-day CITB Site Safety Plus course gives you the practical health and safety grounding to supervise with authority and within the law. It runs live online at £199 plus VAT, so supervisors across Portsmouth, Fareham, Havant, Gosport and the rest of south Hampshire can gain the certificate without surrendering two days to the car park queues around the harbour.

Course overview

Portsmouth packs a lot of construction into a small footprint. It is one of the most densely built cities in the country, hemmed onto Portsea Island and its surrounds, which means work here is rarely a case of a wide-open greenfield plot. Supervisors on city sites deal with tight boundaries, shared access, live traffic on the doorstep, neighbouring occupiers and the constant tension between programme and public safety. The SSSTS exists to make sure the person managing that pressure has been trained to do it properly. On the projects moving through the waterfront, the port, the university quarter and the regeneration sites inland, principal contractors now expect their first-line supervisors to hold a current SSSTS before they are let loose on a work area, and this course delivers exactly that qualification in two focused days. Because it is taught live over video, a supervisor in Cosham, Southsea or out towards Waterlooville can complete it from a laptop rather than losing half a shift to the M275 and the A27.

The aim of the two days is simple. It takes the competence you have built on site and turns it into a recognised certificate that a contractor, a client or a health and safety officer will accept on sight. You will not sit through abstract theory that has nothing to do with your Monday morning. Everything is framed around the calls a supervisor genuinely makes, from whether a task is safe to start to how you pull work to a halt when something changes and the risk assessment no longer matches what is in front of you.

What the SSSTS course is

The Site Supervisors’ Safety Training Scheme is a two-day CITB programme built specifically around the supervisor’s job in construction and civil engineering. It gives team leaders, gangers and first-line managers the health and safety knowledge they need to look after the people working under them, keep the work compliant and act with confidence when a decision has to be made on the spot. The course concentrates on the day-to-day reality of supervision rather than legislation studied for its own sake, so what you cover on the two days lines up directly with the situations you meet on a live Portsmouth site.

It helps to be clear about where the SSSTS fits in the CITB Site Safety Plus family, because supervisors and managers are sometimes booked onto the wrong course. The SSSTS is for the supervisor: the person who runs a work area, directs a team and reports up to the site manager. It is not the five-day SMSTS, which is aimed at the manager who carries overall responsibility for an entire project. If you oversee a gang or a defined section of the works, the SSSTS is the qualification pitched at your level. If you are the one accountable for the whole site, the SMSTS is the course you want instead. Booking the right one first time saves everybody a wasted fortnight.

The SSSTS is recognised by CITB and by the UK Contractors Group, which is precisely why it appears so often in the pre-qualification requirements set by main contractors and clients. Holding a current certificate proves, in a form the industry accepts without argument, that you understand the legal duties that come with supervision and that you can put safe systems of work into practice on the ground rather than just describe them.

Who should attend

This course is aimed squarely at the person who sits between the site manager and the workforce and has to make safety happen in real time, shift after shift. It suits:

• Site supervisors and first-line managers working on construction projects across Portsmouth and Hampshire
• Gangers and team leaders responsible for the safety of a crew
• Experienced tradespeople moving up into a supervisory position for the first time
• Foremen who run the site inductions, deliver the toolbox talks and give the daily briefings
• Supervisors in civil engineering, groundworks and infrastructure
• Anyone who monitors what is happening on site and needs a proper grasp of their health and safety responsibilities

You do not need any earlier safety qualifications to take part. If you are about to step up and you want to arrive at your next Portsmouth or south coast project already carrying the certificate your contractor is going to ask for, this is the course that gets you there without any fuss.

What the course covers

Over the two days an experienced tutor works through the health and safety knowledge a supervisor actually draws on, built around the decisions you make on site rather than around a reading list of regulations. The content includes:

• Health and safety law and the legal duties that sit specifically with the supervisor
• The supervisor’s part in keeping a site safe and in building a workforce that takes safety seriously
• Risk assessments and method statements, and how to brief them so a crew genuinely understands them
• Running effective site inductions and toolbox talks that people remember
• Monitoring the work as it happens and knowing the moment to stop it
• Getting safety information across clearly to a mixed workforce, including subcontractors and visitors
• Recognising how your own decisions ripple out to affect everyone working under your watch

The sessions are worked through as a group rather than delivered as a lecture you sit and absorb in silence. You are encouraged to bring the real problems you meet on your own site into the room, whether that is managing deliveries through a narrow city-centre gate, coordinating trades in a cramped footprint or keeping the public clear of a harbourside boundary. By the end you should be able to take what you have learned and apply it straight away on your project instead of leaving it behind as classroom theory.

