SSSTS, SMSTS and IOSH courses for Worksop and Bassetlaw

Building along the A1 and the A57

Worksop sits on the A57, which links the A1 east of the town with the M1 to the west. Manufacturing and distribution are among the main sources of work here. EM.EX Worksop is a 300-acre industrial and logistics park at the A1's Apleyhead junction, tied to the M1 by the A57. Bassetlaw District Council approved the scheme, which is expected to support up to 4,000 jobs across its phases. On the south side of the town, Manton Wood has its own access junction onto the A57 and outline planning permission for employment use.

Big-shed schemes follow a familiar order. Earthworks, groundworks and drainage come first, then steel frames, cladding, roofing and fit-out. Every stage needs supervisors running a section and a site manager pulling the whole job together. Most stages also rely on temporary works: excavation support, propping, crane platforms, edge protection and falsework.

SSSTS and SMSTS courses for Worksop site teams

The two-day CITB SSSTS course is for supervisors and section foremen. It covers your legal duties, risk assessments and method statements, and how to brief and check on a team. The five-day CITB SMSTS course is the one principal contractors usually ask site managers for. It goes further into planning the work, CDM 2015 duties and managing subcontractors.

Both run in the classroom at the Rotherham venue and live online with a tutor, and CITB issues the certificate either way. Each has a refresher for when the certificate is due for renewal. If you're torn between the two, SMSTS or SSSTS: which course do you need? compares them role by role.

Temporary works courses for warehouse and factory builds

• Temporary Works Supervisor (one day): for the people who look after temporary works day to day. Think of the groundworks foreman checking excavation support, or the supervisor who signs off a propping arrangement before it is loaded. See the Temporary Works Supervisor course.
• Temporary Works Coordinator (two days): for the person who runs the temporary works process across the whole site, from the register and design brief to permits to load and strike. See the Temporary Works Coordinator course.

Both CITB courses are built on BS 5975, and both run in the classroom in Rotherham and live online. Our guide Temporary Works Supervisor or Coordinator: which course? explains how the two roles split on a live job.

IOSH and NEBOSH courses for Worksop employers

Once a warehouse or factory opens, the people who run it need different training from the people who built it. IOSH Managing Safely is a three-day course for shift managers and team leaders. IOSH Working Safely is one day and covers the basics for everyone on the floor. Both are taught live online, and both work well in-house for a whole shift or department.

For operations managers, and anyone taking on health and safety as part of the job, the NEBOSH National General Certificate is the next step. It is taught live online with a tutor, or you can study it at your own pace by distance learning.

NVQs for supervisors in Bassetlaw

An NVQ is assessed on the work you already do, so it makes no difference where in the district your site is. For supervisors, the Level 4 NVQ Diploma in Construction Site Supervision is a route to the Gold Supervisor card. Your assessor builds an online portfolio with you and can observe you on site or by video. Most NVQs take 6 to 8 weeks, and you pay in full when you enrol. Not sure of the level? Try the NVQ checker.

Retford, Harworth and the east of the district

In the east of Bassetlaw, near the border with Lincolnshire, the former West Burton power station is the planned site of STEP, the UK's prototype fusion energy plant. Retford, Gainsborough and Worksop are the closest towns to it.

From Retford, the venue is about 40 minutes by road outside rush hour, via the A1(M) and the M18. From Harworth and Bircotes, it is about 30 minutes via the A631 through Tickhill and the M18. Gainsborough, over the border in Lincolnshire, is about 50 minutes away. On those longer trips, live online courses and in-house training are often the easier choice. If your work is mainly on the Doncaster side, see our courses for Doncaster teams. For the Rotherham borough, see health and safety training in Rotherham.