CSCS Ltd, the company set up to manage and administer the construction skills card scheme have announced that the Certificates of Commitment scheme is to be abolished with immediate effect.
The certificates were awarded to companies employing a high percentage of card holders. There were two levels of certificate:
- Gold: for companies with 75-89% of carded workers
- Platinum: for firms with over 90% of carded workers
Since the certificates were awarded regardless of whether workers held the correct card or not the scheme has become irrelevant.
According to CSCS Chief Executive Graham Wren:
…a high percentage of the workforce is holding the wrong card for the job they carry out.
And,
Issuing certificates on the basis of card numbers is no longer appropriate.
This announcement doesn’t affect the CSCS scheme overall, although it may be an indication that Mr Wren is determined to make significant changes to a skills card scheme which has been widely criticised?