Course structure and assessment

The SSSTS runs as a two-day live online class from 08:30 to 16:00, wrapping up at 4pm on each of the two days. It is taught over a proper video link by a qualified instructor who is present the whole way through, answering questions and working examples with the group exactly as they would if you were all sat in the same room in a Portsmouth training centre. This is a genuine live class, not a recorded webinar and not a self-paced module you click through on your own.

To earn the qualification you need to attend both days in full, join in with the group exercises and discussions, and pass a short assessment at the end of the course. Our SSSTS courses carry a 98% pass rate, and that figure comes from the way the material is taught rather than from any shortcut. The content is worked through with you, tied to real site scenarios and reinforced as the two days go on, so nothing is crammed into the final hour. The assessment itself takes around 30 minutes and the pass mark is 80%, but by the time you reach it the tutor’s job has been to make sure the whole group already understands the material, not simply to catch anyone out.

On successful completion you receive the CITB Site Safety Plus SSSTS certificate, which is valid for five years, along with the CITB card that acts as your proof of qualification. To keep it live you take a one-day SSSTS Refresher before the expiry date, which brings you up to speed with any changes in legislation and good practice and renews the certificate for a further five years. It is worth putting a reminder in your diary well ahead of that expiry, because letting the certificate lapse can mean starting again rather than simply refreshing.

Entry requirements

There are no formal entry requirements and you do not need any prior safety qualifications to book a place. The single thing to be aware of is language. The course is delivered in English and the assessment is sat in English, so every delegate needs a good standard of spoken and written English to follow the sessions and complete the assessment properly. Some experience on construction sites is useful for putting the content in context, particularly the parts about risk assessments and briefings, but it is not a condition of attending. If you are not certain whether the SSSTS is the right level for you, or whether you would be better suited to the SMSTS, speak to our team before you book and we will point you the right way.

Why train online from Portsmouth

Portsmouth keeps a steady volume of construction work in motion, and the geography of the city is a large part of why. Building on and around Portsea Island means limited space, high land values and a constant push to make more of the plots that already exist, which shows up as commercial fit-outs, residential schemes, harbourside and waterfront developments, port and marine-related works and the ongoing refurbishment of an older building stock. The university’s footprint in the city adds another steady strand of work, and the regeneration sites around the north of the island and the wider Solent bring their own. All of that activity depends on supervisors who hold a current SSSTS, and pulling a good supervisor off the job for two days to sit in a distant classroom is rarely convenient for the site or the individual.

Running the SSSTS as a live online class takes that problem away. A supervisor anywhere in Portsmouth, across south Hampshire or along the coast towards Southampton and Chichester can qualify from home, from the site cabin or from wherever suits on the day, with no commute to build into the diary, no city parking to hunt down and no travel costs to claw back afterwards. A firm with people spread across several sites can put them all through the same class without anyone having to converge on one venue. What you do not lose is the live experience. There is a real tutor teaching in real time, real discussion with other supervisors and the chance to raise a question the moment it occurs to you. It is the same qualification, held to the same standard that contractors recognise, delivered in the way that actually fits how construction works around a busy island city. If you would genuinely rather be in a room, a classroom option is available as well.

The practical side asks very little of you. If you have ever joined a video call for a site meeting, you already have everything you need to know. All that is required is a computer, laptop or tablet with a webcam and microphone, most of which are built into modern devices, and a reasonable internet connection. We send clear joining instructions ahead of the start and someone is on hand to help if the technology needs a nudge on the morning. Your course materials come in a straightforward downloadable format that you keep and can refer back to on site long after the two days are over.

Pricing

The live online SSSTS course is £199 plus VAT, and that is the option most Portsmouth supervisors go for, purely because it is the most convenient way to fit a qualification around a live site programme. If you would prefer to attend in person, a classroom option is available at £279. Both routes lead to exactly the same CITB-recognised SSSTS certificate, valid for five years, and the only real difference between them is how you attend. There are no hidden extras bolted on at the end, and your course materials are included in the price. For eligible employers the SSSTS is CITB grant claimable, which can bring the real cost of training your supervisors down considerably, and our team can talk you through whether your business qualifies and how the grant is claimed.

How to book

Booking a place takes only a few minutes. Choose the live online SSSTS, pick a date that fits around your site commitments and reserve your seat through our online booking page. If you are arranging training for a group of supervisors, or you have questions about upcoming dates, availability or which level of Site Safety Plus course is right for your team, get in touch and we will guide you through it. You can reach the team on 0808 164 2780. With demand for qualified supervisors across Portsmouth and Hampshire holding firm, booking ahead is the surest way to lock in the date you want rather than waiting for the next one.

