NCC defends its site certification process

The National Construction College (NCC) has slammed recent reports that its certifying process for workers who occasionally go on to construction sites is too slow and too expensive. Criticism has arisen after a number of workers, such as fitters, have been refused entry to sites because they lack the correct certification.
Andy Walder, NCC marketing manager, said: "There's no reason why anyone can't have certification as it's reasonably quick to get and costs hundreds and not thousands of pounds."
He said certification can be achieved in two or three days at a cost of approximately £200 for a single applicant, while larger groups of up to six people can be certified in a week.
Waiting times vary depending on location, but typically this is two months, which the NCC said is not an unreasonable amount of time. However, Walder advised applicants to put themselves forward as soon as possible as this timescale will increase as more people apply.
Non levy-paying companies, however, cannot claim a grant and will have to meet the full cost. "For these companies we are still only talking hundreds of pounds," said Walder.
n The Construction Equipment Association is investigating the possibility of producing a passport for its members to allow them quick and easy access to construction sites, according to spokesman Tim Faithfull. "It's only an idea at present but it would cover safety and skills for the construction and quarrying industries," he said.