The development means that more than 60,000 industry skills cards issued under the Grandfather Rights process will expire on 31st December 2024 and cannot be renewed.

Those seeking to renew their CSCS card will have to reapply for new cards in 2024 and demonstrate their credentials by acquiring an appropriate National Vocational Qualification (NVQ). Construction workers don't have to go back to school, but will need to be assessed by an independent assessor for a period of time, for which the worker or employer will have to pay.

CSCS cards are required by employers on most major construction sites in the UK. However, they are not a legal requirement and the scheme has no force of law behind it. Rather, it is the UK construction industry’s attempt to improve competence across the sector, sanctioned by a group of trade associations and a committee of political appointees, the Construction Leadership Council.

Featuring on The Clive Holland Show, Alan O'Neile, head of communications at CSCS, said although cards are still not a legal requirement, construction workers will find it increasingly difficult to get on sites without a valid CSCS card.

“So, for a whole host of reasons employers and industry want to move everybody to a fully qualified workforce and the card itself is ensuring that the workforce are fully qualified for the job they are doing on site. So, without the card you will find it extremely difficult to get to a construction site.

“It is all about raising standards and it’s all about improving M-safety on the site. This is not new Clive we have been moving towards qualifications for a number of years now. We started back in 2010 when we actually stopped issuing new cards under industry accreditation. So, what we have today is 60,000 card holders who have a card historically before 2010 and it’s those 60,000 that now need to put a plan in place to move off IA by the end of 2024. But as I say, this is nothing new in 2014, a lot of your listeners will remember the Construction Site Operative Card. We withdrew that card because the individuals didn’t need to obtain a qualification and those cardholders had to move over to a recognised qualification. We did that again in 2017 when the construction industry released the Occupation Card and same scenario, they didn’t require a qualification that time and 340,000 construction workers were moved across to a recognised qualification and in 2019 we withdrew the Visa card. So, over the last 10 years we have moved over half a million constructions workers across to a recognised qualification and that’s how we raise standards and safety in the industry. The removal of IA is the last piece of that jigsaw for those 60,000 and to put this into context it is those 60,000 from 2.1 million cardholders who now need to put a plan in place to move off IA.”

The proposed changes have not been well received by those listening to the show.

Miles Jones, a tradie, said: “without the car’s on 90% of site’s you can’t enter to do any work and it’s frustrating at times but that’s the way it is.”

PBS Plastics added: “It doesn’t make any sense. You should be employed on your ability to carry out the work? The more we put obstacles like these in the way of potential workers interested in joining us, will put them off.”

Nathan Jones another tradie said: “I’ve been told I have to take the test before the end of the year by two of the companies I do work for otherwise I won’t be allowed on site. Thing is its best part of £1700!”

The Carpentry Shop summed up and said: “As far as we are aware, these cards are not a legal requirement. It’s not enforceable in law if you don’t have one, is it? One of our team does site installations from time to time and he has one for a particular builder but the rest don’t require him to have one.”

The ending of all CSCS IA cards issued from 1st Jan 2020 is part of the Construction Leadership Council’s drive for a fully trained and competent workforce.

To listen to the full podcast please click below.