Frequently asked questions

Will the online SSSTS be accepted on Portsmouth and Hampshire sites?

Yes. The certificate you gain from the live online course is the same nationally recognised SSSTS as the classroom version, backed by CITB and the UK Contractors Group. Principal contractors working across Portsmouth, the wider Hampshire area and the south coast treat it as proof that a supervisor holds the required health and safety competence, and there is no separate or lesser status attached to having trained online rather than in a room.

How do I know whether I need the SSSTS or the SMSTS?

It comes down to what you are responsible for. The SSSTS is the two-day course for supervisors, gangers and first-line managers who run a team or a work area and report up to a site manager. The SMSTS is the five-day course for the manager who owns the health and safety of a whole project. If you oversee part of the works, take the SSSTS. If you carry the site as a whole, you need the SMSTS. If you are still unsure after reading that, call us and we will help you choose before you commit.

Is there anywhere I have to travel to for the online course?

No. The live online SSSTS is delivered entirely over a video link, which means you can join from home, from the site office or from anywhere in Portsmouth and south Hampshire that has a device and an internet connection. There is no training venue to drive to, no parking to sort and no mileage to reclaim, which is a large part of why island-city supervisors choose the online route in the first place.

How long will my certificate stay valid?

The SSSTS certificate lasts five years from the date you pass. Before it runs out you take the one-day SSSTS Refresher, which updates you on any changes to legislation and best practice and extends your certification for another five years. It is worth booking the refresher in good time ahead of the expiry, because a lapsed certificate can leave you having to sit the full two-day course again.

What are the daily hours for the course?

Both days run live from 08:30 to 16:00, finishing at 4pm. Full attendance across the two days is required to complete the qualification, so it pays to block the time out cleanly and let your site know in advance that you will be off the tools rather than trying to dip in and out around other commitments.

Do I need existing qualifications or site experience to enrol?

No prior safety qualifications are needed to book, and while a bit of construction experience helps you get more out of the discussions, it is not a requirement. The one thing that does matter is a good standard of spoken and written English, because both the teaching and the end-of-course assessment are carried out in English. Beyond that, the course is designed to bring newer supervisors up to speed as well as formalising the knowledge of those who have been doing the job for years.

Can I put several of my supervisors through at the same time?

Yes. Because the class is delivered online, supervisors based across different Portsmouth and Hampshire sites can all attend the same session without anyone leaving their patch to gather in one place. If you are booking for a group, get in touch and we will help you line up dates and places that work around your programme, and we can also advise on whether CITB grant funding applies to the training.

Modules breakdown

Our comprehensive SSSTS training covers the following key areas:

Health and Safety Law

• Current legislation affecting construction supervision
• Legal responsibilities of supervisors on site
• Understanding Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) requirements
• Health and safety regulations specific to construction activities
• Consequences of non-compliance for individuals and companies

Risk Management

• Principles of risk assessment
• Understanding and implementing method statements
• Delivering method statement briefings for workers
• Managing common site hazards effectively
• Control measures for various construction activities
• Managing hazardous substances

Supervisory Responsibilities

• The supervisor’s role in safety management
• Building and maintaining a positive safety culture
• Identifying and addressing bad practice
• Effective communication techniques
• Managing subcontractors and visitors
• Conducting site inductions and safety briefings

Practical Safety Management

• Planning for site safety
• Conducting effective toolbox talks
• Safety inspection procedures
• Accident reporting and investigation
• Record-keeping requirements
• Promoting safety awareness among workers

Health and Wellbeing

• Occupational health concerns in construction
• Behavioural safety approaches
• Managing workplace stress
• Noise, vibration and dust exposure
• Manual handling best practices
• Worker welfare requirements

Environmental Issues

• Environmental responsibilities on site
• Waste management and reduction
• Energy efficiency considerations
• Pollution prevention
• Sustainable construction practices
• Regulatory compliance

Course Structure

The CITB SSSTS course is delivered over two consecutive days through our professional remote learning platform:

• Led by experienced instructors with extensive construction backgrounds
• Interactive sessions with fellow construction professionals
• Comprehensive digital training materials provided
• Practical scenarios and case studies
• Group discussions and knowledge-sharing opportunities

Full attendance across both days is required to qualify for the examination. The course combines theoretical knowledge with practical application to ensure relevance to daily supervisory duties.