Sean Kearns,
Chief Executive,
CSCS Group

Dame Judith Hackitt’s review into the Grenfell tragedy and the resulting Building Safety Act are clear.

For workers to be deemed ‘competent’ on a job, they must be able to demonstrate a full, verifiable picture of their skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours – and responsibility for ensuring this lies squarely with their employer.

For contractors and housebuilders, the Building Safety Act makes clear that they must be able to prove the competence of their workforce.

And for housebuilders, large or small, the new regulation means that for them to be confident of the quality and safety of their homes, they should also be ensuring that their contractors and suppliers are regularly verifying that their employees hold the correct skills and qualifications for their role.

I know this can feel like an insurmountable task, but as an industry we’re in this together.

When the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) was launched in 1995, it was built on a simple yet vital principle: everyone on a construction site should be trained, qualified and able to prove it.

Now 30 years on, that mission remains unchanged, but how we deliver this is evolving.

CSCS cards have become the UK industry standard for verifying training and qualifications, with millions of cardholders helping to improve safety across the sector.

Now we’re taking the next step with our new CSCS Digital Skills Passport, a modern, efficient way to manage, track and improve workforce competence.

The Digital Skills Passport comprises two core tools.

My CSCS is a free app for individual employees to store their digital CSCS cards, including verified qualifications and health safety credentials, alongside additional training and learning documents in one secure platform.

At the same time, CSCS Smart Check provides employers, housebuilders and contractors with one easy-to-use tool to verify that cards are genuine and up to date and that workers have the correct skills, training and qualifications for the role they’re employed to do.

“I know this can feel like an insurmountable task, but as an industry we are in this together”

But this is more than a digital upgrade – it’s a compliance solution. To meet the legal obligations of the Building Safety Act, duty holders must ensure each employee is demonstrably competent. If a subcontractor cuts corners, the liability falls on you.

The Digital Skills Passport mitigates that risk by ensuring that every one of your workers has the right qualifications and training – the key elements of skills and knowledge.

The benefits are wide-reaching. Workers gain ownership of their professional records and can carry their validated competencies across jobs. Employers gain confidence that the right people are in the right roles. And, most importantly, contractors and housebuilders gain assurance that legal obligations are being met.

The introduction of the Digital Skills Passport marks a turning point in how we recognise and manage competence across our industry. It fosters consistency, enhances professionalism and supports a safer, more transparent sector.

But innovation only works if it’s embraced. If we want to meet the requirements of the Building Safety Act and build a culture of safety, efficiency and accountability, this new technology must be adopted by all.

Let’s lead by example, raise the standard and make competence the foundation of everything we build.